Integrity- People of God

We have seen so many people accept Jesus as their Saviour with joy at the beginning only to see them spiral down into a pit of darkness. When life comes to test our commitment to the truth and principles that we so joyously received, it is then we will demonstrate our loyalty and dedication to the word. When the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy all that we represent as the image bearers of God, this is a test to see if we will stand or will we give in to the pressures of life. Life will come to test and see if we truly believe what we said and if we are really devoted and steadfast to our principles and to our God.

Jesus explains this process in the parable of the seed sown in rocky soil and good soil. Jesus described the different ways people act in response to hearing God’s word in the parable of the seed. If the word of God is sown and falls on a heart that is hard, the enemy can come devour the word, so they cannot receive it. Unfortunately many people will give up at the first challenge or testing because they are not grounded in the word.

Mark 4: 3-7 Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. ⁵ Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. ⁶ But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. ⁷ And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

Many people hear the word of God preached and yet they refuse to receive or comprehend it because their hearts are too hard. They are like the wayside, well-traveled road where the soil is so hard a seed will not be able to penetrate the hardness of the surface. Some people have been so hurt by life they have hardened their hearts and they do not trust anyone and refuse to believe in God or anyone else due to the lies of the enemy and the pain that life has given them.

Other people’s hearts are like stony ground where the soil is soft to receive the seed, the word of God, but the soil is shallow, the rocks, boulders and obstacles in their lives block their roots and when they are tested they wither. They do not have much knowledge of God’s word and there is no place for the word to take root in their hearts and minds. They may start out on fire for the Lord but again, at the first wave of testing, they get angry at God for letting things happen and may give up at the first sign of trouble. There is still too much of the hardness of the world in their hearts and not enough of God’s word, God’s truth rooted in them.

They are not deeply rooted in the word so when the heat of life comes to test their faith, they will burn from the heat of life’s pressure because their roots are not deep enough to bring the word to their hearts.

Others receive the word and begin to grow but they allow the thorns and problems of this world to grow greater in their hearts and minds, which chokes the truth of God’s word. They that allow the challenges and pressures of trying to pay bills get food for the family and provide housing to become greater than the truth of God’s word, are then unable to fulfill God’s created purpose for them. They tend to focus on the things the world is going after, food clothing and shelter.

Jesus told us not to worry about the things we will eat and wear, but to seek the kingdom of God and His right way of living and all these things will be given to us. The two things Jesus told us to do are to get into the kingdom and then line up with the ways of the kingdom. The kingdom of God is entered by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Jesus says He is the Door and no man enters except by Him.

Matthew 6:25, 31-34   Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. NKJV

Once we seek the kingdom of God and enter by faith in Jesus, we are to live in right standing with the kingdom ways and learn the constitution of our kingdom. The Spirit of God gives us the ability to live in right standing with God by seeking the truth of the word of God.