He REALLY does

Luke 8: 4-15 (The Message)

The Story of the Seeds

As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn't have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop. (100-Fold)

"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"

His disciples asked, "Why did you tell this story?"

He said, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren't going to get it:

Their eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Their ears are open but don't hear a thing.

"This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won't believe and be saved.

"The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep. It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone.

"And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.

"But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.


I just wanted to share a few notes, so I won't forget what we learned from Beth Moore this weekend! It was such a Blessing to be one of the 70,000 women in 715 locations around the world via Simulcast!

In order for us to be a women of substance and have maximum impact (A 100-Fold Harvest in our lives and the lives of our family line), we must learn to discern God's voice. She gave us 7 Phrases to help us remember...

1). Treasure the Wonder.
God wants to reveal Himself to us through His Word. They are the "secrets" and we all know that when someone tells us their secrets, we have a more intimate relationship with them. He wants to speak to us, since all Scripture is God-breathed. He will keep showing us more. He wants us to be "Competently Competent"!

2). Protect your Heart.
...from the evil prey. God's Word is not up for grabs! It is hidden in our heart and we must protect it so there is no room for satan.

3). Expect the Test.
The Greek word for testing is "Peirasmos". It means trials (God) to make us stand and temptations (Satan) to make us fall. God's promise in Psalm 126:5-6 tells us that those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. God will prove true and genuine during the testing. He will get the fake out of us. She also reminded us that our children do not expect us to be perfect, just real!

4). Dig the Roots.
Roots are established in LOVE. My roots are as deep as how loved I feel. We must know that we know that we know that we know that we are loved unconditionally! She talked about 2Kings 19:30. "Take root below and bear fruit above". God loves us in the testing. We should always remember the song, "Jesus Loves Me This I Know... for the Bible tells me so". We should remember that song whenever we are going through life's most difficult trials... such as when our husband leaves us, or we get that diagnosis, or our spouse dies, or we lose our job.

5). Stop the Choke.
Anxiety chokes the Word out of us! We never need the Word more than when we are worrying! We cannot hear the Word when we are anxious because it gets choked out. Do not be anxious about anything... (Phil 4:6). Also, if we are immature and want the "riches" of this world we will be choked. We want life to feel good. He is the only one who can make us rich in every way!

6). Retain the Word.
She suggested that when we read the Bible, we ask God to show us one verse that can apply to our lives to sustain us throughout our day! She talked about sowing the seed in the morning because we have the capacity to learn more first thing!

7). Press fourth to your 100-Fold.
Persevere. It takes time to reap the harvest. We cannot quit! We can't be people who start things and don't finish before the harvest comes! We need to Believe God for finished work!


He Loves you so, sweet blog friends and Siestas!
Angie xoxo

p.s. At the end of the conference when we held hands and looked the woman next to us straight in the eyes (almost uncomfortably too long) for the commissioning, I noticed the woman I was paired up with was one of my patients! I had been sitting next to her all day long and never realized it!