March 2024, 15:24, London
I’ve been going through an intense cleansing season with God. It came quite unexpectedly, and in a matter of days, I found myself completely isolated, unable to use work to distract myself as I typically would.
A friend of mine once said, “Human beings do not know how to be still. By nature, they love to do, and sometimes it requires God disrupting the status quo for them to actually sit still.” That accurately describes what God was doing to me.
As I sat with Him, He pointed out that there were words I had allowed to really get to me. I had unknowingly meditated on them, giving these words access to my life. Throughout this story, I will refer to ‘words’ as ‘seeds’ and may use them interchangeably. As these seeds grew, my behaviour started to change, affecting my ability to become all that God has destined for me.
In the Bible, Jesus speaks candidly about how seeds produce fruits, which can be good or bad. Here is an excerpt from the story, but you can read the full story in Matthew 13:1-23:
“Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: ‘Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’”
Matthew 13:3-9 NKJV
From the excerpt, the seeds are the good words spoken over us. The thorns are the negative words that threaten to choke these good seeds.
Do you know there’s a tendency for each of us at some point in time to be either in stony places, among thorns, or by the wayside? We often say “God forbid” to these areas and assume we will only be among those who yield a hundredfold (and amen to that!). However, for a moment, let’s examine our hearts: is there anything that God has told you that was suffocated by what others said, negatively impacting you?
If that’s a yes, then it’s time to do some weeding. While positive seeds speak, negative seeds speak too. They bear fruits like anger, resentment, bitterness, lack of faith, and other traits that do not glorify the Spirit of God.
If a negative seed is spoken over you, it is up to you to tend it or not. How do you tend a seed? By meditating on the word, agreeing with it, and then accepting it as truth over your life. The minute you partner with wrong seeds, it begins to affect your ability to become all that God intends for you.
There’s a scripture I love that elaborates on this quite well:
“And these signs will follow those who believe […];”
Mark 16:17 NKJV
One of my favourite preachers quoted this scripture and said, “What follows you is a report card for what you believe.” It may sound harsh, but hey, it’s in the Word.
Similarly, we have positive seeds that yield encouragement and affirmation. They boost our faith and drive us to pray and partner with the Spirit of God so that all He has spoken may become evident in our lives.
“Timothy, you are like my own child. So now I am telling you to serve God well. Remember the words from God that people spoke about you when you became a servant of God. Those words will help you to be strong, like a soldier who fights well.”
1 Timothy 1:18 EASY
I end today’s story by saying: you have a choice. You can choose not to tend any negative seed sown in your life. Instead, tend the positive ones and tend them well. When you hear a word that contradicts what God has said over you, such as “you will amount to nothing,” counter it with the Word of God. What did God say? “Before I formed you, I knew you…” (Jeremiah 1:5) or “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you…” (Jeremiah 29:11).
Remember:
Seeds + Tending = Fruits
Fruits can be positive or negative, and it’s up to you to decide what sort of harvest you want to reap.
Best wishes,
Tumi
P.S. a prayer for help:
Dear God, thank you for your love. I want to be all that you have called me to be. I don’t want anything to prevent me from seeing the manifestation of every promise you’ve spoken over my life. Father, if there are any negative seeds operating as thorns in my life, please reveal them. If I have tended these seeds and watered them through constant meditation or acceptance, I repent of this. Thank you, Father, for Your Word which says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). Thank you, God, that from the beginning you intended for me to prosper. Father, after revelation, please uproot every negative seed that is preventing me from moving forward. Thank you, Spirit of the living God, for everything. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
