This morning, we continue our series on “The Parables of Jesus.” We will seek to glean “Pearls from the Parables.”
Before we get to the parable, let’s look at a scripture we have been looking at all year. This is something I believe the Lord wants us to meditate on.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us.
We have been looking at “The Mother of All Parables.” Let’s get back to it today. Jesus said:
(Mark 4:13-20 ERV)
The farmer is like someone who plants God’s teaching in people. Sometimes the teaching falls on the path. That is like some people who hear the teaching of God. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.
Other people are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching, and they quickly and gladly accept it. But they don’t allow it to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.
Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching, but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop in their lives.
And others are like the seed planted on the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce a good crop—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.
Jesus described three types of weeds in the thorny ground: the cares of this world, the love of money, and everything else people want. These weeds compete with and ultimately run the risk of overtaking the Word of God. We have already covered the first two. Yesterday, we began looking at the third. This morning, as I prayed over what to share with you concerning this, I believe the Lord wants me to deal with this thought: Simplify your life and declutter your mind.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Simplify Your Life.
– God has given you the keys to success, happiness, and eternal security. Those keys are found in His Word. If you allow God’s instructions to be the ruler by which you judge every decision, you will experience an amazing life; it will be the life God birthed you to live. However, if you allow your life to become “full of other things,” as Jesus warned in this parable, you run the risk of missing out on God’s best and becoming someone you were not birthed to be.
– We make life hard and confusing when we pursue things that are outside of God’s will. But when we strip away everything but God and the life He birthed us to live, life becomes more simple, the pursuit of success becomes more clear, the rewards become much more fulfilling, and the impact we can have in this world becomes much greater.
– Beware of Distractions. The cares of this world and the allure of money are thorny weeds that can choke God’s Word. When we become entangled in pursuing temporal desires and worldly pleasures, we risk missing out on God’s best for our lives. A distracted life creates a cluttered mind, and it leaves little room for God’s plans to flourish.
2. When your singular focus in life is doing what God sent you to the planet to do, you become constrained by divine vision.
– When God reveals to you His purpose, it gives birth to vision.
– Divine vision is sight, birthed from insight, with the benefit of hindsight. God provides you with vision because He wants you to live your life with clarity.
– Solomon taught that those without vision cast off restraint (Prov 29:18). Conversely, those who have a clear vision from God are restrained by that vision. People with vision don’t do everything. Their vision restrains them from pursuing every opportunity, accepting every offer, and allowing their lives to become “full of other things.”
– When you live your life with divine vision, you are able to enter every day focused, and your life becomes much more simple.
3. Declutter Your Heart and Mind.
– Just because you can do something, it does not mean you should give it access to your heart and mind.
– The Apostle Paul said, “Everything is permissible for me”—but not everything is beneficial.” (1 Cor 6:12). If you allow yourself the “license” to consider something as a possibility for you, then it can wind up taking up valuable “cycles” in your heart and mind. Said another way, if you give a distraction your attention for 5 seconds, it can have your heart for 5 minutes. Even more dangerous, it you give a distraction your focus for any length of time, it is robbing you of your focus on the things God wants you focused on.
– People with vision know what they are called to do, and they live their lives with laser focus on things that align with their divine purpose.
– People with vision are people postured to live a disciplined life. Their God-given vision constrains them and keeps them focused on their divine purpose. They don’t do lots of things. They only do what they believe they are called to do.
– When you are singularly focused on your divine purpose, you are able to declutter your heart and mind.
– The problem with the thorny ground people, as Jesus describes it, is that they have too much stuff going on in their hearts and minds. While the Word is trying to work, their lives are “full of other things.” These “other things” compete with and eventually overtake the Word.
– I have maintained a busy schedule for the last 25+ years. I always have more task than time. I never stop working because I don’t have any work to do. I always stop working because I choose to stop working and ‘pick it up’ the next day. However, I purposely make time in my schedule to hear from God. I do this throughout the week, and I block out entire weeks for this when I am on vacation. During this time, I give myself the license to release every project, every major task, and every nagging thought from my mind. It is during these times — when I am free to simply rest, dream, and enjoy God’s goodness — that I often hear God the clearest and that His Word does the most work in my life. You have to make time to rid yourself of every distractor, clear your heart and mind of all the clutter, and slow down long enough to hear God. When you do, you will find His Word working in your life.
– If you are too busy to give yourself at least 10 minutes a day to clear your heart and spend quality time with God, then you are simply too busy. If you prioritize God, declutter your heart and mind, and open your heart to hear His voice, you will be amazed at how much clarity you can live your life with!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I choose to simplify my life and declutter my mind, removing distractions and worldly pursuits.
Your Word is the key to my success, happiness, and eternal security, and I judge every decision by Your instructions.
I refuse to allow my life to be “full of other things,” risking missing out on Your best for me.
I strip away everything that hinders me from living the life You have birthed me to live.
I receive divine vision from You, birthing sight, insight, and clarity to live my life with purpose.
Your vision restrains me, keeping me focused on what aligns with Your divine purpose.
I refuse to be entangled in distractions, clearing my heart and mind of clutter.
I release every distraction, giving You my full attention and focus.
Your voice is clear, and Your Word works mightily in my life.
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
