Be the good soil! Keep the thorns out!
Hello, all Royal Prayer Guards and all those join us!
Welcome to another powerful essential prayer focus. Thank you for your faithfulness, determination, and boldness to pray!! It is an honor to know that people like you will pray and do God’s will and not be afraid!
The goal for those in Christ Jesus!
Our goal as believers in Christ is-be, the good soil, among our family, friends, in the workplace and wherever we go. (Mark 4:3-8)
Good soil produces much fruit, and by it, the heavenly Father is honored and glorified. If the believers in Christ do not produce fruit who will?
John 15:8 (AMP)
“When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.”
How did this prayer focus surface?
This prayer focus came through the parable of the sower in Mark 4:3-8. It connected to everything happening in our country.
Allow me to give some background on the parable of the sower in Mark 4:3-8.
"Three elements are significant in this parable: the seed, the sower, and the soil.
Note that two of the elements are identical in each instance.
It is the same seed and the same sower.
The one factor which accounts for the variety of results is the soil.
Accepting the principle that the soil means the hearer, then it follows that there are four kinds of people who hear the gospel, and of them, only one brings forth enduring or acceptable fruit."
As I pondered about this parable in Marks's account, verse seven was magnified.
Mark 4:7
“Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns #173 grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
The thorns grew up!
The key phrase in Mark 4:7 was, “the thorns #173 grew up”.
The problems in this country and especially the government …are thorns.
Yes, we are responsible to pray for government authorities and our country. However, we cannot get caught in the thorns, which is part of the cares of the world.
If we continue to listen and watch and listen and watch all the news and feed on it …we will cause thorns to grow up and cause God’s Word to be choked or ineffective in our life.
The cares of the world are one of the three things that will choke God’s Word in our life.
Attention needed!
In the parable of the sower explained in Mark 4:13-20, Jesus said the following. Keep in mind, when the Master is speaking, we as believers need to really pay attention!
Mark 4:19 (AMP)
“Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless."
The question, do we have thorns in our life and if we do, how many or how severe are they?
Our goal is to not allow thorns to enter our life. But if we do have thorns, starve them by cutting off the sources that water the thorns.
It is our choice and responsibility to be the good soil and keep the thorns out.
Deeper insights:
In Christ, we have the capability and the provision to overcome the thorns in our life. Jesus paid the price of the thorns when they, “twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head”.
Matthew 27:28-31 (NKJV)
"And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns #173, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified."
Think for a moment. The same Greek word, “Thorns” #173, in Mark 4:7, is the same in Matthew 27:29.
Diligence needed!
Diligence vs. Slothfulness
"Visualizing each task as a special assignment from the Lord and using all my energies to accomplish it." *(IBLP
(Colossians 3:23)
It does take some diligence to stop any thorns and cut off or starve the sources.
The opposite of diligence is slothfulness. The slothfulness problem relates to the following verse of the Bible. Slothfulness or laziness relates to thorns.
Proverbs 15:19 (NKJV)
“The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway.”
Here is the whole account of Mark 4:3-8. Remember, Jesus is speaking.
Mark 4:3-8 (RSV)
"Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; 6 and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
Suggestions we can use to form prayers:
1. Be the good soil!
2. Keep the thorns out!
3. Cut off current thorns!
4. Starve the sources that water the thorns!
5. Pray for government authorities!
6. Be alert to what we are watching and listening to!
7. Pay attention to what our Master is saying!
8. Develop some diligence!
9. Conquer slothfulness in Jesus' name! Amen!
Click here. Summary. (PDF)
Rich Resources:
Click here. Full teaching. “The good soil” Do not miss out, highly important!
Click here. What does the Bible say about praying for authorities…?
Click here. More about diligence and overcoming slothfulness…
Click here. Keep the enemy off our territory! See video below!
Thank you,
Pastor Vince Marino
Surefooted Ministries
Royal Prayer Guards
*Used with permission from the Institute in Basic Life Principles.