Seeds
For Becoming Who You Are
[Dutch Sheets]
As a father to this generation, I thrive on
helping others realize and fulfill God's dreams for them. When imparting
life lessons to emerging world changers, I always emphasize that we can fully
embrace our identity in Christ only when we willingly participate in the
process God has designed for our success.
It is good to desire growth, change, maturity,
and results, but we frequently want results without embracing "the
process" that will yield them. In the same way that we long for the
"finished product," we also need to undertake and embrace a
passion for the path – the journey – to our completion.
We cannot expect to be overnight legends in the
faith. A life of obedience necessitates conforming to God's means (His process)
just as much as to His ends (the finished product). If we continue abiding and
abiding and abiding, it will happen. The truth will make you free.
So shall My Word be which goes
forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing
what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
Seeking Permanent Change
Several years ago the Lord spoke something to me
that was one of the greatest revelations I've ever received. I was talking to
Him about why the Word wasn't working in me. Truth be told, I was complaining
about seeing a lack of fruit in my life. I'd sat under countless great
teachers, listened to all the right tapes, read all the classic books, and all
I heard was how I was supposed to be victorious in every area of my life.
With pure heart motives for being greatly used by
God, I aimed to be the best Christian I could possibly be. Oftentimes, along
this quest, I would leave powerful church services and prayer meetings high on
hope that I now had what I needed to finally see permanent change. But a few
days later and – you guessed it – I was the same.
"God, why isn't this working for me?" I
cried out. I was pretty upset, feeling like a complete failure. And then He spoke
to me what without a doubt has been one of the most important things I've ever
learned.
"Because all truth comes to
you in seed form."
Huh?
He continued: "For
those people who are teaching you – the ones who are giving you all these
testimonies of what worked for them – that truth is fruit in them now. But it
isn't transferred to you as fruit. It comes to you as seed. Whether it bears
the same fruit in you depends on what you do with it, because all truth comes
in seed form. If you do what they did and abide in My Word, that seed will grow
in you also, and the truth will make you free, just as it has for them."
I chewed on this for a while. I began to think of
all those I knew who were clearly bearing fruit in certain areas of their
lives. A former drug addict whose mind was "fried" immediately began
to immerse himself in God's Word after giving his life to Christ. For hours
each day he would read, meditate upon, memorize, and speak Scripture. After
only a few months, not only was this young man completely free of any
temptation toward drugs, his mind was completely healed.
I recalled another young man who was set free
from a poverty mentality, having only known extreme poverty up until that point
in his life. Seeds of revelation were planted while hearing a man speak on true
prosperity, being blessed by God to be a blessing. The transformation of his
mind came about as he spent months identifying and meditating upon Scriptures
on God's provision, sowing and reaping, etc. Before long that stronghold was
broken and in its place was an incredible faith for finances. He became one of
the most prosperous men I know...and one of the best givers.
The Seed Principle
I could see the thread. It became what I call
"the seed principle": a process of growth until fruition.
Suddenly, I knew I couldn't expect freedom in problem areas of my life if I had
not spent time in God's Word regarding those areas. You have to work the
process. Information seeds must become fruit-producing revelation.
And for that to happen, you have to tend the seed.
Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8 all recount the
parable of the sower in which Jesus talks in detail about this seed principle.
He indicates that the maturity of the seed – His Word in us – is a growing process.
And if that seed is nurtured, just like a natural seed, it will grow to
fruition. Jesus summarized the process of tending the seeds of His Word as
follows:
1. Hear: Receive the
written or spoken Word of God (Matthew 13:23).
2. Understand: Put these
new pieces of God's Word together with the knowledge of God we already have for
greater revelation (Matthew 13:23).
3. Accept: Receive and embrace with
assent and obedience (Mark 4:20).
4. Hold Fast: In our tending to the
seed (Luke 8:15).
Aborting The Process
Jesus also mentions a valuable truth of which we
all need to be acutely aware as we tend to our seed: whether through fear,
financial stress, lust...satan's primary goal is to get us to abort the process
so he can steal the seed. His attacks will no doubt be well-timed, sneaking in
at our most vulnerable moments in life.
Despite the storms that will come to disrupt and
challenge our maturation, we must strengthen ourselves in the Lord and "hold fast [to] the confession of our hope" (1 Samuel 30:6; Hebrews 10:23). If you continuously
yield to the work of the Master Potter, He will give grace to help us in our
time of need and bring to completion the good work that He's begun in you
(see Hebrews 4:16; Philippians 1:6).
Nurturing the Word
In summary, when we persist in nurturing the
Word of God, revelation will come to enlighten and bring truth to us (see
Ephesians 1:17-18). If attended to (see Proverbs 4:20), guarded
(see Proverbs 4:23), continued in (see John 15; James 1:25), and
meditated upon (see Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3), the Word of God will bear
the fruit He has promised.
Galatians 6:9 offers the perfect encouragement:
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we
do not grow weary."
Anchor yourself in God's Word. Surround yourself
with life-givers who will pray with you, for you, and hold you accountable to
the standard God's called you to. Continue to abide in Him, abide in His Word,
and you will be set free to become whom God has made you to be, and experience the
power of your identity in Christ.
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