Sow seeds of LIFE!

In believing and receiving complete healing and freedom from years of depression and an eating disorder, I have learned that the seeds I am sowing in my life really matter. Each thought and spoken word is a seed sown and can either reap life or death. Are my thoughts ones that reflect Christ and His perfect love for me or are they about how I don't measure up? Romans says for our minds to be renewed to Christ so that it reaps life. That looks like actually saying the opposite of whatever lie I may be believing and daily speaking out who Christ says I am--a daughter, chosen, made in His image, full of hope, cherished, and adopted into the Kingdom. I want the harvest to be one abundant in life and joy. I saw the following post this afternoon and was so encouraged to sow seeds of life. I hope you are too!

I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live. Deuteronomy 30:19

Faith Tabernacle (www.ft111.com)
Shelly Mathis
A TIME TO SOW

We are sowing seeds on a moment-by-moment basis. The types of seeds determine the harvests we receive.


Creation teaches us that there is a process before fruit is borne. Just as the seeds of the earth gradually mature and bear fruit, so do the seeds of the Kingdom and of the flesh. Sometimes we mistakenly expect our seeds to produce an immediate harvest or misunderstand our current circumstances having forgotten the seeds previously sown. The Word declares that a harvest is promised for every seed sown – whether good or bad.

Mark 4:26-29
26And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

Now is the time to examine the seeds we are sowing and take responsibility for them. Are they seeds that will cause the Kingdom of God to flourish within us, or are they seeds of the flesh that will produce corruption in body, soul, and spirit? The spirit and flesh are at war with one another, and their seeds are contrary to one another (Galatians 5:17). We choose whether we sow to the Spirit or flesh. It is never an accident.

Galatians 6:7-9
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

No matter the spiritual season we find ourselves in, there are seven Kingdom seeds we can sow that will produce an abundant harvest of His goodness in our lives. Doing so will allow the Lord to pour out His anointing and glory upon us, causing our relationship with Him to flourish.

1.) FAITH
Rather than sowing fear and unbelief, let us sow a pure faith – for faith alone accesses the benefits of our covenant in the Kingdom.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Faith is the evidence that we believe we already possess the promise, even if it is yet unseen (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus continually taught that the measure we receive is directly related to the measure of our faith. Our level of understanding determines our level of faith. The more we internally unite our hearts with the Truth of God's Word, the more we believe... and receive. (Romans 10:17).

2.) A LISTENING HEART
A noisy and distracted soul obliterates the voice of God, but a listening heart receives the wisdom necessary to cooperate with His work in this season.

Isaiah 30:20-21
20And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers. 21Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.

When we practice sowing the seed of a listening heart, we are learning to move in the flow of the Spirit. He trains us to move victoriously through every situation and circumstance, in peace or adversity. This divine connection permeates our heart while being busy with that which lies at hand. We are able to hear His still, small voice directing us to turn to the right or the left. It is like dancing... He leads, and we follow.

3.) ROLL AWAY REPROACH
To truly flourish in the Kingdom requires forgiving ourselves and releasing all who have reproached us; holding on to reproach results in spiritual barrenness and a harvest of thistles and thorns.

Psalm 69:19-20
19You know my reproach, my shame, and my dishonor; my adversaries are all before You.
20Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.

Reproach is a condition which prevents a heart from flourishing and producing a harvest of the Lord's goodness. Reproach is the pinnacle of rejection; we apply (or receive) disapproval, disdain, shame, and blame. We can reproach ourselves or receive reproach from others.

As we develop a listening ear, the Holy Spirit will continually reveal to us areas where we have received reproach. It is a choice to hang on to reproach or to receive the blessing of the Blood of Christ which rolls the reproach away. When we truly listen to Him, His words roll away our reproach and heal our hearts (Psalm 107:20).

4.) SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY
We must stop sowing laziness and victimization, for God has commissioned us to sow the seed of His authority in our lives and over the enemy.

Luke 10:19
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

We sow the seed of authority by approaching life from the position of our authority in Christ. What is that position? Victory. Under His authority, we then rule over every aspect of our lives as kings – conquering the land of our hearts for the Lord and submitting to the rule and reign of His Spirit within us.

Our responsibility is not only to rule over our lives, but to exercise our spiritual authority over Satan. He relentlessly works to distract our focus, sow his tares (lies), and keep us in bondage. We must sow our seed of authority over our flesh and the devil at every opportunity; this will maintain the good ground in our hearts and enable the Lord's work to prosper.

5.) THE WRITTEN & PROPHETIC WORD
Listening to Satan's lies silences the voice of God. May we rise up and by faith hear God’s voice, and in authority, echo His voice and sow the seeds of His written and prophetic Word in the earth.

Isaiah 55:10-11
10"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, 11So 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 for which I sent it.

We have the authority to sow God's written and prophetic Word wherever we have responsibility. When we develop those listening ears, He will give us prophetic seeds to sow in intercession and in prophetic proclamation. Let us sow faithfully and allow them to become that which the Lord destined them to be.

The enemy's attack is to silence the prophetic flow within us – through reproach, distraction, or sin. Do not allow him to silence your voice. Your covenant promise is to hear the Lord's voice and prophesy what He gives you to speak. Open your mouth, and the Lord will fill it!

6.) PRAISE & WORSHIP
The opposite of murmuring and complaining is praise and worship. Praise is one of the severest weapons that we can form against the enemy, and one of the greatest instruments we can wield to set ourselves free.

2 Chronicles 20:20-22
20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the LORD, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:
“Praise the LORD,
For His mercy endures forever.”
22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.

When we sow the seed of praise, the Lord is enthroned in our praises – He is exalted and the enemy is defeated. We are able to discern clearly from His perspective of grace, light, and truth. Faith soars in His presence, and the enemy flees. We reap the harvest of deliverance, faith, joy, strength, and life. What is desolate flourishes.

7.) HIS REST
We must cease striving in our own strength and sow into the flow of the Holy Spirit. He says, “You rest, and I’ll manifest.”

Hebrews 4:10
For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

We are to sow into His rest. This rest equates to “death to the flesh” and “work by the Spirit.” It is not accomplished by our own tenacious gumption, but by yielding to the power of the Spirit of God working in us. We do our part by surrendering our darkness to His Light, by resisting temptation, and by allowing His Spirit to rule and reign within. His rest causes divine productivity in the anointing of ease; it is the flow of His Spirit.

THE PROMISE
Psalm 65:9-11
9 You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.

When we sow the seeds of the Kingdom, the Lord will water them with His Spirit and cause our relationship with Him to flourish in abundant productivity. He will be exalted, and His glory will fill the earth. Amen!

biased opinion

I've been slow to post things in the past several months, but this is too good not to share. So sisters, please enjoy and receive.

I was watching the movie Twister with my roommate tonight while reading for my developmental psyc class. I just finished reading about how baby biographers studying the development of their children "may have let their assumptions about evolution and development bias their observations."

Jo is in the bedroom getting ready. She look in the mirror, picked up her necklace, and put it on as her aunt came into the room. Here's how the conversation went down:
Aunt: Whatever you do, Jo, you'll always be beautiful.
Jo: You've got a bias opinion.
Aunt: Well, yes, I'm a proud aunt.

Right then, God spoke to my heart that He has a bias opinion for His daughters!
He is a PROUD FATHER!

I hope this blesses you as much as it did me.

sweetly surprised

The Lord is so good. He knows our heart. We are fully known to Him! Praise His name!

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

I am in such awe of His goodness, of how God loves me. He delights in bringing joy through the smallest things. There are three things that particularly stand out.

1. Free massage and stay at the conference center. Days before I had thought, I cannot wait until after camp to get a massage and later, that it would be fun to stay off camp during session break [sleep in, have air conditioner, a real bed, etc.] I knew it probably wouldn't happen, but it was a nice thought. At the end of a session, it was announced that a camper's mom wanted to bless us with free massages. All I could do was laugh in thanks. That Friday, a sweet friend offered a room for some of us to stay at the conference center. These things were so unexpected, but He constantly showed that He knows even tiniest things of my heart.

2. Blueberries. This is the best one. One afternoon I was sitting on the bear trap porch in a rocking chair watching kids play 4-square. I randomly thought of picking fruit, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, anything. I had never done that before and thought, ''Oh it would be nice to do that''. Low and behold, 4 days later I was at Craggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell picking blueberries and blackberries. I was in the mountains with three great friends and was sweetly surprised and reminded of God's enormous and the fact that He knows the depths of my heart.
This wasn't something I prayed about, "Daddy, it sure would be great to be able to go blueberry picking. Could I please?" Nope, it was just a passing thought. Praise God!

3. Chapstick. This is so silly, but it proves again how we are fully known. I lost my chapstick somewhere in between North Carolina and Texas. I've been meaning to buy more and kept putting it off. Tonight, after a joy-filled day, I went to my first Midnight Yell. As I was walking in with my camp, people were there handing out free Texas A&M- compliments of Pepsi chapstick. haha. Thank you, Jesus, for the sweet surprise. Even funnier, I was getting it out of my purse and thought, "I hope this isn't Pepsi flavored chapstick." You know those Dr. Pepper or other crazy soda flavors? I'm not a huge fan, so I quietly hope it was clear chapstick. Yup, it was. Thanks again!

These were all things I didn't pray for. I didn't submit them to the Lord. He just knew. It is such a big deal! That is, how much He knows us and desires for us to know Him. The idea of being known fully and fully known this summer was so graciously pressed into my heart, and there is no doubt that He knows us. He is faithful and delights in us. He takes delight in YOU. Our Father takes delight in bringing His children favor, making His love known, and surprising us at the moment we least expect. My prayer is that you come to know Him fully, are sweetly surprised this weekend, and really find hope and joy in the One, the holder of our hearts. Be blessed!


Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 30:9-10

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139: 23-24

However God does it for you means it is GOOD for YOU!

Reading the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, I realized something I never had before from this passage. It made me think about us as Mercy girls walking in our freedom but sometimes falling to distractions. A lot of times that distraction is comparison, which only leads to death.

So in Matthew 20, the landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He hired some in the morning to work for the day and also went out a couple of times later to give them "whatever is right" at the end of the day. Evening came and he began to call the workers in to give them their pay. The last to be hired were given one denarius as were the ones who were hired in the early morning. "They began to complain to the landowner, 'These last put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the burning heat!'" The land owner later replied, "Are you jealous because I am generous?"

We could easily read it and get the message that the last shall be first and the first, last. So much more was revealed.
The workers began complaining, and in that, they walked straight into comparison.

Comparison can only lead to death for us. I can look at another sister and see the freedom she is walking in--what I think is her freedom, and I fall into condemnation for the great amount of freedom she has and I don't. She could have been struggling with whatever issue for multiple years or only one or two. No matter how long or short of a time she was in bondage or even how long she has walked in freedom, the quiet, or rather, not so quiet lie sneaks in saying, "You should be walking in the great freedom that she is," which then becomes a belief in a lie yielding only death. "You don't have the freedom that she shows and that must mean you're not there and a failure." Those are straight lies from the enemy meant to distract us from our pursuit of Christ! We are good enough. We are loved even if our freedom doesn't look like we THINK it should. I'm longing for progress, not perfection.

And I think I've touched on this before, but it's come back up in conversation two or three times lately:

Becoming free is a very slow progress for some of us, and that is OKAY!
That gives even greater reason to include a lot of accountability and support.
That also means choosing not to believe those lies or hesitating to call out to those who are FOR us to help us.

Freedom and victory might come little by little like in Deuteronomy 7:22,

The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.

keep reading that passage,

but basically victory came by enduring. God's plans are bigger, which means He may not move as fast as we would like Him to. He probably won't give it all to us at once either. There are WAY too many lessons to learn in the process of finding greater freedom.

So I leave you with this...

Keep trusting. However God does it for you means it is GOOD for YOU!

joy and peace

"How do you know if you're abiding in Him?" was a question I ask a few weeks ago.

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5

Abide means continue, stay, and remain. And one great thing I've come to love REST. Resting in His peace and joy.

After waiting and wondering if I am abiding, I learned I have to look at the fruit in my life. Two of those right now are joy and peace. If I'm filled with His joy and peace, it's a pretty clear indicator to my heart that I'm abiding.

Through learning that, I also learned how joy and peace are coupled together. If you have one, you should really have the other. After looking back on last semester, I saw I wasn't abiding. There was peace, but very little joy. I couldn't muster it up if I wanted. He's come in and rocked my world this semester. There have been many changes, but what sticks out most is the presence of joy in my life.

Here are a couple of passages showing how joy and peace complement each other. Dive into them. Be encouraged.

Peace and Joy
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

This is probably my favorite:
"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush will grow the pine tree, and instead of the briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD'S renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed." Isaiah 55:12-13

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." Psalm 34:14

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Romans 14:17-18

Be blessed to overflowing with His peace and joy.