Sounds like I’m going to be giving a garden lesson but not so. I’m going to be talking about the garden of your heart and the weeds that try to drain your faith. Let’s look at the parable of the Sower in Mark 4.
Mark 4:14-20 (KJV) 14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. [Means if they don’t understand – Matt. 13:19.]
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Matthew 13:19 (KJV) 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
Here we see that the sower is actually sowing God’s Word and it happens to fall on four kinds of soil, which refers to four kinds of hearts. What I want to focus on is the third type of soil where the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things enter in and choke the Word of God that actually did get into your heart and keeps if from producing. BUT. . .
These are the “weeds” that work night and day to rob you of God’s Word so that it doesn’t take root and produce. And just what are these weeds?
The deceitfulness of riches we can understand because riches have glamour and lure you into lusting after them at every turn. Just turn on the advertisements on TV and you’ll see!
Then we see the lust of other things which is the desire to have “everything” in sight or close to it. But that’s not what I want to focus on. It’s the cares of this world, entering into your heart, that seek to choke the very life out of God’s Word that’s in there.
So what are these cares? They’re the distractions of life that seek to consume us – day and night: our family, job, church activities, hobbies, recreation, etc. None of these things are evil in themselves but if we’re not on guard, we’ll let them rob us of our peace and worse than that, they’ll rob us of our fellowship with the Lord and His Word. That way, we’re weakened and hard pressed to get our faith active enough to get answered prayer.
I noticed this in my life about distractions and purposed not to let them be a hindrance to my faith. I even have a note card right on my kitchen table: Don’t be distracted! I keep it right before my eyes and it has helped tremendously!
Luke 21:34 (KJV) 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
The word surfeiting means clutter! Now that’s very interesting. It refers to all the unessential stuff in our lives that seeks to “clutter” our path and hinder our faith by keeping us focused on the wrong things.
Of course, we have our daily lives to live but we must be aware of distractions that work to usurp the place God’s Word should have in our lives.
If we want God’s best, we must want Him and His Word to be number one! Praise the Lord of Glory!
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
— Pamela
Pamela Moyle Ministries 