"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,

In Mark 4, Jesus compares our hearts to different types of soil. This week, 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. On Tuesday, we covered how the Bible instructs us to cast our cares upon Jesus. Yesterday, we covered the hidden dangers of worry.

When a person worries, they consistently think on anxious thoughts. Everybody experiences anxious thoughts, however it doesn’t mean you have to take them and continually think on them. Guess what? Not every thought that pops into your head is from you. There are thoughts that enter your mind that are sent by the enemy and the environment that you find yourself in that day.

If every thought is not from us, how do we handle intrusive, anxious thoughts? Look what Jesus said in Matthew 6. He said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?” (Matthew 6:31 KJV)

Are you taking the wrong thought? The phrase “take no thought” does not mean “do no think about this.” It actually means to do not worry or be anxious. If you take a thought, you accept the thought. When Amazon, UPS, or FedEx drops a package at your house, you do not have to accept it. You do not have to bring it into your residence. Just because a thought pops into your mind, you do not have to accept it.

How do you accept or take a thought? Notice what Jesus said. He said, “Take no thought saying". Have you ever noticed that you eventually say what you continually think about? In the same way, when we continually worry and let the worry impact our speech, we are allowing seeds of worry to be sown into our hearts.

How do we fight the thoughts of worry? We follow the instructions of Philippians 4:6-8. You can overcome intrusive, anxious thoughts and enjoy the life God has for you. 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 📤👥

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Don’t forget to read through the Books of Matthew and Psalms this month Today, read Matthew Mark 6 and Psalms 65.

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