The Sower

In the 4th chapter of Mark, Jesus told a parable about a farmer who sowed seed in a field.  The parable was so plain and simplistic, yet carried a hidden meaning; as did all of Jesus' parables.  Judging by the disciple’s reaction, the meaning of this parable was particularly difficult to understand (also recorded by Matthew and Luke).  And so, Jesus' disciples asked him to explain.  Jesus' answered by saying,  

"...this is (given to you) the mystery of the kingdom of God" Mark 4:10

This word "mystery" derives from the Greek word mysteries (usually as the plural).  In context, it simply means "secret" as in "secret doctrine".  Jesus was revealing to his disciples that some of what he tells them is not meant for others to comprehend.  

In other words, GOD KEEPS SECRETS!  Only those who belong to Him are meant to comprehend His mysteries; thus, this parable.  Jesus went on to tell his disciples that those who do not belong to God will be, 

"...ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding" Mark 4:11-12

Today, confirm that you belong to God with understanding.  Take time to decipher, even if for the first time, the mystery hidden in the parable of the sower. 

Before we decode the mystery, there are a few things to notice in this story which contributes to its meaning.  First, notice what happened at the beginning of this parable.  Before there could be any sowing of the seed, the farmer had to first "go out".   He left the comfort of his living area to work the field with the intension of creating produce.

Next, notice the farmer's diligence.  The fact that seed landed in a variety of "grounds" denotes the farmer's action in sowing.  Had the farmer stood in one spot, or perhaps spread only one handful of seed and then gone back in his house, all of the seed would be in one ground.  Instead, seed spread across what must have been a vast field.   As a result, his seed found its way into multiple locations.  

Lastly, notice the most consistent part of the story; the seed itself.  The seed is the same from the beginning of the story to the end. Notice that, with no change in the seed, the results varied from one type of ground to the next proving that the farmer's seed was good... but some areas of his field containing difficult and unmanageable ground.  This parable illustrates that fruit is not only determined by the seed; but also by the ground.  

So, now let’s decode the story.  First, what is the seed?  The seed is the word of God. 

"...the farmer sows the Word" Mark 4:14

How do we sow this seed?  We "go out".  We leave the comfort of our homes and sow with our mouths (or in my case, with a laptop computer).  The Word of God is GOOD seed.  God sowed His Word in the beginning of this world and it was GOOD.  His Word later became flesh and dwelt among men (John 1:2).  Today, we have the opportunity to sow His word in our fields.  Jesus Christ is God's GOOD seed which will not return to Him void.  

Now, understand that, once we sow God's Word; however, the bible assures us that the enemy of God will come to steal it (Matt. 13:19).  Why does God's enemy want to steal the seed? Because he knows it’s potential.  Satan knows that we have dominion on this earth given to us by God Himself.  He knows we have authority to grow from every "ground" in this earth and he does not.

By "ground", I'm referring to spiritual ground; which is your heart.   Satan steals God's seed; which is God's Word, from our "ground” in an attempt to replace it with his seed... which is fear and doubt.  But Satan's effectiveness in his attempt to steal seed is not determined by the seed; it is determined by the condition of your ground.

So now let’s look at the four types of ground.  In the story, seed fell in "Wayside" ground, “Stony" ground, “Thorny" ground and "Good" ground.  Each of the four relate to the condition of one's heart. 

"Wayside" ground is a heart that's far off of the right path.  Jesus said this type of ground provides nothing but food for birds.  "Stoney" ground is a heart that is too hard to receive seed; or at least, not receive seed deep enough to take root.  Any produce sprouting from a stony heart will have a short shelf-life.

"Thorny" ground is a heart that is too distracted and cluttered with worldly concerns to produce.  Distractions and clutter pull resources away from the seed which kills the seed via dehydration/starvation.   A heart that is cluttered with all the distractions of the world is literally trying to birth good fruit and bad fruit simultaneously; which is the equivalent of a heart trying to serve two masters.  In this condition, according to another parable Jesus told, this poor distracted heart will love one of its masters, but despise the other.  

But the last type of ground, "Good" ground, seems to be Jesus point of the parable. Good ground is a submitted heart; i.e., a heart that belongs to God.  This heart will produce the Fruits of the Spirit in varying quantities: 30, 60 or 100 times what was originally planted in it.

If you submit your "ground" to God (meaning, again, your heart), you will be more than a conquer in this world.  But, if you have not given your heart to Jesus, you cannot grow God's seed; in which case, Satan will gladly come in, take God's seed from you, and then plant his seed as a substitution.  God's seed is GOOD... you've just got to manage your "ground"!  

The mystery of the sower is that the choice is yours!  In the since of being evangelized, your heart is the ground that God is sowing GOOD seed (His word) into; even right now.   Then, in the since of evangelism, you are the sower spreading the Gospel throughout God's field allowing the Word of God to land where it may praying that it encounters GOOD ground so that it can produce 30, 60 or in some cases, 100 times over.   

So the questions are: 

#1). What kind of ground are you willing to be? Submitted or resistant?

And then, 

#2). What kind of ground will you place your seed into from now on? 

"In all your getting, get understanding" Proverbs 4:7

WCProductions - Church Mix Vol II

Discipleship

Feeling Powerless

The bible says,

"God has not given us the spirit of fear but of POWER, and of love, and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7.

The American Heritage® Dictionary defines "POWER" as strength or force capable of being exerted. Power is Effectiveness; it is the ability or capacity to perform effectively. Thus, according to this passage in 2 Timothy, God has given each of us strength to be effective; strength which is capable of being exerted. He has given us the spirit of love, the spirit of a sound mind and the ability to perform effectively. We have been given an unlimited amount of POWER from an all powerful God; enough power to face any circumstance and overcome any obstacle.

Yet, when an emotional situation arises in our life, it somehow erases all of this power that we spend so much time building confidence in. We suddenly feel powerless.

An emotional situation results when a combination of circumstances at a given time is determined or actuated by your emotions rather than reason. Bad news or a bad event usually instigates an emotional situation. You hear the news and your emotions take over your perception of the situation. Suddenly the smooth progression of your life takes an emotional turn for the worse. Where there was once positive momentum to press forward, now swelling emotional forces begin to drive you backward into despair with an inability to regroup. Your spirit of sound mind has left you. You strength is gone; you are unable to be effective. You're powerless.

Most of us blame powerlessness on the initiator. We make this case in our minds,

"if he/she would just do this... " or "if he/she would not have done that... "

This is because our minds substantiate the emotions that we feel. In other words, your mind sees clearly that there was no turmoil before the event took place; however, after the event, there was unrest so the cause is verified. The event or the person must be the reason you feel powerless. It's that person's fault; he/she has taken away your power.

But blame is not the answer. You will never reclaim your power this way. Blame will only keep you engulfed by the miserable emotion in a vicious cycle of replaying the event in your mind and reiterating your position to yourself as if the other person could hear you. At the end of the day, you'll find yourself drained, still searching for answers and spiraling into anger and resentment towards who ever seems to be the source of the disturbance. Too many Christians are satisfied to search only for someone to blame when we feel powerless. As a result, Christians, even though we sing about a powerful God, are emotionally bound... , stuck... , stranded... , trapped in recurring situations of apparent powerlessness that have been repeating for years.

The solution is less complicated than it may seem. The answer to powerlessness is in 1 John 4:4, which says

"You are of God... , and have overcome them: because GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU, THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD".

When situations leave you in a state of powerlessness, you must realize that God is greater than that situation and He is IN YOU! What you need is a transfer. Allow me to explain...

At your bank, if one of your accounts has more funds in it than another of your accounts, you can remove the funds from the one account and transfer them to the other at any time. It's called a transfer-of-funds; you can even do it online now days. Well, you can perform this same type of operation emotionally; you can make a transfer of power. When you feel powerless, it means that in your mind the circumstance you are facing holds more power over you than you have over it. This situation, which should not be much of a predicament, seems terrible, even life threatening because of the amount of emotion attached to it. In your mind, the circumstance is substantiated, it is considerably more powerful then you.

To make a transfer, you have to realize that the situation only appears larger than you because your emotions are so substantial, but on the inside of you is perpetual power, i.e. GOD HIMSELF who can put the situation back into perspective. When you conduct a transfer, you defuse the situation in your mind by understanding that on the inside of you is more power than any situation. You can shrink the problem in your mind by realizing God is the greatest power. Victory over any situation only requires that you change your mind. Transfer the power out of that situation.

Critical point: In order to complete a transfer-of-funds from a bank account, you must clear identify which account the funds will be transferred to. It's not enough to just remove funds from an account then hang up the phone. You must complete the transaction. Likewise, when you transfer power from an emotional situation, you must clearly understand where the power is going. The pressure and stress that you remove from that situation must land somewhere. If you don't correctly identify where the weight of that problem lies, you will find yourself in the same predicament again the next day. You must understand to which account you are transferring the power to. You don't want to make the mistake of saying, 

"I am more powerful than the situation... " 

If you do then you've missed the point. You couldn't handle it alone before, you can't handle it now.

I submit to you today that God is the only one who can handle the power that your dilemma holds over you. He can accept that pressure, He can handle the stress. He can take that pain from your situation because He is greater than every situation. 1 Peter 5:7 says

"Cast all your care upon Him; for he careth for you".

God can shrink that overwhelming monstrous situation to the size of a mouse. God's account is the only one large enough to handle the transfer from your situation, and my situation, and your momma's situation, and your daddy's situation, from your pastor's situation, from this world's situation. Jesus says cast all your cares on Him, He cares for you.

The next time you feel powerless, perform a transfer! Say loud and clear,

"Lord, I'm transferring all this anguish; all this anger; all the hurt and all the stress I am feeling to your account. You take the despair, you take the resentment, you take the pain from this dilemma, and I'm transferring it all to you now! My emotional account balance is ZERO. Provide me with peace. Give me the confidence to press forward and be powerful once again!"

The Story of the Talents

In many Christian circles, there is a word which has become taboo over the past several years. That word is: "Work".

Let me explain...

For most of the 20th Century, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was reduced to referring only to the story of the Death, Burial and Resurrection. And that word "Work" was implemented in the context of the phrase, "Don't get caught with your WORK undone... "; which is not biblical, but was very popular. There was a since that, even though Jesus died to open the way for salvation for us, there was still a since that salvation had to some how still be earned by us.

But in this century, a very important element of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been added; or to put it more actually, reinserted. This element is, "Grace".

Grace is the outcome of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of our Savior. We are now removed from God's wrath which the rest of the world will one day face. Its not because we don't deserve God's wrath; its that God's wrath was satisfied for us. The cost was paid by the blood of Jesus Christ. He is our sacrificial lamb and now there is no price left to be paid.

However, now that the "legalistic", "work for your salvation", attitude has been taken from the table and the "Full and Complete" story of the Gospel has been rediscovered, this has driven many Christians to the opposite extreme: LAZINESS!

The fact that we don't exchange the work of our hands for salvation, doesn't mean that there is no longer any work to do. The book of James makes it very clear;

"A person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone... " James 2:24

For those in this generation who still feel a calling to "Work" for Christ despite being called a "Legalist", there is a parable of a rewarding tale of how God, the Lord of the Harvest is faithful and just to bless His children for their faithfulness.

This parable appears in the book of Matthew, the 25th chapter, as one of the multiple stories which Jesus told that provided a verbal portrait of the Kingdom of God. Luke also records this parable in the 19th chapter. Jesus tells the parable because, according to Luke,

"... they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appear" Luke 19:11

Apparently the crowd needed to be informed that God is looking for each of us to do a great work for Him, but for some reason they were content to sit and wait for the Kingdom of God to just "arrive" on its own (kind of like now... ).

In this story, Jesus used the example of a "talent" which was a medium of exchange equal to money, but could just as easily be considered anything of use or of value. Luke uses the term "mina" in the parable which is roughly three months wages (there is no debate that this story is referring to money; both Matthew and Luke record that Jesus referred to the subject as being money at least twice).

The first man in the story was aggressive with what he was given. He used everything that he was entrusted with and as a result, was able to bring his master a large increase. Another of the men was also aggressive. He was given less than the first, but notice the percentage of increase he brought to his master was the same. But, the last of the men was doubtful and negative. He doubted that he could ever be successful so he decided not to try at all. Instead he hid his talent where no one could see it so that when his master returned he could just give back what he had been given.

The problem with the third guy was; he thought more about what could go wrong then what was going to go right. He could not see past his doubts and would rather break even than face the possibility of losing out completely. He was doubtful and he was plagued with fear. He was afraid of failing with what his master had given him. He was afraid of disappointment and most of all, afraid of his master. He clearly thought to himself,

"what if I lose this talent? My master is a mean man, etc., etc."

He refused to put his talent to work because he was sure his work would fail so he devised his own plan for what he thought would insure a since of victory. He figured he'd just give his master back the seed that he was given. This way, he could guarantee he wouldn't return to his master empty handed.

God has entrusted each of us with things of value. Those talents could be internal talents such as physical ability, mental capacity, learned skills, acquired trades and experience. Or they could be external talents, (things not stemming from you but affecting you) such as a societal status or relationships with other talented people having access to great resources. Our master wants us to pursue all types of increase: spiritual increase, physical increase, increase in faith, increase in peace, increase in finances, and overall, an increase in our relationships with Jesus Christ.

However, instead of pursuing a great work, too many of us "hide out". We are so convinced any endeavor we attempt will fail that we choose to keep our one little talent hidden when God wants us to take charge of five talents and turn them into ten!

God has given you gifts, but it's up to you to do something with it! If you are satisfied with no work to prove your faithfulness, then that is what you will have. And you will never see an increase of talent because you refuse to make an effort just like the third man in this story who was "hiding out" because increase looked impossible.

Things are SUPPOSED to look impossible from time to time! You are SUPPOSED to find yourself doing things that you've never done before! You are even SUPPOSED to find yourself doing things that scare you! But God has to move you beyond your own understanding to move you away from depending on yourself and into trusting Him. God has to lead you out of your comfort zone; away from a place where the fear of losing everything will cause you to hide. The truth is, the only real way to overcome fear is to do that very thing which you fear! Remember, many things done in society today were once things which were very scary; which no one had done before less than a generation ago!

Stop hiding your talents in the ground! Stop hiding your money in the bank! Stop hiding from the church officers trying to recruit you! If you have money, make an investment! If you can sing, join the choir! If you are dependable, become a trustee! Stop hiding and get to WORK! The result will be a great and abundant increase in several areas of your life to give you more than you've ever had before as you do more and more of what you have never done!

Know Your Shepard

In John 10, Jesus gives the complete job description of a Good Shepard. 

Learning about Jesus' role as Good Shepard will helps us better understand and trust him in this capacity. We can better know him once we realize what this title requires. And we can better recognize a Good Shepard in our lives by considering his or her actions in light of the example that Jesus gives us. We can better know how to be a Good Shepard to our children,  our families or  anyone we are allowed to provide leadership to and Shepard. We can become better leaders and better followers by understanding what Jesus endured in order to be called THE Good Shepard.

The first thing to notice is how a Good Shepard approaches his sheep.

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber..." John 10:1

 Jesus said a Good Shepard will approach his flock “by the door”.  This means he will approach the proper way: openly, honestly, with no deception. A Good Shepard will be “upfront” with you; there will be no hidden agendas or masquerade waiting to be discovered. A Good Shepard will earn the trust of his/her sheep. 

Jesus say’s a thief or a robber gains access to people “some other way”. A thief breaks the rules. He/she sneaks in under the radar and seeks to remain undetected.  A thief will lie and pretend to be something he/she is not in order to get close to you. A thief will falsely identify himself in words, action and attire. A thief is always hiding something, always covering up. He pretends to protect, but instead will steal from the sheep and then abandon them. 

To illustrate this further, Jesus compared the qualities of a Good Shepard to that of a hired hand. 

"The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away..." John 10:12

The hired hand takes no ownership of the sheep; he has built no commitment to the sheep. He has no dedication, no compassion, and no love for the sheep. So, when the enemy confronts the sheep, the hired hand abandons his post and runs away leaving the sheep to fend for themselves. Tragically, the enemy will be successful in his pursuit of sheep who follow a hired hand. Jesus said the hired hand will  run away at the first sign of danger because he simply doesn't care. 

But the Good Shepard does not run.  He hangs in there with the sheep and leads them through the danger. He doesn't hide behind the sheep to  protect himself; he goes in front of the sheep to protect them. The Good Shepard will even put his life on the line for his sheep.

Another thing to notice in this chapter;Jesus said sheep recognize the voice of a Good Shepard. 

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice..."John 10:4

When a Good Shepard speaks, his or her words are recognized by the sheep. The voice of a Good Shepard somehow resonates with his or her sheep.  The voice goes past the sheep's ears and make a spirit-to-spirit connection.  Everything Jesus did was familiar to the people. When he spoke, he made references to the words of God that had been recorded generations past which the Jews had spent their entire life memorizing. The prophets spoke of Jesus for centuries and when he arrived, his miracles were to fulfill those scriptures.  Jesus' words were familiar to his follower's spirit and his followers were precisely those who were willing to take heed to his words.

Jesus said the sheep will not follow a stranger; 

"But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” John 10:5
Jesus said sheep will run from a stranger. This is important to note; that when you encounter a person trying to lead you who is not a Good Shepard, you should run from them. That person is a thief and a robber, or he/she is a hired hand who does not care about you. Demons are trying desperately to take over the life of every Christian. They want to take a leadership role in your life, but they did not enter this world through the door... meaning they are interacting with you illegally. They don't care about you, they only want to kill and destroy you. Individuals who are not Good Shepherds are the wolves, the thiefs and the robbers that Jesus is warning about. 

Lastly, a Good Shepard will sacrifice for their sheep. 

To redeem mankind, (turning to the example of Jesus) God could have just descended from Heaven and declared mankind free from sin forever. No power could disagree with Him or appose His decision to redeem mankind with a simple declaration.  But that would have defied the commandment which God Himself set into motion. God said the wages of man’s sin is death; meaning there must be a sacrifice. 

According to God's own justice, the proper way for Him to redeem mankind was to pay the price of death with a sacrifice. So God Himself became that sacrifice. He sent his own son, the Lamb of God, to put on flesh like ours and die for our sins. Jesus was born into this world, essentially like all of us (he entered this world through the door). He had a childhood, and then began ministry as the Christ. He allowed Himself to be scorned, brutally tortured, murdered (attempted) and buried in a tomb to fulfill the requirement of death. 

But then, 72 hours after his brutal death, he was raised from the dead to declaring all power over heaven and earth in his hands. That is the sacrifice Jesus made for the opportunity to own us and be our protector us. He did all of that to be the Good Shepard of all who believe. 

Know your Shepard! 

If you belong to a church congregation or any Christian assembly, you must examine your Shepard closely. Have you seen him or her suffer for you, or are you required to do all of the suffering instead? Does your Shepard go ahead of you to protect you, or do you find that he/she disappears at the sight of trouble then suddenly reappears when everything has been ironed out? Do you recognize the things that he or she is telling you as the true word of THE Good Shepard? Do you recognize the direction he or she is leading you as the Way of God? Or is your Shepard teaching things that are foreign and even contradictory to the recorded word of the one whom he or she is supposed to be an under-Shepard of?

And lastly, have you seen your Shepard sacrifice anything at all for the privilege of calling you his or her sheep?

Better yet, lets talk about you... What sacrifices have you made for the ones who God has trusted you to be the Shepard of? Can your children follow your example? Can they trust you to face the very principalities of hell on their behalf?

Jesus is THE example of a Good Shepard for us all to strive to be become. So KNOW YOUR SHEPARD, and be a better Shepard to anyone that God has allowed to follow you!

DO IT AGAIN!

What have you stopped doing?

Why is it that when many Christians get a Word from the Lord, they run and tell the world what they're going to do... at first.  But then when you see those Christians years later, somehow they've decided that what they thought they heard from God just wasn't Him... or perhaps wasn't for them?

Is it because God changed His mind? Is that the kind of God we serve... one who is still deciding what His will is for us?  I thought God predestined us  for the good pleasure of His will before the foundation of this world? (Ephesians 1:4-5)

What have you stopped doing? What is it that you were making progress with that you gave up on? Years ago you were "running for Jesus"... but now, that run has declined to a walk... then a slow crawl... then perhaps a dead stop.  Now what? Will you continue at a stand still and just let that past momentum be the testimony you carry to your grave, "God gave me the strength to run on... I would still be running but... (insert reason)".

What is it that you focused on in the past which got you to where you are today, but you aren't focused on any more? What sacrifices did you make in your lifestyle years ago that produced the results which you now enjoy... that are just a distant memory today... ever since you went back to "business as usual"?

When you made those sacrifices years ago, whether for spiritual or practical purposes, you had to believe with all your heart that you would reap. You actually trusted GOD... you had no choice... you had no other help... nowhere else to turn.  I know you remember... back when it seemed like nobody believed your breakthrough was coming but you!  So... why did you stop?

Forget the question "why"... the real question I want to ask is, are you afraid to try it again? Are you too proud to start all over? Are you embarrassed? Are you "pouting" at God because it didn't work the first time? Maybe the second time will lead you to the place you couldn't reach the first time? Or perhaps God's design is that you go back to the beginning 3, 4, 5 or 6 more times so that your fear of failure doesn't get in the way later? Could God's plan possibly be better then your plan of profuse success on the first try? Possibly?

Here's my point. If what you did years ago got you to a new season in your life where you began to walk closer with God in a way you never had before... what would happen if you did it again? And again? In fact, what if the sacrifices you used to make in your lifestyle were so set in your behavior that they were no longer a decision... but a new way of life?

Whatever you have stopped doing that you know God wants you to do, go back and DO IT AGAIN! It may have been months since you even thought about it. Maybe a whole year has passed; perhaps years have passed... but if you ever believed that you heard from God and know what His will is for your life... DO IT AGAIN!

The bible says in the book of Galatians,

"Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not... " Gal. 6:8

God will never "repent" of a calling (Romans 11:29). If He called you last year, He is calling you this year. So, just DO IT AGAIN! God will help you. His help will come as you go... not while your stopped!  Don't get weary because the season you've been waiting for isn't hear yet. A season IS coming where you will see the results of whatever it is that God has asked you to do.

And if you don't know all of what God is asking you to do, just do what you know! God will tell you more about what He is doing in your life in this season when it is time for you to know more. Maybe you can't handle the rest of what God wants you to know yet; or maybe there is no more.

And if there is no more, just DO AGAIN whatever God said last. Every Christian should be found working diligently on the last word you heard from the Lord until you receive a new word or He comes again... or you die; which ever happens first. Jesus said there is no shortage of "harvest time" in God's plan.  But it's the laborers who are in short supply (Matthew 9:37).

I want to emphasize one more thing... Your blessing is waiting for you to be obedient to whatever God has said. Whatever you need from the Lord, the answer to your praying, your provision... it's all contained in your response to whatever God tells you to do. I want to be clear that this is not just an idea, but also a bible principal.

Look at the first miracle of Jesus' ministry in John Chpt 2.

In this story, Mary, the mother of Jesus, had been invited to a wedding. Jesus and his "crew" were invited also. According to the story, a situation arose where the wine had run out. Running out of wine during a wedding feast was far more than just a mere embarrassment.

It would actually be OK to run out of wine at today's wedding ceremonies; if they served wine at all. However, in 1st century Israelite culture, wine was the symbol of fellowship and communion. In fact, in that culture, there is no fellowship without the physical breaking of bread and the sharing of wine. A shortage of wine during a wedding feast was an all-out disaster.

Perhaps the parents of the couple would blame each other for the shortage of wine and cause a rift in the family right at the beginning of the union. Maybe guest would consider the shortage of wine a sign that the marriage should not have taken place. Maybe the governor of the feast would declare the couple not to be joined at all because of the omen. Though not life threatening, the situation couldn't be more dreadful for these newly weds who, apparently, didn't even know there was a conflict threatening their marriage.

At the site of this terrible situation, Jesus' mother Mary did two actions: First, she petitioned Jesus to help them avoid the awful situation that was quickly developing. Soon, the entire festival would be aware that the wine had run out. Mary was the only one who TRULY knew Jesus as the Messiah at that time. She knew because of her conversation with the angel Gabriel. She knew because of the miracle of his birth so many years before. So, first, she petitioned Jesus... and surprisingly, Jesus declined to answer claiming it was not yet his time for miracles.

I believe Mary's second action is the reason that the disciple John recorded this event in his writings. Mary gave the workers of the marriage festival a critical piece of information which ultimately led to this miracle. She told them "OBEY JESUS!" Her exact words, according to the Gospel of John were,

"Whatsoever he saith unto you, DO IT!" John 2:5

Mary, not yet knowing whether Jesus would respond to her or not, told the workers to do whatever Jesus instructed them to do... and then she seemed to leave the issue to be handled between the servants and her son.

Whatever He says do, DO IT! Even at a time when a miracle would seem untimely... DO IT! We have the power to motivate God to "move" by offering Him our obedience! If we would just become willing to obey! If we would just become willing to serve! If we would just decide that we will submit to His instruction no matter the cost... God will perform!

According to the scripture, the servants submitted themselves to Jesus. However, we also know by the scripture that their obedience was tested.

Notice in the text, Jesus told the servants to fill pots with water and serve the water to the governor of the feast; but he didn't tell them the results they would soon see (John 2:7-8).  Can you imagine what might have gone through the server's minds as they walked towards the governor with these pots full of water? Can you imagine the embarrassment they might have feared facing to be serving water at a wedding festival?

But, as they went, at some point between the time they filled the pots and the time when the water hit the governors lips, it became wine! And, according to the governor, it was the best wine he had tasted all night (John 2:10)! My point is, if they had never done what Jesus said and carried the water to the governor, there would not have been a miracle that night!

What has God instructed you to do that you aren't doing any more?  If God called you last year, He is calling you this year... and He'll still be calling you next year! If your thinking, "I haven't heard God say anything lately" you are mistaken... we have 66 bible books and countless expositors regarding what God is saying to you. Could the reason you haven't heard Him say anything new possibly be because you aren't doing what He has already said? Possibly?

What is God saying to you? Whatever He says do, DO IT! And then, DO IT AGAIN! Don't worry about "HOW" or "WHY"... Only focus on "WHAT".

WHAT does God want from you in this season? WHAT does God want today? Even in this hour? Just DO IT and receive every blessing, every miracle and every provision that God has strategically laid on the road of your life to be discovered as you go!