Repentance & Revival

Repentance and revival are directly connected. Repentance leads to revival and revival causes repentance.

Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore and be converted, that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…”

“Times of refreshing from the Presence of the Lord” sounds like something we all would want. Times of refreshing means revival.

Repentance is to turn from our wicked ways. It means to stop willingly doing the things that God has asked us to stop, and to earnestly turn to Him with all our heart. This happens both corporately and individually.

When Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal, and the fire fell on the altar of the Lord, all the people fell on their faces and said, “The Lord He is God!” At that moment, they turned from following other Gods, and began to follow the Lord. Then, the rain came to the land after a three-year drought.

This “rain after repentance” was connected to Solomon’s prayer in II Chronicles 6 and I Kings 8, and God’s answer in II Chronicles 7 & I Kings 9. God said if the people repented and turned back to Him. He would release the rain.

Rain and refreshing will come in a time when the people of God turn back to Him in repentance.

Difference Between Mercy & Grace

So many times, I hear the words “mercy” and “grace” used interchangeably in conversations. I also speak several languages, and I often hear people translate grace for mercy and mercy for grace. This is an error. I believe it is a doctrinal error more than a translation error. People do not understand the difference between mercy and grace. They are not the same thing.

Mercy is getting what we do not deserve. This is when we deserve punishment, but God takes the punishment away or delays it to give us time to turn. God was merciful to us by sending His own Son to die on the cross to take away the punishment that we rightfully deserve because of sin.

Grace, however, is the ability or power to do something. The Greek word charis means “grace” and has a similar meaning to the word “gift.” It is where we get the words charisma, charismata, and charismatic. These words all trace back to a gift, ability, or power to be able to accomplish a specific purpose or task.

Why is it important to distinguish between grace and mercy? Because when I say, “God, give me mercy…” I am asking Him to forgive me for my wrongs and give me something I do not deserve. I am asking Him to take away my punishment that I rightfully deserve. When I say, “God, give me grace…” I am asking Him for the ability to walk in holiness and not walk in sin.

If I am praying for someone and I say, “God, release your grace over them,” then I am asking God to give them the ability to walk in holiness and righteousness. However, if someone translates it as, “God, release your mercy over them,” then the meaning changes to, “God, give them the ability to receive your forgiveness for sin, and give them something that they do not deserve.” Both are good prayers and both are needed, but they are not the same.

The problem is that when we have a wrong view of the difference between grace and mercy, we will not correctly see the need for holiness. God gives us the grace to walk in holiness, but He gives us mercy for when we fail. We cannot use them interchangeably, because it will cause a disaster in our theology to the point where we do not understand the need for grace in relation to holiness.

Hebrews 4:16 says that we “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We obtain mercy at the throne of God by being covered with the blood of Jesus who took away our punishment for sin. Then, we find grace in our time of need to strengthen us in walking out our salvation.

Perfected Forever Those Being Sanctified

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified… (Hebrews 10:11-14)

“He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified…” What an amazing statement. This is saying that not only did Jesus complete our salvation of justification (we are saved), but also at the Cross, He completed our salvation of sanctification (we are being saved). Sanctification is the process of being made holy.

Also, this statement is saying that although we are currently in the process of “being sanctified,” we actually are already sanctified through His blood and the work is already finished in the sight of heaven.

Why does there seem to be such a contradiction between what we see in our lives and what this verse says about our sanctification being made complete? Why am I a new creation, but still have to put to death daily the deeds of the flesh? (II Cor. 5:17, Rom. 8:12-14, I Cor. 15:31)

This is where transformation comes into play. When we first accept Jesus into our hearts (justification), our spirit is made alive to Christ and we begin to walk in the newness of life (Rom. 6:3-11). Our spirit is 100% holy and pure, but our body, mind, will & emotions still need to be transformed. As we look at God, we begin to be transformed into His image (II Cor. 3:18).

Romans 12:1-3 outlines this process of transformation. It says first, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice…” This is the way new believers typically begin. They stop drinking, smoking, & sleeping around. Those things have to do with the body. They are presenting their bodies as living sacrifices.

Then it says, “Do not be conformed to the world…” This has to do with coming out of alignment with the way the world leads, which is self-serving and coming into alignment with the leadership of the Cross, which is seeming foolishness to the world (I Cor. 1-2).

Next, we are to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” which is bringing our mind out of the wisdom of the world into the wisdom of God. To do this, we must constantly be bringing our minds into alignment with Scripture and asking the Holy Spirit to lead our minds.

Then, the result is that we will be able to “test and approve what God’s will is”—this is how we bring our will into alignment with the Holy Spirit. Once the will is in alignment under the mind, which is under the Spirit, then the emotions will follow. Emotions are terrible leaders, but great followers. Also in the ideal scenario, the body is brought under subjection by the mind and the will which are being led by the Spirit.

Many of us think that this process of sanctification is impossible, and we want to give up. However, saying that we cannot have victory over sin is to deny the power of the cross in our lives. Jesus already “perfected forever those who are being sanctified…” This means that we must call forth that eternal reality in our daily lives and live as though we can taste it today. We must set that perfection before us and realize that the blood of Jesus was not only enough to save us from hell, but also enough to save us from living in sin. It is His blood that gives us the grace (ability, power) to walk in holiness.

Restoring the Image of God: Beholding & Becoming

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, & where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

(II Cor. 3:17-18)

Jesus came to reveal the Father to us & restore the original intention of the image of God in man. He came to show us the Father & how the Father births sons into His very same image. Likewise, the Holy Spirit also comes to transform us into His same image.

As the express image of God, Jesus gave us the picture of what we are longing to become. He is the picture of God's intention for us. It is the Holy Spirit's job to transform us into His image as we behold Him.

So many times, we set our eyes on our weaknesses & feel that we are failures. This is a huge hindrance to the work of the Holy Spirit, because His intention is for us to behold Him and become more like Him as we see what we are supposed to look like. Jesus is the ultimate example for us for our entire lives.

I John 3:2-3 says, "Beloved, now we are children of God; & it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself just as He is pure..."

We must not set our eyes on what we are now, but set our eyes on what we shall be--setting our eyes on this hope that one day we will be like Him & we will see Him in all purity without that dim glass of our own thoughts & wrong views of God. One day, we will see Him for who He really is. It is this hope that purifies us & transforms us from glory to glory...

Total Transformation of a Life

When God grabs hold of a life, He takes the person on a process of transformation through every area of their life. I wish I could tell you the stories of the people I have been seeing come to the Lord, who eventually have every area of their lives touched & restored by God.

Only God can take the most broken person & renew their hearts, emotions, finances, family, relationships, bodies, minds...etc. I have seen brain injuries healed, deaf ears open, blind eyes see, demons leave, homes restored, marriages restored, finances restored, depression break off, people become more beautiful, smiles restored, & God glorified in it all.

The key is not to seek the gift, but the Giver. God only excepts one kind of life--a full exchange, full surrender of a broken & contrite spirit. He will not deny it. God only excepts full surrender, but he who loses His life will truly find it. If we just trust Him to give up our lives completely, daily--then He will do more with it than we could ever imagine.

Devo 63: The Kingdom like a Child

“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3-4

Jesus said that for us to enter into the kingdom, we must become like children. He is not only speaking of salvation here, but also of living the kingdom life. The things of God are foolishness to the wise, but they are powerful and they put to shame the things which are mighty (I Cor. 1:27).

Most of the attributes of the kingdom of God are completely contrary to the way we think. God said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways…” (Is. 55:8-9). The way He does things are so contrary to the way we do things. He who is humbled will be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled.

The God of all creation came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died for the sins of all mankind. Even though he was God, he did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, made Himself of no reputation and took up the cross. Therefore, God highly exalted Him and now He sits at the right hand of the Father (Phil. 2:6-7).

Stop for a second. Think about that. Everything seems so upside-down there. This is the kingdom of God.

Many times on the road of being transformed into the image of Christ, we come across a blockade in our mind. Our mind must be renewed because the things of God are not natural things that can be understood by a natural mind, but they are spiritual things that must be understood by a spiritual mind (Rom. 8; I Cor. 2).

This is why we must become like a child. Before a child begins to do something, they do not think about the process it takes to do it. They just do it. Children do not reason through something and talk themselves out of it. When icecream is sat in front of them, they do not wonder how many calories are in it, how many miles they have to run, or if it will cause Type II diabetes. They just eat it.

If they go out to play in brand new clothes, they do not worry about whether or not grass stains come out with a certain stain remover, or if they will come out at all. They just play.

Jesus said for us to enter the kingdom of heaven like a little child. So when we lay hands on the sick, we do not need to think about the scientific improbability of something happening, or whether that person will think we are dumb, or whether God heals today, or why He hasn’t healed before, or if we are saying the right formula or not. We just need to lay hands on the sick.

If the Lord whispers a word to us, we don’t need to go through the mental gymnastics of whether that was God, or if God really speaks that way, or what those people will think of us. We just give the word. Just like a little child would. They do not think about what other people think of them. They just say it like it is. That is why parents cannot gossip around little kids because they just repeat what they hear, and they will say it right to the person.

The problem is that many of us do not know what it is like to be a child. Many of us had our childhoods stolen because of tragedy, trauma, abuse, or false responsibility. Some never had parents or their parents treated them badly. Some were abandoned or sick or never saw what it was like to have fun.

Many people believe that they are stuck with the childhood they had and they can never get it back. However, this is not true. You are adopted now. You have come under a different family and you can start your childhood all over again—and it’s not a bad thing this time.

You have been adopted by a heavenly Father, and no matter how good or bad your earthly father was—every single believer must learn what it is like to be adopted as a child of God.

It is no wonder that one of the names of the Holy Spirit is the “spirit of adoption” (Gal. 4; Rom. 8). That is His actual name. He is the one who cries out from within us and bears witness that we are sons and daughters of God (Rom. 8; Gal. 4; Eph. 1).

The only way we can know what it is like to be a child is to have a genuine revelation of the Father. We have to focus on who the heavenly Father is—not who we think He is, or why we do not know who He is, or if we will ever know who He is—but actually who He is. We must focus on scripture that tells our mind who God really is, and then pray and ask God to make that revelation real to us.

God is a Good Father who loves to give good gifts to His children (Lk 11). He is delighted in us (Ps. 16, 18). He delights in giving us the kingdom (Lk 12). He is forgiving (Lk. 7).

Jesus came to show us the Father (Jn 14). Everything Jesus did was a revelation of the Father. He only did what He saw the Father doing (Jn 5:19).

When we realize the joy and delight our Daddy God has over us, then we will be able to become like children and fully enter into the kingdom, which is our inheritance as sons and daughters.

Ask the Lord to reveal Himself to you as Father. Ask Him to pour the love of the Father into your heart. Ask Him to help you become like a child. Ask Him to give you the faith of a child. Ask Him to let you see the kingdom of heaven come to earth and let you be a part of it happening.

Grace and Peace to you in Jesus Name!

Love,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 62: Spirit, Soul, & Body

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will…”

Romans 12:1-3

When we first get saved, we are buried with Christ unto death, and raised into newness of life (Rom. 6:4). At that point, we are justified by faith, and we are a new creation (Gal. 2:16; II Cor. 5:17). This is called “justification by faith.”

From that point on, however, we go through the process of “being transformed from glory to glory” to be conformed into the image of Christ (II Cor. 3:18). This process is called “sanctification by grace.”

Every human being has a body, a soul, and a spirit. Before salvation, they are led primarily by bodily (fleshly) desires and appetites. The body usually leads first and whatever they want to do, they do it. Then, the soul follows.

The soul is made up of the mind, will, and emotions (heart). Some people are more led by their intellect (mind). Others are very strong-willed and led more by stubbornness and whatever they will themselves to do. Still others are primarily led by their emotions--depression, anger, happiness, sorrow, etc. We all know people in each of these categories.

No one who is unsaved is led by the spirit—even those in the occult, because their spirit is dead. Even those in the occult or in other religions are led by the body, soul, and demonic influences, but the bible makes it clear that their spirits are dead (I Cor. 2, Gal. 5, Rom. 8, II Cor. 10, etc).

However, upon salvation, the resurrection life of Christ enters that human spirit and then brings life to their mortal body (Rom. 8:11). The Holy Spirit then dwells in that person and begins the work of sanctification.

The first thing that person begins to do is to bring their body into subjection of the Spirit. They lay down drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality, etc, but many stop there and never know how to proceed further into sanctification.

It is important that we learn to walk in the Spirit and be led by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Many of us go from “Body=>Soul=>Spirit” to “Soul=>Body=>Spirit” or “Soul=>Spirit=>Body,” but if we stay in any of those places, we will never get victory and we will never walk in the fullness of what God calls us to. We must be led by the Spirit.

This passage in Romans 12 gives us a pattern for transformation/sanctification.

1) In view of God’s mercy

2) Present your body as a living sacrifice

3) Do not be conformed to the world (righteousness, holiness)

4) Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

5) That you will be able to test and approve God’s will

This passage hits three of the four elements of body and soul (mind, will, emotions). It begins with a right view of God—His mercy. He is the one who brings about sanctification, through His grace, but that is the agent of transformation, not an excuse to stay the same. It is not a false grace, but a grace that leads us to be conformed into His image (II Cor. 3:18).

So, in obedience and as an act of worship, we must present our bodies as living sacrifices. Romans 6:11-13 speaks of “presenting our members [body parts] as instruments of righteousness” and being dead to sin but alive to God. In Galatians 5, Paul encourages us not to live unto our fleshly, bodily desires, but to live according to the Spirit.

The next step according to Romans 12:1-3 is to not be conformed to the world. This means that we separate ourselves from the ways of the world and set our focus on walking in holiness and righteousness. We are to be set apart in every area.

Instead of being conformed to the world, we are called to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. The renewal of our mind is the only option to not being conformed to the world. If we do not win the battle in our mind, then we are still living in sin—even if we do not act on it outwardly. Jesus spoke of this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. He said if you even think lustfully toward a woman, you have committed adultery; or if you have hateful thoughts toward your brother, you have committed murder.

In II Corinthians 10, Paul tells us that we do not have fleshly weapons of war, but that we have spiritual weapons that are used to pull down strongholds. He says that we must hold every thought captive and tear down everything in our minds that deems itself higher than the things of God—every sin, every lie, every wrong view of God, etc…Our mind must be transformed.

Thus, when our mind is transformed, it impacts our will. When our mind is submitted to the Spirit and transformed by the Word and power of God, it then leads the soul into transformation. Then, we are able to discern the good and pleasing will of God. At this point, we must surrender our will over to His, which is what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. However, because we are undergoing a complete transformation, we are able to willingly take up our cross and follow Him. We not only can discern His will, but we can say yes to it and do it.

So, the acceptable pattern of God according to Romans 12:1-3 is:

Body Submitted to=>Spirit=>Renews Mind=>Tranforms Will. Then the transformed will lead the emotions. Transformed will does not suppress emotions like an untransformed will might, but a transformed mind and will leads the emotions. Emotions are terrible leaders, but wonderful followers.

The point of all of this is to be led by the Spirit. However, sometimes when we break it down, it is easier to pin-point where we are on the journey when we cannot see a foot a head of us because of the storm. Once we realize that this is the process of transformation, we can seek to submit every area to the Spirit at every point in our lives—and we can recognize when an area is not submitted to the Spirit.

I would encourage you to ask God every morning when you wake up to give you strength to be led by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Actually speak to your spirit and bless it to lead. Ask the Holy Spirit to take charge and transform your mind, will, emotions and body. Actually present your members as instruments of righteousness. Say out loud, “Lord, I present my mouth to you as an instrument of righteousness. I present my eyes to you…etc,” and go down through the different areas that you need to present those parts to Him in. (i.e. “I present my eyes to only look on what you would have me look on. I present my ears to only listen to what you want me to hear. I bless my ears to hear in the Spirit, and my eyes to see in the Spirit. I bless them to have discernment and only listen to truth. I bless my mouth not to speak gossip of slander, but only truth…).

Come up with your own version too. I recommend doing it everyday. You will find yourself living differently.

Grace and Peace to you in the name of Jesus!

Love,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 61: Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever…”

Psalm 23:5-6

In John 15, Jesus said to his disciples, “You are clean because of the words I have spoken to you. Abide (remain) in me and I will remain in you as the branch cannot bear fruit unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me” (Jn. 15:3-4).

Jesus was telling his disciples to remain (abide, dwell, live) in the “cleanness” of the Word that had already been spoken to them. This was a continuation from chapter 13 where Jesus was washing the disciples’ feet and said that if they did not allow Him to do this, then they would have no part in Him (Jn. 13:8). Then, Peter basically said, “In that case, wash all of me!” (paraphrase). Jesus said that he only had to wash his feet because he was clean because of the words that Jesus had spoken to him.

This revelation of being clean is an important part of abiding in the vine. Jesus talked about abiding in His love or remaining in His love and how if we do not do so, we will be cut off from the vine.

There are many different things that can cut us off from the vine. Sin is the main one, but for those of us who confess and repent of sin, there is something that continues to keep us cut off from the vine—condemnation and shame. Condemnation keeps us from receiving true forgiveness and being cleansed of the sin we committed.

When we confess our sins and repent, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I Jn. 1:9). He gives us a clean slate immediately. However, condemnation continues to hold our minds in a prison of shame and accusation, so that we do not return to that place of abiding in those words.

In Psalm 23, David speaks of how the Lord set up a banqueting table in the presence of his enemies. As long as we are sitting at the table of the Lord, our enemies cannot separate us from His love. Our problem is that we allow our thoughts to dwell on our enemies rather than on the table of the Lord set before us. We allow ourselves to be cut off from the vine by believing that we are not cleansed from the sin that the Lord has already forgiven us for.

If we confess to the Lord and plead the blood of Jesus, He forgives us in that moment. When Satan stands before God to accuse us night and day (Rev. 12:10), Jesus stands there and says, “Not Guilty…Not Guilty…Not Guilty…”

However when Satan comes to accuse us before the judge, many times we are asked, “How do you plead?” We always say, “Guilty!” Our hearts condemn us, our minds condemn us, Satan condemns us, but Jesus says, “You are clean because of the Words I have spoken to you. Remain in my love.”

We have to stop agreeing with the prosecutor in our lives. Jesus is our Advocate who stands at the doorposts of our hearts painting His blood over them, and commanding the death plague to “passover.”

When we continue to beat ourselves up for what we did wrong after we have already confessed it, we are denying the power of the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness He has given us.

Jesus said to “Remain in His love.” When we do so, we are sitting at that banqueting table even when enemies are all around us. In doing that, we can dwell (abide, live) in the House of the Lord forever.

Our bodies are the temple of the Lord. They are the dwelling place of the Most High God and it is His desire to completely inhabit us. He wants to abide in us and us abide in Him. When we sit at His table, His goodness and mercy follow us, and we are not condemned, but we are cleansed. We are not cut off, but we remain.

“Lord Jesus, help us to receive your love and forgiveness. Let your goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives, and let us dwell with you forever. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness—even memories of it, God. Keep us from playing those memories like reruns over and over again. Cleanse us from bitterness and unforgiveness towards ourselves, others, and You. Cleanse us from shame, condemnation, and accusation. Help us to never separate ourselves from remaining in Your love and abiding in Your presence. Thank You, Jesus. We love You. Amen.”

Blessings,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved

Devo 57: Where the Seed Falls

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.


But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.

Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:11-15

Jesus said that understanding the parable of the sower is key to understanding all the other parables. This parable has more truth in it than I fully comprehend right now, but there are several things I want to point out which are crucial for us in the time in which we live.

By the Wayside: We all have seen how the seed falls by the wayside and is stolen before a person has time to receive it and believe. This happens everytime the Word is preached to an unbeliever and they remain unbelieving.

However, the other three types of soil apply to people who believe or have believed the Word in some capacity during their lives.

On Rocky Soil: For the first type of soil—or rock rather, the person hears the Word and receives it with joy, but then when trouble or temptation comes, they fall away (Mt 13 & Mk 4 say tribulation and persecution). These are people who get saved, but they only have a surface-level knowledge of God and relationship with Him.

However, it is not just that they have never developed a root or had personal growth any, but their root did not grown as fast as the plant, and they have not tilled the soil for the root to grow. So, the storms come or temptation or persecution, and that plant does not stand up to the testing, because it has not developed a root system.

Jesus said that anyone who does not abide in the vine or abide in His love will be cut off (Jn 15), but He gives many promises for those who remain in Him. Paul prayed in Ephesians 3:17, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, may be rooted and grounded in love, and may be able to comprehend with all the saints, what is the width, the length, the depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge…” We must be rooted in God’s love. We have to believe that what He says about us is true and ask Him to constantly fill us with His love and make us able to receive it.

Among Thorns: Other seeds fell among thorns. Some thorns are the cares of the world—sickness, disease, financial hardship, relationship trouble, circumstances, etc. Other thorns are riches, pleasures of this life—things that distract us. These things pull our attention away from growing. They outgrow us quickly, become taller than us, and consume all the light, so that we are stifled out, and get no light.

If you have ever grown plants, you will know that they always grow toward the light. If you turn a houseplant away from the window, its leaves will reach toward the window. However, say that a plant was surrounded by thorns and so focused on the fact that there where thorns, that it does not grow towards the light. This is how a plant dies from lack of light, and this is how our spirits get choked out from the cares of the Lord. Want is our focus on? Is it on the thorns or the light?

We have to focus on the light rather than on the things that are choking us. Paul said that when we behold God, we become more like Him (II Cor. 3:18). We must focus on Jesus and what He is capable of doing, rather than on everything surrounding us and what they are capable of doing.

James 1 talks about how the testing of our faith produces patience, which when patience is perfected, it makes us perfect or complete, lacking nothing. Being perfect here means mature. The Lord allows testing to produce a fruit of the spirit in us called patience, which brings us into maturity.

However, many times, we allow that testing to choke us out and keep us from bringing any fruit to maturity (Js 1, Lk 8:14). Jesus said that anyone who abides in Him, must bear fruit or it will be cut off and thrown in the fire (Jn 15). We must not only have a deep root, and grow tall, but we must bear fruit.

In Good Soil: Finally, the seed falls on good soil. These are those who hear the word, keep it, and bear fruit with patience. They hear the word, receive it, cultivate the ground, and grow towards the light. They keep the Word, which means they hear His word and obey it. They are ones who abide in His love, and because they love Him, they obey His commands (Jn 15: 9-10, 14).

Those who cultivate good soil bear fruit. Jesus said we must bear fruit (Jn 15). However, we cannot bear fruit by our own strength—that would be works of the Law or works of the flesh, but we must bear fruits of the SPIRIT. We cannot grow this fruit without abiding in the Spirit and allowing Him to prune us, and produce these fruits in us.

This includes coming against things that keep us from believing in His love, which damages our root. This process of bearing fruit includes focusing on the Light—Jesus, rather than the thorns surrounding us. It says those with good soil, bear fruit with patience. They allow the testing of their faith to produce patience, and the patience to bring them into maturity.

Ultimately, this parable is not about different types of people, but about different experiences of discipleship as we grow in the Lord. We go through each process many times in all areas of our lives.

After Jesus told this parable, He said, “He who has an ear, let Him hear!” The Lord is speaking to us through this parable, and it is especially important for the time we live in as the wheat and tares are being brought up into maturity and the harvest is made ready. The Lord will return soon for a Bride who has been brought into maturity, and we must take heed, so that we do not allow the things of the world to keep us from bearing fruit that will last for an eternity.

“Lord, help us to cultivate good soil. Help us to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Strengthen us with might in the inner man that we may know the love of Christ that passes all knowledge. Help us to abide in your love. Guard us and deliver us from the evil one. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen”

Love,

Amanda

Copyright © 2010, Amanda Rich, All Rights Reserved