Satan Can Plant and Remove Seeds

Jesus told a parable, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. . . The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’” (Matthew 13:24-28)

In this parable, the enemy came at night and sowed weeds in their field while the slaves were sleeping. They didn’t realize what the enemy had done because it wasn’t obvious at first. But after the wheat and tares sprang up together, the slaves couldn’t understand how tares got in the field when the landowner had only sown good seed. The landowner explained to the slaves that his enemy had done it. Even though he hadn’t seen the enemy do it, he figured out the tares came from bad seed that was sown by someone who hated him. Here are 2 tactics that Satan uses:

1. Satan can remove good seed planted in people’s hearts. In the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:3-23), Jesus said the evil one has the ability to snatch away good seed sown in a person’s heart (v.19). The good seed is God’s Word (Mark 4:14) which will produce good fruit (13:8), so the devil’s first tactic is to attack the Bible. When someone hears God’s Word, he or she must decide to receive and act upon it. If someone doesn’t do this, the evil one can actually take it away, presumably through making the person forget about it before it can take root.

2. Satan can plant immoral seeds in people’s hearts. His second tactic is to plant immoral seeds in people’s hearts while they are “sleeping.” This means they aren’t aware of what’s happening to them in the spiritual realm. The enemy isn’t noticeable when he tempts people. He plants his tares in people’s hearts and it is not until later that the harmful consequences become obvious.

He’s busy sowing seeds of hate and discord, seeds of unfaithfulness in marriages, and discontentment in people’s hearts. The world is in such a mess today because the immoral seeds sown by the devil have taken over the field. Yet some people have never figured out their troubles began as tiny seeds sown by a spiritual enemy while they were sleeping.

How can you prevent tares from being sown in your heart? By staying spiritually aware and refusing to let him trespass on your property. “Let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober” (1 Thess. 5:6). Let the good seed produce its good fruit, and keep the corrupt seed from entering your heart. If it’s already in there, you can pull the weeds out (repentance) and let the Holy Spirit germinate God’s Word in your heart. It will change your life. www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net Twitter:  @Kent Crockett

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Reaping What We Sow

Reader's Digest told a story about a company that glued a tiny seed to a brochure that was advertising their product. The brochure said, "If you have the faith as a mustard seed in our product, it will produce profound results for you." Several months later, a customer wrote back saying, "You will be very interested to know that I planted your mustard seed and now I have a beautiful plant covered with tomatoes!"  It was a tomato seed, not a mustard seed. Keep two principles in mind:

1. We reap what we sow.  Galatians 6:7 says, "Don't be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." If a farmer plants corn, he’s not going to reap okra. If you plant watermelon seeds, you will reap watermelons, not asparagus. I can look at a field of wheat and tell you exactly what kind of seed was sown, even though I wasn't there to watch the farmer plant it. We always reap the kind of seed we plant.

The Scripture warns, "Don't be deceived" because many people think they can sow evil seeds and not suffer any harmful consequences. But they will. On the other hand, wise people sow good seeds because they want to reap a good harvest.  And they will.

2. We reap later than we sow.  What we are planting doesn’t become obvious until much later. The consequences, whether positive or negative, will be delayed—sometimes for years. People who do evil will not get away with it. And people who do good will be thrilled when the harvest comes. Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary." 

So keep planting good seeds. And don’t lose heart if nothing seems to be happening. The harvest is coming! www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @Kent Crockett

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Keeping Your New Year's Resolutions

One man said, "Here it is February and I've kept every one of my New Year's resolutions. Yep, I've kept every one of them in an envelope in my desk." Why do so many resolutions fail? Three things are required to make a lasting change in your life: 

1) A decision to make a change

2) A point in time when it begins 

3) The power to make it happen.

New Year's brings the first two. We make lists of the things we've decided to change and then mark January 1st on the calendar as the starting point. We soon find out they don’t stick because we don't have the will-power to follow them through.

The reason is we're trying to conquer the desires of the flesh by using the strength of the flesh. The "flesh" in the Bible means our natural desires and impulses, which causes the problems we're trying to resolve. When we try to change using our own strength, we fail because "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). The flesh isn’t strong enough, nor is it willing enough, to make the change.

Quit depending on your own strength and yield yourself completely to the Lord for His power. Then you will "be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). God promises to give you the power through the Holy Spirit to make the changes in your life that He desires, which is a whole lot better than making more resolutions that you can’t keep.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @Kent Crockett

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Making Life Count Ministries

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670 Trillion Hairs and Counting

Do you ever wonder if God really knows what’s going on in your life? Jesus revealed an amazing fact when He said, “Indeed, the very hairs on your head are numbered” (Luke 12:7). The average number of hairs on a person’s head is 100,000. Most people shed about 100 hairs a day, and since the world’s population increases by 200,000 people each day, the total number of hairs on the planet is in constant fluctuation.

The world’s population is approximately 6.7 billion. If we multiply that number by 100,000, we find that God is keeping track of 670 trillion hairs on people’s heads. And that’s not counting the beards! We would not have known this incredible fact about God’s knowledge if Jesus hadn’t told us. (The Sure Cure for Worry, Kent Crockett, Chosen Books 2013, p.72).

So why did Jesus tell us this? To assure us that God does know what’s going on in our lives. Our faith will grow as we grasp how great and powerful our Lord is. If God knows the smallest details about everyone in the world, can you see how it would be wise for us to completely surrender our lives to Him?

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @Kent Crockett

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

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How to Change a Vicious Dog

My friend Mike is a mailman for the U.S. Postal Service. When he first started delivering mail, he encountered a number of vicious dogs when he carried packages to the customers’ doors. The dogs were usually behind a fence, but it was quite unnerving to come so close to barking and growling dogs that would love to tear him apart.

He carried a can of pepper spray just in case dog ever came to attack him. But then he decided to try something different. He bought a bag of dog biscuits, and whenever he delivered a package to a door, he would toss the barking dog a treat. He kept doing this with every dog on his route. Now whenever he delivers a package, the dogs aren’t barking at him. Now they’re wagging their tails and are excited to see him! And that’s how you can change a vicious dog.

What works for dogs also works for people. Paul writes, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. And if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head” (Romans 12:20). Your enemy is someone who barks and growls at you like an aggressive dog who wants to tear you apart. When you do something kind for your enemy, it heaps burning coals on his head, which makes him ashamed of the way he has been mistreating you. As you continue to show kindness, the barking will stop, and the tail wagging will eventually begin. And that’s how you can change a vicious enemy.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @KentCrockett

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
www.makinglifecount.net 

Speaking Their Language

In 2001, a man in New York City went to the top of a building and threatened to jump off. He had a problem with his girlfriend and thought life wasn't worth living anymore. Policemen tried using a bullhorn to send a loud message to him. They didn’t realize that the man couldn’t hear a word they were saying--he was deaf!

One policeman realized the bullhorn would never work so he tried a different tactic. He had been a volunteer teacher of sign language in a deaf school. He went to the top of the building, and by using sign language, signaled a message to him which convinced him to not jump. He was able to reach him when the other method failed because he knew how to speak his language.

Perhaps it’s hard for you to talk with your spouse, your child, or someone else you know. You've tried using the bullhorn but it hasn't worked. You can open the lines of communication by learning how to speak their language. If you will talk about what interests them (such as their hobby), it will open the door to speak about other things. 

The apostle Paul said, "To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some." (1 Cor. 9:22). He didn’t compromise his beliefs, but he found a way to get on their wavelength, which led to talking to them about the Lord. Remember, if you will talk about what interests them, eventually they will start talking about what interests you. And that’s what makes relationships work.

www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  www.makinglifecount.net  @KentCrockett

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174

Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174

www.makinglifecount.net 

Resolving Conflict

Are you experiencing conflict in a relationship that you want resolved? People who are offended build walls around themselves as a defense mechanism. Here are some steps to bring down the walls.

1. Pray for wisdom (James 1:5). Ask God to show you how to handle your situation. Every relationship is unique and the Lord can give you insights concerning what to do.

2. You make the first move (Romans 12:17-18). Don’t wait for the other person to take the initiative. God wants you to take the first step. The Lord will send His blessing on the one who makes the first move in peacemaking.

3. Give a gift to the other person (Luke 6:27-28). After Jacob cheated Esau out of his birthright, Esau planned to kill him. Years later, Jacob sought to reconcile with Esau by giving him hundreds of goats, camels, cows, and donkeys (Gen. 32:13-14). The huge gift brought down the walls around Esau’s heart and they reconciled (Gen. 33).

4. Find common ground. Common ground can make people forget their differences. You will find liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans hugging each other and giving high fives—if they are pulling for the same football team that scores a touchdown! Conflict comes from magnifying your differences, but resolution comes from magnifying what you have in common.

For more information about resolving conflicts (and 9 other problems) read 10 Secrets to Life’s Biggest Challenges by Peter Lord with Kent Crockett, Chosen Books). www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com  

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Making Life Count Ministries

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www.makinglifecount.net