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You have been called by God; and it is to inherit a blessing. Indeed – May the Lord bless thee from Zion; and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life. [Psalm 128:5] It is why you need not be a slave again to fear, for the Spirit of God produces in you the spirit of sonship by which you can call God ‘Abba, Father’. And as a child of God, you need to have the attitude of the children of God, which comes by the fruit of the Spirit in you. It is the full expression of the seed of the word of God that comes to you from Him, as His wondrous blessing. It is by being seed full that you can be fruitful in life. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with humility the implanted word that is able to save your soul. [James 1:21] It is through the seed of His word that change happens in you, to see His blessing that is able to save your soul that has your thinking, feeling and deciding processes as its components. It takes place as you receive the word with an attitude of humility that is seen in the prayer of Samuel when God first began to dialogue with him in his prayer, ‘Speak Lord, your servant is listening’. It is vital, for more often than not your prayer can be a monologue in which you end up advising God how to resolve your situation.
‘Teach me to understand’ –
It is also why you need to move to the next level of praying, to say, ‘Speak Lord, help me, teach me to understand’. And ‘Call unto Me; and I will show you great and mighty things that you do not know’, is what He has promised through the prophet. [Jeremiah 33:3] He is a God who will make you understand, line upon line, precept upon precept, and stand with you, never to leave or forsake you, that you may reach your destiny, in the calling and blessing that He has prepared for you.
Your response and understanding:
It all begins with the seed, His word that comes to you. And the yield, the effectiveness of it, depends on how it is received, as the Lord has expounded in the parable, and the understanding of it. There could be –
*A careless response – symbolized by the seed that fell on the wayside, on the surface, only to be easily taken by the birds of prey. The evil one takes away the word, before it can even enter in.
* An emotional response -when the word is received, but not deep enough, for it always depends on emotions being whipped up, not realizing the truth underlying it all, only to collapse when faced with a challenge. [Matthew 16:19]
* A rebellious response – the most pitiable and dangerous of it all, for it is to know that a word is from God, but refuse to receive it in prideful arrogance to make oneself a fool. [Romans 1:21] And the role of understanding is –
a] That you may co-operate:
It is the truth that is seen played out in the life of Abraham, who truly by faith believed that he had been called out by God, And it was credited to him as righteousness. [Genesis 15:6] Therefore, it was so that he could cooperate with the plan and purpose of God, that he asked, ‘O Lord God, how may I know that I shall possess it?’. [Vs 8] It was not a question of doubt, but one that sought clarity and understanding. For, ‘I know the plans I have for you’, is what the Lord has spoken. [Jeremiah 29:11] It naturally follows that it is by gaining an understanding of it that you can see it prosper and come to pass; to be a blessing in your life.
b] To know Him more and more:
I know in whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. [2 Timothy 1:12] Faith when it is not connected to Christ is vain. You are saved by your faith in Christ, in what He has accomplished on the Cross. Trusting, believing in a person, involves loving them, and it cannot happen without knowing them more and more. And it was the reason behind Abraham’s query.
c] To be thoroughly convinced:
‘God says it; I believe it; and that settles it’ is what a man of God has said. But as you progress in your Christian walk, you will need to gain an understanding of the nuances of it, the mechanism of how it works, even as Paul was thoroughly convinced, or fully persuaded that God was able to guard what he had entrusted to Him. It came in him because of the understanding that he gained of the word of God, that heaven and earth may pass away, but His word will remain, and will never ever change.
d] To entrust yourself & all that is yours:
For cast adrift in the sea, owing to a shipwreck, he was clinging for dear life holding on to a piece of wood for a whole night and a day. He received understanding of the unchanging word of God that says, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’, to know and experience the God who guards you to keep you safe, even as you entrust your life into His hands. Indeed, you are in the safest place when you are in His hands. And you are planted in the best place when it is the center of His will for you. And your past, present and future is taken care of, for your times are in His hands.
e] To help you in your doubts –
Doubts can arise in you. They came even to John the Baptist. And they came to the father of the suffering boy, who believed that the Lord could heal him. ‘Help my unbelief’, was his heartbroken plea; one that the Savior and Teacher, Healer and Helper heard and resolved. [Mark 9:24] God will certainly help you in your doubts, however often they arise. He is a gracious, loving Father, who so loves you. And He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not together with Him, give you all that you will ever need in life?. [Romans 8:32] The Lord Almighty will give you a sign. And –
The Lord Himself will be the sign:
Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His Name, Immanuel. [Isaiah 7:14] It is the truth, that with understanding and thanksgiving, you celebrate as you come to the Lord’s Table, His New Covenant, to become a partaker of all that He has accomplished for you, reveling in the assurance of His presence with you, His Spirit in you, that you may know, and experience His blessing, to be a blessing. And giving thanks unto the Father, for His word to you, being thoroughly convinced, fully persuaded in knowing Him more and more to entrust into His hand, your life and all that concerns you, may it see you arise and reign in life, in the blessed assurance of His loving presence with you, now and forever. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
