Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. Matthew 13:3-9
Most of us are familiar with this parable of Jesus where he likens God’s word to a seed. We all know that the purpose of a seed is to be sown and under the right conditions it will bear the corresponding fruits. It is, however, our custom as Christians to read God’s word daily but the truth is that this expectation is not always a reality. A lot of us depend on our Sunday services to hear the word of God being preached by our pastors. But honestly that is never enough according to 2 Timothy 2:15.
Let's explore the core of the issue as we expose the three pivotal reasons why the enemy takes the word from us.
- The devil takes the word from us so that we doubt God. Satan knows that the word is our ultimate source of life thus he tries ways of making it impossible to accept and believe it. We know this because when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he quoted scripture saying: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Jesus overcame the enemy's temptation not by his own efforts but rather acknowledging the authority and power of the word. This proves that when we believe God’s word we are sustained - it keeps us alive mentally and spiritually.
The devil takes the word to attack our faith. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17. - Have you ever experienced that moment when you heard God’s word and felt like no challenge was too hard to conquer? If yes, that moment was a faith-boosting moment for you. Our faith comes from the choice we make in accepting to believe His word. Great faith and confidence rises up in us when we have the word of God in us. This is what the devil fights against because the word we hear reveals our identity in Christ. The book of James reminds us that the word of God is like a mirror constantly reminding us to look into it - a reflection of our true selves which builds up our faith in God.
- The devil takes the word from us to deceive us. If there is one thing the word of God contains - it is godly wisdom. The book of proverbs is full of it. Satan knows that our commitment to God’s word will make us wise. We will also be able to discern the devil’s schemes and deceptions against our lives. Acquiring wisdom from the scriptures will help us understand the times and seasons of our lives as it is linked to the will of God. Not forgetting that the Bible says that wisdom is the principal thing. Satan, our enemy, knows that once we are not reading and meditating on God’s word, we are at our most vulnerable point. This is where he comes to attack our faith because he knows the word is not deeply rooted in our hearts. Therefore, like the seeds that fell by the wayside and on rocks that birds easily feasted on is how we are without God’s word. The word of God is for our hearts and He asks that we guard it well, for out of it comes the issues of life. This is the reason why the word is our guide to greatness and the enemy will keep fighting us for it. But we must understand that like Jesus, the more of the word we have in us, the more difficult it is for the devil to take it away from us.
Therefore, like the seeds that fell by the wayside and on rocks that birds easily feasted on is how we are without God’s word. The word of God is for our hearts and He asks that we guard it well, for out of it comes the issues of life. This is the reason why the word is our guide to greatness and the enemy will keep fighting us for it. But we must understand that like Jesus, the more of the word we have in us, the more difficult it is for the devil to take it away from us.
P