NEWS

I want you to notice that it is required of us to accept the Word if we want it to bear fruit. People with stony hearts also accept the Word, but there is a difference between them and those whose heart is identified as being good ground. People with stone hearts receive the Word on the emotional level, on the surface; besides, they are not consistent, and as a result the Word cannot take root in their hearts.

«…and they have no root in themselves…» (Мark 4:17)

Our attitude towards God’s Word is very important. God sends His Word into our lives so that His Word would bring to us that which we need. In order for the seed of God’s Word to grow in our hearts, the condition of our hearts is particularly important.
«For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing which I sent it.» (Isaiah 55:10-11).

«Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.» (Mark 4:3-8)

As a base we will use a passage from Mark chapter 4, where Jesus Himself was speaking in parables.
In this chapter there are three parables, through which Jesus explains the power and the potential hidden in a small seed.
First I would like to simply recount these parables, but later we will look at each of them in more detail.
The first parable that Jesus talked about is the parable of the sower. This parable shows that there is a whole list of obstacles that make it difficult for seeds to grow and bear fruit. In this parable, Jesus went ahead to show us three types of obstacles which can impede the growth of the seeds that we sow. (Mark 4:3-20)

David talks about the obvious advantages that are available to a person after he has confessed his sins.

1. Supernatural freedom from guilt and condemnation.

« I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, „I will confess my transgression to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin» (Psalm 32:5).
Right after we confess our sins God takes away from us the burden of guilt. When our own hearts condemn us, when we experience the guilt caused by our sins, it is extremely hard to boldly go before Godi n prayer. Feelings of guilt destroy our confidence. So, in order for us to get rid of the guilt we need to repent of our sins.

We do not confess our sins to the Lord it affects our blessings. In the Scripture above it says that „for day and night Your hand was heavy upon me…” Heaviness of the Lord’s hand – it is not a sign of blessing; it is a sign of curse. An unrepentant life takes away an opportunity to move forward in any area of our lives. When we refuse to repent we lose vitality and power and drought comes instead. Vitality is a sign of a blessing, prosperity, but drought is a sign of curse. According to the Bible, in order for us to flourish and prosper and to gain riches we must have vitality or power (Deuteronomy, 8:18). The lack of repentance in a person’s life deprives him of this power.

«Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!» (Psalms, 32:1-2)
David says that after repentance God’s forgiveness comes into person’s life, his transgressions are forgiven, his iniquities are not imputed to him and his sins are covered. David says this person to be blessed. One who does not hide an iniquity in his heart is open before God. But there is no forgiveness for the one who does not repent and does not confess his sins to God.

«For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil» (Ecclesiastes, 12:14).
Solomon said the same thing Jesus said: God will bring into judgment our every work and especially all the hidden works: sins, wrongdoings that we have tried to keep in secret. God will openly bring our every deed into the light of His judgment. It means that all our sins will follow us wherever we go. The only way we can avoid the consequences of our sins and wrongdoings – is to repent before God brings them into the judgment. Repentance opens to us the door of mercy and grace from the Lord. It brings into our life new opportunities from the Lord. For this reason the only right lifestyle and the only correct decision is to repent of our wrongdoings so that God won’t have to judge us.

«For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light» (Mark, 4:22).

Here we see a very important truth spoken by Jesus. According to this Scripture everything hidden will be revealed. If we accept this truth then we will want to live righteously before God and men. Our every wrongdoing and ungodly deed sooner or later will be brought out in the light, and all our secret works sooner or later will come into the open; all our unconfessed, unrecognized and secret sins sooner or later will become obvious for everybody.

«The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes» (Psalm 19:8-9).

This passage of Scriptures tells us that one of the sources of joy is God’s Word, meditation on the Word and the perception of the (our) world through the prism of the Word. That is why it is so important for us to realize that if we want to remain in joy and learn to draw joy, we must grow in love with God’s Word.