"The sower sows the word. 15 "And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 "These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 "and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. 18 "Now these are the ones sown among thorns; [they are] the ones who hear the word, 19 "and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept [it], and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

Mark 4:14-20 (NKJV)

Faith In The Morning Daily Affirmation 🌅

I am the salt of the earth. I am the light of this world. Jesus said it so I believe it. I am a carrier of the Glory of God. Today, I will experience the extreme goodness of God. Today, I make myself available for God to show His goodness to others through me.  Today, I am increasing in influence. Today, I will see the goodness of God in my life! Today, something good is going to happen to me so I expect miracles. 

Today’s Devotional 📖

Good Morning,

Happy Tuesday! Before I get into today’s devotional, I want to share something I’ve been thinking about for a while and praying and pondering about how to move forward. I mentioned this yesterday. Recently, I was listening to a message and the man of God said that when you hear vision, you have to think partnership and when you hear partnership, you have to think vision. What was he saying? In order to achieve God’s vision for your life, you will have to partner with others and others will have to partner with you.

When I think about our Faith in the Morning newsletter and podcast, I think about the vision in my heart for its future. In order to take this devotional into its future in reaching more people, we need partners. If you are a person, who is not a member of Faith Christian Center but wants to help us expand and enhance Faith in the Morning, then I would ask you to consider becoming a Faith+ Partner. What does partnership entail? Click this link to learn about the three things we ask for our partners to do. Thank you for your consideration. Let’s get to today’s devotional.

Your heart is vitally important. In Mark 4, Jesus compares our hearts to different type of soil. Yesterday, I began sharing about the soil that had thorny weeds. This soil receives God’s Word and holds on to it. The Word begins to produce in this person’s life. It bears fruit, but these thorny weeds choke the Word and makes the Word unfruitful. This lets me know that at one point the Word was producing in a person’s life, however as the weeds grew the Word stopped working in that person’s life. The first weed that Jesus lists is the weed of worry.

If we are going to successfully deal with the weed of worry, we have to learn how to consistently cast our cares upon Jesus. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to [your] elders. Yes, all of [you] be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (NKJV)

Why do we cast our cares (worry and anxieties) on Jesus? Because He cares for us! This Scripture is painting the picture of how in ancient times people would put heavy loads on donkeys and other animals that were designed to carry heavy loads. If the person carried that load for a long period of time, they would be severely injured. Why? They were not meant to carry it.

In the same way, you are not meant to carry your cares. If you do, it will severely injure your life. Carrying your cares is actually a form of pride. We cast our cares by following the principles of Philippians 4 that I shared yesterday. Whenever you feel worried, turn to prayer. Give Jesus your worry knowing that He will take care of the situation for you. I love to say it this way, “I cast my cares upon Him because He cares for me and always takes care of me in grand style!” How often do you have to cast your cares? As often as you are tempted to worry. I want to share more about this topic with you in today’s podcast. You can stream today’s podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcast or Spotify.

Today’s Prayer 🙏

Pray this prayer with me today, “Father, I believe you love me extravagantly and you have great plans for my life. Help me to develop the soil of my heart so that your Word produces multiplied, long lasting results in my life. I will thrive in 2025! I choose to cast my cares upon you. I refuse to carry my cares because you love me, you care for me, and you always take care of me in grand style. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Something good is going to happen to you today. Keep moving forward! Want more encouragement? Check the links below and share them with others. Have a great day!

Extra Encouragement ☀️

This weekend, we had the honor of hearing from Dr. Billye Brim! Listen to all three sessions from our conference here.

Share Faith With Others 📤👥

Do you know someone who needs to read today’s email? Please forward this to them so that they can be encouraged by God’s wonderful love and goodness for them.

Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe to the Faith in the Morning newsletter to receive daily encouragement in your inbox!

Don’t forget to read through the Books of Matthew and Psalms this month Today, read Matthew Mark 4 and Psalms 63.

Are you looking for my Harrison House & Destiny Image discount? Click here!

Are You Looking For The Faith in the Morning TUVU Community? Click here to sign up!