Soing or Sowing

In Mark's Gospel chapter four, Jesus teaches us the Parable of the Soils. In it He talks about seed being sown on four type of soils. In His explanation of the Parable He tells us the seed sown is the Word. In other words, God's Word is the seed of the divine life. It is life giving. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) Until one puts faith, unwavering trust in God's Word, he is trying to reap a harvest where there is no seed planted. It would be senseless for a farmer to have faith for a harvest before he has even planted the seed. In the same way, it is not God's will that there be a harvest without the planting of the seed, that is, without His will, His Word, being known and acted on.

For instance, for a sick person to know that it is God's will to heal him, it is necessary for the seed to be planted in his heart and mind. The seed is not planted until it is known, received and as I had mentioned, having unwavering trust that what God says is absolutely true and He is absolutely both willing and able to perform what He says. In the same way, no person can become a Christian before he or she knows that it is God's will to save. It is God's Word sown, trusted and acted upon which recreates the spirit and also heals both soul and body. God will always be limited in a persons life until he or she knows God's will in a matter. It is the Gospel, which the Holy Spirit says through the Apostle Paul, "is the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16) which applies to all its phases, both physical and spiritual.

Neither the spiritual nor the physical phase of the Gospel is to be applied by prayer alone. Seed is powerless until it is planted. So, if we are unsure of God's Will, instead of saying, "Pray for me" we should first say, "Teach me God's Word", so that we can intelligently cooperate with the Holy Spirit and receive the promises of God. Within the Apostle Paul's prayer for the church we see, "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened..." (Ephesians 1:17-18) After the eyes of our understanding are sufficiently enlightened, our attitude toward sickness, disease, sin and all the works of the devil should be the same as the Lord Jesus', "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38) "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)

We can be sufficiently enlightened by the promises of God by simply believing that our prayer is heard before we have experienced the answer, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24) God's promises work their wonders while we see and act on eternal realities, that is, on His promises, on His faithfulness, etc., but we must stand on His Word and refuse to be affected by temporal things to the contrary. God always fulfills His promises when He can get the right cooperation. (Hebrews 10:23, 11:6) He always accepts us and undertakes for us when we apply Mark 11:24 to our daily lives.

To take this out further, let's look at Proverbs 4:20-22. "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." God's Word cannot be health to either soul or body before it is heard, received and attended to. Notice here that the Words of God, spoken through Solomon, are life only to those who find them. If one desires to receive life and healing from God, they must take time to find the words in the scriptures that promise these results. When God's Word becomes health to all your flesh, your sickness and or disease will be gone.  Unfortunately, because many believers today have failed to find and attend to God's Word for their need(s), the promises that the Father has and is willing and able to give His children do not manifest. 

As we see in this Proverb and when we respond to it, His Words are "Life and health to all our flesh." The Holy Spirit through the Apostle James tells us, "...receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:21-22) We also see that God tells us exactly how to attend to His Words, "Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart. Therefore, having your eyes on your circumstances and being occupied with them, will cause God's Word to "depart from your eyes." So, we are to look at, consider, meditate on God's Word and like Abraham, we also become strong in faith looking at the promises of God and nothing else.

As the only way a seed can do its work is by being kept in the ground, so the only way that God's imperishable seed can effectually work in us is by it being "kept in the midst of our heart." This does not mean occasionally, but continuously. This is most likely the main reason why many have failed to receive the wonderful promises of God. When we attend to God's Words by not letting them depart
from before our eyes and by keeping them in the midst of our heart, the seed takes root in good ground. This is the kind of ground in which, Jesus says, "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:20) This is the crux of the message revealed in the Parable of the Soils.

Therefore, after you have planted your seed, (God's Word which give promise and solution to your circumstances) you simply believe it is growing even though you do not see it growing. This is faith that is, as the writer of Hebrews says, "the evidence of things not seen." By looking to Christ, by looking to God's Word, we have perfect evidence for faith. Any person can get rid of his or her doubts by looking only at the evidence that God has given for our faith, His Word. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) Seeing only what God says will produce and increase faith.  By continuously, "giving attention to God's words; Inclining your ear to His sayings; not letting them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; we will find life, light, liberty, love, joy, guidance, wisdom, understanding, provision, perfect health and so much more. God's Word provides everything that we could ever possibly need in this life. (2 Peter 1:3)

So, let us take these final words to heart, as it has been said, "Don't doubt your faith; doubt your doubts, for they are unreliable." May the grace and peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ flood your heart and mind.