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Seed to Soil
Have you read chapter thirteen in the book of Matthew lately? It’s about seeds. It’s about soil. It’s about fruit.
Matthew 13:1-9 1. That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down while all the people stood on the shore. 3. And He told them about many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5. Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. 6. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. 8. Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. 9. He who has ears, let him hear.”
Often I have used this passage as a sword when praying for those who don’t know the Lord—asking, and petitioning with declarative prayers that those individuals would receive and believe in Jesus, so the enemy of the Gospel would not be able to snatch the seeds away. It was always about the lost or those who were deaf to the truth. So when the Holy Spirit used this chapter to speak to me the other day, I was taken aback and received a revelation. Let me set the stage.
I was in my prayer room seeking and asking the Lord for His counsel in my life. I needed Him to speak to me about an issue I was struggling with. I was asking for a kingdom perspective to quiet my human emotions. I was in need of His help, so I read the chapter again all the way from verse one to the very end. Pausing, here and there, to listen and receive.
Matthew 13:18-23 18. “Therefore hear the parable of the Sower: 19. When anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21. yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
After I read verse twenty-three, I came to a sudden stop as words were jumping off the page, and I could hear Him whispering to me. “Take notice; My answers are hidden in My Word.” I then knew I had a “knowing” around two specific thoughts. Two stop and pay attention to highlights. One was in verse nineteen, “when anyone hears the Word of the Kingdom.”
I immediately started to investigate “Word of the Kingdom” meanings and found to my surprise, it was not just about someone receiving the salvation message as I had always thought. It was so much more. It includes these meanings, His truths, His knowledge, His Gospel, and the full counsel of God. Ok…wow…so now, asking for His counsel in my prayer room became about me receiving the “Word of the Kingdom.” It was me asking for His seeds!
The second highlight was in verse twenty-three, “but he who received seed on good ground” Again, another wow, as I knew I was being given a great thought. I was the one who needed to be receiving the seed—emphasis on receive. The word “receive” means to be given something, be presented with something, or to be paid something. It’s to come into possession of or to acquire something. (Oxford Dictionary)
Suddenly these passages were not about others but about me. They became so personal as I was the one who was asking for the “Word of the Kingdom.” I was the one asking for His Kingdom counsel. I was the one who needed to understand, and it would be up to me to reach out with both of my hands and receive His good seed. But it did not stop there; there was a whole other truth, it’s about the soil of the heart–my heart, my soil, my feet, my ground.
As I received my petitioned prayer for Holy Word seeds, I had to be determined that I was standing on good soil. I knew from the verses above that I was to guard my seeds and my soil. I knew I did not want to be a ground void of growth or a soil that was not healthy, rich, or deep enough to keep the robber away. The kind of soil the enemy visited with his evil attempts to snatch away opportunities for fruit.
See, we are promised fruit if we receive and understand while tilling our good soil, some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. I want to bear fruit, don’t you? I want to be good soil too, don’t you? I want to receive His kingdom seed and guard it deep in my heart, don’t you? So let’s till together, plant together, and together bear a harvest for our Lord.
By Melissa Norris
Sanctioned Love
