You Are God’s Garden – but You Decide the Seed that Goes in There

Paul uses a number of metaphors to describe who the people of God are. Writing to the Corinthians he says:

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9)

 In verse 6 of the same chapter Paul says:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

Jesus said in Luke 11:8, “The seed is the Word of God.”

It is not God who plants the seed. Human beings are the ones who will plant this seed. It can be planted through preaching and teaching. You can plant it in your own heart and mind by reading, hearing and speaking it. You can water it by continuing to hear it, as well as being filled with the Holy Spirit.

There are many different kinds of promises and instructions in the Word of God. To be fully equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16,17) we need ALL the different kinds of seeds – or messages – from the Scriptures. It is not enough only to hear messages about the New Birth. The same goes for all other important messages one can find in the Scriptures. We need to regularly have all kinds of Bible messages and promises planted in our hearts.

We should keep planting and watering these words on a regular basis because unfortunately we have an enemy – Satan – who is always busy working to take away that seed (see Mark 4), to uproot it through trials if he can, or to plant his own kinds of bad seeds into our hearts and minds. These bad seeds are coming in through the news, through the world of entertainment, through the education system – and through all kinds of institutions and people in the world. That is not to say that a measure of truth or something of value never comes through these channels. The problem is that bad things also come – and they have slowly brainwashed the people of this generation. Bad seeds are also sometimes coming directly into our thoughts by means of demons that speak thoughts to us. Thoughts from demons are usually to do with temptation, or condemnation, or discouragement. The result of all these things is that thoughts and imaginations contrary to the Word of God and contrary to the truth have been growing up in the lives of multitudes – and sometimes in Christian people also. This will lead to disaster unless people take hold of the gospel, the message of the cross, and the Word of God more generally.

Although people are initially justified by faith in Christ without any meritorious works (Romans 4), there is no promise of eternal life to people who are not willing to repent, reconcile to God and be sanctified – set apart, separated from sin (see Luke 133; Hebrews 12:14. So one of the greatest needs today is the planting of the Word of God concerning repentance and holiness. This will always be one of the greatest needs because this kind of message doesn’t attract crowds, and it doesn’t generally motivate people to give (or sow) monetary offerings. If done wrongly (or sometimes even if done correctly) it can drive people away. It may not be that great for “church business”, but it is essential if we are going to please God. What is the point of doing all these things in church and receiving all these blessings if we don’t end up in the Eternal Kingdom of God? And how can we be in the Kingdom of God if Jesus is not really our King upon whose Word we wait and whose commands we obey with the help of the Holy Spirit?  

That is why you will find way more in the New Testament about holy and godly living than about how to get money through giving, or even how to get physically healed. God wants us to have money to care for our family, to help others practically amd to spread the gospel. He wants us to have shalom in our bodies, and strength to please him and serve others through being healthy – but a far greater priority to Him is our personal and corporate sanctification. The two are not in opposition to each other. It is only that some fail to preach the whole counsel of God. The first thing is to draw near to God. The next thing is to hear what God’s Word says about things. If we have a strong communion with God, and a God pleasing kind of faith, we should more easily be able to receive and apply the promises of God related to our temporal needs. And where Satan is still resisting, I believe that many times the answer will come through the grace of God moving through someone else in the Body of Christ. We are all connected and every factor has its influence (see 1 Corinthians 12). I know from personal experience that both I and my family NEED the prayer support of the Body of Christ when I am out on an evangelistic tour. So the consecration of these prayer partners is part of something that goes on to affect everything we are doing. And this is true for everyone else in their life and ministry.

With the help of God, I have constructed this website over the years in an attempt to minister the basics of the Word of God to everyone who will come to it. I am going to start praying more for the people who come to the site – even if I never get to interact with them personally. There is a lot on this website to help you to plant the Word of God in your own heart concerning many different issues that pertain to life, salvation and godliness. Please see especially “Prayers and Confessions Based on the Word“. They will really help you if you meditate on them.

Michael Fackerell