Note: Juneteenth is a significant day in American history, marking the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Today, we honor the resilience, strength, and spirit of those who fought for freedom and equality. It is a time to reflect on the progress we have made and the work that still lies ahead. Happy Juneteenth to all!
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.
Last week I closed out the week with a message focused on the line, “the worries of this life.” Other translations read “the cares of this world.” We will flow in this vein again today.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. You get to choose what you meditate on. If you meditate/medicate on the promises of God, the Word will work in your life. However, if you meditate on the cares of this world, the cares will choke out the Word and keep it from working in your life.
2. I cannot overstate the significance of winning the battle in your mind and living free from the cares of this world. This is paramount because whatever you think in your mind and speak from your lips directly influences the outcomes and results you experience in your life. Your thoughts and words will shape your reality.
3. Solomon told us to guard our hearts with all diligence (Prov 4:23). By guarding your heart (and mind), focusing on positive and faith-filled thoughts, and speaking words of life and victory, you can cultivate an environment in your (in your heart) that is conducive to the Word of God. Once you are at this point, God’s Word in your heart will produce fruitful and prosperous outcomes. Therefore, your mental and verbal alignment with God’s promises (and NOT the cares of this world) is critical to living a victorious and fulfilling life.
4. God can accomplish anything with a person who is completely submitted to Him. God does not need your ability. He has all the ability in the universe. But He does seek your availability. If you make yourself available, God is more than capable of doing (through you) what you could never do on your own. This is why meditating God’s Word and freeing yourself from the cares of this world is so important.
If you meditate on the problem instead of the promise, you will take on the cares of this world, and you will not be a candidate to be used by God. But if you meditate on the Word and give God’s Word the time and space it needs (in your heart) to grow, the Word will produce, and God will use you for His glory! God will put His Super on your natural, and you will do things that exceed human ability. It won’t actually be you doing it. It will be the Father, living in you, giving you the words, and performing the work (John 14:10).
5. You have a choice this morning. You can choose to set your mind on the things that are above (Col 3:2), or you can take on the cares of this world. If you take on the cares of this world, you will be operating as a mere man (human). This means you will be limited (to human ability), and you will be confined by these limits. But if you meditate on heaven and the limitless God who called you, the Word of God will work in you and through you. You will operate beyond your limits and experience heaven on earth!
6. The cares of this world can be overwhelming, but if you remember who God is and how He is dedicated to your success (He wants you to become the man/woman He destined you to be), the cares of this world will fall off of you! In other words, by meditating on God, His Word, and His commitment to you, you will be able to release anxiety, care, worry, and stress. At that point, you enter into God’s rest, so He can do, through you, what He planned to do from the foundations of the world. I call this: #TheGraceLife.
7. Make a conscious decision to prioritize the Word of God above all else. Meditate on His promises, speak them boldly, and align your actions with His truth. This will cultivate an atmosphere (in your heart) where the Word can flourish and produce a bountiful harvest.
8. One way to live free from the cares of this world is by developing a lifestyle of prayer. By embracing a lifestyle of prayer, you open up a direct line of communication with God, seeking His guidance, wisdom, and presence in every aspect of your life. Through regular and continual prayer, you experience a deep sense of peace that transcends the worries and concerns of this world. As you spend time in communion with God, aligning your thoughts, decisions, and actions with His will, you gain the confidence of knowing that you are walking with God, and He is walking with you! In this way, prayer becomes a refuge, allowing you to surrender your burdens and find solace in the presence of the Almighty God!
9. The Word of God has the power to renew your mind. Meditating and medicating on God’s Word day and night will saturate your thoughts and influence your perspective, enabling you to see life through God’s eyes. Once you are at this point, not only will you be empowered to respond to situations with faith and divine wisdom, but you find that the cares of this world won’t even register in your heart.
10. One of the reasons why the cares of this world did not negatively impact Jesus is because He knew He was in this world, but not of it. Most people understand this point, but they don’t realize the prayer Jesus prayed for us. The prayer that I call “The Lord’s Prayer” is the prayer Jesus prayed for us in John 17. Here is an excerpt from that prayer and see how powerful it is concerning the point we are making today about the cares of this world:
(John 17: 13-18 NIV)
13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.
14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.
17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
I will close with that and let you meditate on it. This drives home the point much better than I can explain.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me! I boldly declare:
I choose to meditate on Your promises, allowing Your Word to work mightily in my life.
My thoughts and words align with Your truth, producing fruitful and victorious outcomes.
I guard my heart and mind, focusing on positive and faith-filled thoughts, cultivating an environment conducive to Your Word.
By meditating on Your Word and freeing myself from the cares of this world, I position myself for You to do what You planned to do in, with, and through my life!
I prioritize prayer in my life, establishing a direct line of communication with You, seeking Your guidance, wisdom, and peace in every aspect of my existence.
I am in this world but not of it, protected and sanctified by Your truth. I walk as a vessel of Your light. You live through me, making Kingdom impact everywhere I go!
I release the cares of this world, knowing that You are dedicated to my success. I enter into Your rest and experience the grace-filled life You have ordained for me.
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
