ChristianFaithWalk

EnglishRose         Lord Jesus, thank you for this lovely family you have given us at
cfw. May we continue to be blessed by each other as we learn and share. Guide us in our
thoughts and words tonight as we come together to get to know our heavenly father. I thank
you for preparing us to hear your words.

May we receive them with a joyful heart. In Jesus' name Amen.

all i have is hope         father god i thank you amen

EnglishRose         Last week we ended with 2 scriptures from proverbs and I asked
all of you to go away and think about it as your homework. They were: Proverbs 4:23 23

Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

oatker         amen

EnglishRose         I summarised this with your heart is what determines how your
life goes. Proverbs 23:7 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “ Eat and drink!” he says to
you, But his heart is not with you. I summarised this one as the way that your heart is going is
the way your life is going.

EnglishRose         so pretty much saying it's all about your heart attitude

oatker     amen

WatchmanPeter         good thing bad things

EnglishRose         now lets read proverbs 4 in full

EnglishRose         1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention
to know understanding; 2 For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.

3 When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, 4 He also
taught me, and said to me:

“ Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live. 5 Get wisdom! Get
understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth

6 Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. 7 Wisdom is
the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

8 Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her. 9 She
will place on your head an ornament of grace; A crown of glory she will deliver to you.”

10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, And the years of your life will be many. 11 I have
taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.12 When you walk, your steps
will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble. 13 Take firm hold of instruction,
do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.

14 Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil. 15 Avoid it, do not
travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on.16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;
And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. 17 For they eat the bread of
wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.

18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,[a] That shines ever brighter unto the perfect
day. 19 The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.

Englisrose         and the next bit is my favourite!

EnglishRose         20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my
sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
2 For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with
all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25 Let your eyes
look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.26 Ponder the path of your feet, And
let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from
evil.

EnglishRose         so the keys points here are

all i have is hope         :)

EnglishRose         we have to get our understanding

by asking and listening and then we act upon this in our doing

EnglishRose         bare this in mind as we carry on looking at harness of heart

EnglishRose         I asked you all to think about what your focus is and if there was
anything that affects the norm of our life and causes it to be more natural than supernatural.

EnglishRose         did you receive anything from the Lord?

WatchmanPeter         the troubles of this life

all i have is hope         freedom

EnglishRose         yes me too

EnglishRose         what do u mean hope?

all i have is hope         i am me im in christ and he has done all he has to do

EnglishRose         yes

all i have is hope         for me noeing what he has done sets me free

EnglishRose         great

all i have is hope         if he did it why am i trying

WatchmanPeter         we are free indeed

oatker         the word is a lamp for our feet

EnglishRose         amen

oatker         you were talking about the softening of our hearts now the bridaling

all i have is hope         his foot steps

all i have is hope         let them be isblished

EnglishRose         yes

all i have is hope         how can we unless we understand the path he has walked

all i have is hope         ?

EnglishRose         i would like to share with you waht the Lord showed me

oatker         go go go

EnglishRose         just so u know i do my homework too :)

EnglishRose         I have always been told that quality time with the Lord is better
than quantity. Well I realised this week that it’s simply not true.

EnglishRose         Romans 12:1-2, 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is
your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is

EnglishRose         that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

EnglishRose         I know that I know the scriptures and that Jesus has healed me on
the cross but this week I was sick. But you know what, when I got ill all I could think about was
how much work I had to do. I couldn’t understand why I’m sick.

EnglishRose         Then I realised my focus is wrong. I’m so focused on work that
when I needed to release the power Jesus put in me, all that came out was my to do list! My
words from last week came and hit me like a sack of spuds.

EnglishRose         “When we pray for healing or another need. Often we look for
God to change our outward circumstance (the result) with out stopping and asking Him to
change our heart. We try to get an outward answer without an inward change. This doesn’t help.
Things in life build up and snow ball until we are in an avalanche

WatchmanPeter         me too

EnglishRose         ircumstance that causes an outward manifestation. Change your
heart and you will change your life.” I had to laugh at myself…

all i have is hope         :)

all i have is hope         he changes are hearts

all i have is hope         inside out

all i have is hope         not are works not are will

all i have is hope         not are power not are might

EnglishRose         Then the Lord gave me this scripture from Haggai 1:

EnglishRose         3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your panelled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?
” 5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!

6 “ You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but
you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns
wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

7 Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways! 8 Go up to the mountains and bring wood
and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified,” says the LORD. 9 “You
looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away.
Why?” says the LORD of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs
to his own house. 10 Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth
withholds its fruit.

11 For I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and
the oil, on whatever the ground brings forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labour of
your hands.”

EnglishRose         I realised that I was more sensitive to my work and what I had to
get done that I wasn’t sensitive to God. So I can’t be wholly sensitive to earthly work and to
God’s work at the same time. I was wondering why I was struggling to find time to do bible
study and there is my answer!

EnglishRose         I cannot build the Lords house while I run to my own

EnglishRose         Have a think about what you are focused on, if you are ill do you
think about your body and how it feels? Do you remember Abraham was promised children,
even though he and Sarah were over 100 years old and baron? Well the scripture says that he
considered not his own body.

all i have is hope         wow

EnglishRose         u ok hope?

oatker         great

WatchmanPeter         amen

all i have is hope         amen

all i have is hope         yes blessed

EnglishRose         good

EnglishRose         Romans 4:17-21 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of
many nations”[a]) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead
and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

EnglishRose         18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the
father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”[b] 19
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about
a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sara

oatker         so following our little chat in haggi anything else

EnglishRose         h’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that
what He had promised He was also able to perform.

EnglishRose         what do u mean oat?

oatker         well building the church

all i have is hope         this isnt about that

oatker         working in the ruins

all i have is hope         rose please carry on

EnglishRose         ok

all i have is hope         it speaking to me

EnglishRose         did u get the bit about abraham or shall i recap?

all i have is hope         yes recap

all i have is hope         please

EnglishRose         if you are ill do you think about your body and how it feels? Do
you remember Abraham was promised children, even though he and Sarah were over 100
years old and baron? Well the scripture says that he considered not his own body.

EnglishRose         Romans 4:17-21 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of
many nations”[a]) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead
and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations,
according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.”[b] 19 And not being weak in
faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old),
and the deadness of Sara

EnglishRose         h’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that
what He had promised He was also able to perform.

all i have is hope         :'( thank you lord

EnglishRose         I love that, in other words he was so focused on God’s promise
that he didn’t even consider that it wasn’t going to happen for him.

EnglishRose         So this must mean there are some things which we must consider
(God) and some things that we must not consider (things that limit God).

EnglishRose         focus on his promises

all i have is hope         amen

EnglishRose         We must consider the word, otherwise we will be like the person
in James 1 who looks in the mirror.

WatchmanPeter         oh Lord dispel my unbelief

EnglishRose         James 1:19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because
human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the
word planted in you, which can save you.22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive
yourselves. Do what it says.23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is
like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and
immediately forgets what he looks like.

EnglishRose         25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives
freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be
blessed in what they do.

EnglishRose         amen to that

all i have is hope         amne

EnglishRose         26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a
tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that
God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their
distress and to keep oneself from being p

EnglishRose         polluted by the world.

EnglishRose         Now if we go back to mark 4 and apply this to the 4 types of
ground…

4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and
devoured it up. this person did not consider God at all so the enemy took it away from them.

5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up,
because it had no depth of earth: This person heard the word but did not continue to consider
it long enough so it went away as if it was not there.

6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.  7And
some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. This
person considered the word but also considered other things and therefore became distracted.
They gave power to the other things and this took their authority away. These people are like the
man that looked in the mirror but went away and forgot what he looked like.

8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought
forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. This person considered God and
continued to consider God’s word. They took the word and they planted it in themselves and
nurtured it by spending

EnglishRose         time with the Lord and building on what they have learnt. This is
like the man that looks intently in the mirror and God helped them have a heart that was
prepared to receive the word because they were faithful with their focus. So they went away and
did what he had shown them.

EnglishRose         What we consider is what we get. In the very first bible study we
talked about the sower being Jesus but also that we could sow the word ourselves into our own
hearts and others.

EnglishRose         We can also sow doubt or cares or other things that are negative.
We must be careful that we do not forget to consider God’s word but also what we do not
consider things that go against Gods word. Otherwise we are sowing our own weeds with our
crop!

EnglishRose         in other words we need to take negative thoughts captive

oatker         good point

EnglishRose         When I was young I did not understand why the Lord allowed the
weeds to grow along side the crop. I thought that surely He could take away the weeds if He
willed. Of course He could, but He has given us free will to consider what it is we want to
consider.

all i have is hope         amen

EnglishRose         If we continue in trying to consider God and focus on doing his
word, then He will bless us. Come the time to harvest our doubt will be pulled up along side our
faith, so that our faith is proven and not our doubt. In other words, we have heard and have
seen the fruits and no longer we doubt.

EnglishRose         Now your homework for this week is to ask the Lord if there are
areas of your life where the soil needs a good plough. Ask Him the scriptures you need to focus
on and if there is anything in your life that you don’t need to consider any more!

EnglishRose         i have a word for each of you

EnglishRose         oat urs is listen 'incline your ear'

EnglishRose         peter yours is seek

oatker         :)

WatchmanPeter         I try

EnglishRose         5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away
from the words of my mouth.

EnglishRose         :)P

EnglishRose         and hope your is rest

all i have is hope         :) trying and lpubering to eneter

all i have is hope         laboureing

EnglishRose         Psalm 91 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will
rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

EnglishRose         that whole psalm is for you

all i have is hope         i love it

EnglishRose         i did not know i would give u words

EnglishRose         he just told me lol

EnglishRose         and i also want to make one last point

all i have is hope         you no the last 3 days i have been given me so much word
cofermation

oatker         (})

EnglishRose         great

EnglishRose         oat

EnglishRose         our hearts can be hard in a specific area

EnglishRose         it doesn't mean that u have got it all wrong

EnglishRose         but something we dont have the knowledge in an area

EnglishRose         or we put to much of ourselves into something

all i have is hope         rose the lord has done a great work through you tonight i thank
you for your willingness yo lay be4 him and bring such life

EnglishRose         and God's saying move over i'm in the driving seat

EnglishRose         thanks hope

EnglishRose         so dont be discouraged by ur words

EnglishRose         it's not a performance review

all i have is hope         godhanst got me or you or any one on a chart

WatchmanPeter         thank you Rose for confirming Jerimier 29: verse 13 you will
search for me and when you do-- you will find me.

Change of heart, change of Life

EnglishRose says:        The thing that stood out for me was verses 5-8.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to you

6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave
of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind

7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is
double-minded and unstable in all they do.

EnglishRose says:        So why is doubt like a wave of the sea and why does double
mindedness cause us to be unstable?

To me this is precisely what hardness of heart is. To be double minded means to be in two
minds about something. How do we know if we are double minded?

WatchmanPeter     says:    oh Lord dispel my unbelief

oatker     says:    amen

EnglishRose says:        It could be that…1. I have my thoughts, and God has His and I
doubt what He says and I chose to believe my own version of the

2. Or my faith is tested and I interchange between what the world requires of me and what the
Lord requires of me.

WatchmanPeter     says:    when you pray for healing and don't get it

EnglishRose says:        Then this goes onto to say:13 When tempted, no one should say,
“God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed

15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives
birth to death.

EnglishRose says:        so unbelief cause sin and sin cause death

EnglishRose says:        Do you think that some times when we don’t see our provision we
blame God and say He must have caused our lack? Because He is ‘testing’ us? Or it isn’t God
will for me?

EnglishRose says:        No way, and James puts us straight!

EnglishRose says:        16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every
good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who
does not change like shifting shadows.

EnglishRose says:        18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we
might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

Doubt is unbelief, if we doubt the word then we aren’t agreeing with it and therefore we will not
receive in full our blessings.

EnglishRose says:        Now when the Lord was helping me prepare last week I did not
realise that He was also answering 2 of my prayers.

EnglishRose     says:    The first prayer I have been seeking Him for some time now, I
didn’t know why I struggle to receive healing when I believe whole heartedly that He healed me
on the cross.

EnglishRose says:        The other was for how I could help other faith walkers see their
own healing realised. I did not realise that the topic the Lord had given me would lead to my
prayers being answered.

EnglishRose says:        If you haven't guessed already, this weeks study is on hardness of
heart: some people call it not having a pure heart.

EnglishRose says:        How do we know if we have a hard heart ?

EnglishRose says:        Mark 6 – Jesus had just fed the 5,000 with five loaves, and two
fish. After they had all eaten until they were full there were still 12 baskets full of food left.

oatker     says:    gosh

EnglishRose     says:    are u ok oat?

oatker     says:    yep its challenging rosie go on

EnglishRose says:        45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go
before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. 46 And when He
had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

Mercy     says:    ostker im here its ok hugs

EnglishRose says:        47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the
sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was
against them.

EnglishRose says:        Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them,
walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. 49 And when they saw Him walking on the
sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;

oatker says:        awwww

EnglishRose     says:    50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He
talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went
up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased

EnglishRose says:        And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure,
and marvelled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was
hardened.

EnglishRose says:        They were amazed and shocked that Jesus was walking on water.
But they just watched Him feed 5,000 people with food left over!!!!!!

EnglishRose says:        We should not be shocked when God does miracles. Jesus never
said wow it actually worked! But I'm sure He was blessed by seeing His fathers work.

oatker     says:    good point

EnglishRose says:        Now I have myself received healing for things, but later lost it.
Why? Well I believe that this is what James meant by tossed by the waves in the sea. I got into
being natural and doing things myself.

I've heard people say that if you can live with it then u probably will! It is true, I let things creep
in and did not rebuke them.

EnglishRose     says:    I had responded to the natural world and then I couldn't
understand why my healing left. I had inadvertently taken my focus off of God and looked at
my circumstance.

EnglishRose     says:    This is why the bible tells u to be in the world but not of the
world.

oatker     says:    so hard rosie

EnglishRose says:        If we aren't seeing all the blessings of God in our life or we are
surprised when we do see our blessings, then we probably have a hard heart.

yes oat  

EnglishRose says:        What causes a hard heart?

EnglishRose says:        bascially sin and any thing that distracts us from the Lord.

oatker says:        unbelief

EnglishRose says:        yes

EnglishRose     says:    Not all Christians believe in healing for example. When they hear
someone talk on healing as part of the atonement or salvation, they either reject it outright or
are not sure if to believe it (become double minded as in the book of James) this allows the
enemy to come and steal the word.

EnglishRose says:        The issue is the hardness of the person’s heart. Being in a natural
world, and / or a materialistic person, makes our hearts hard to God and His word. We learn
instead to rely on ourselves.

EnglishRose says:        Also we have become accustomed to our 5 senses: taste, touch,
sight, feel, and smell. This reliance on only what we can perceive will limit Gods blessing and
will cause our hearts to be 'waxed gross'.

EnglishRose says:        The expression 'waxed' came from candle making. They dip the
wick in wax. Once its cooled they dip it again. Overtime as they keep dipping it, the wax gets
thicker and thicker until it becomes a candle. This picture to describe what happens in people’s
hearts.

EnglishRose says:        Let Jesus' light melt ya hard heart!

EnglishRose     says:    Now I don't want anyone to get into condemnation here. Your
actions do not change how God feels about you.

EnglishRose says:        But your actions do affect your natural self. If you don't seek God
or have no family of holy spirit filled Christians then you are going to be more natural than
supernatural.

Lilly1974     says:    Amen EnglisRose

EnglishRose says:        this doesn't mean that we shouldn't ignore non believers. We
need to pray and ask for wisdom. But please know that God loves you based on what Jesus has
done for you and that is nothing to do with performance!

Mercy     says:    oh amen on that

EnglishRose says:        Have a think about what your focus is.

oatker     says:    amen

EnglishRose says:        Challenge anything that effects the norm of our life and causes it
to be more natural than supernatural

WatchmanPeter says:        amen

EnglishRose says:        If we don't seek God then we will become insensitive to the Lord.
Not because He has stopped blessing us but because we have stopped hearing.

What we think is what we are. Most people pray for an outward circumstance to change when
actually it is an internal thing that needs to change, i.e our heart.

Lilly1974     says:    Amen

EnglishRose says:        so i want to leave u with 2 verse from proverbs

EnglishRose says:        Proverbs 4:2323 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it
spring the issues of life.

oatker     says:    so so good rosie

EnglishRose says:        Your heart is what determines how your life goes.

EnglishRose says:        Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “ Eat and
drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.

EnglishRose says:        The way that your heart is going is the way your life is going.

When we pray for healing or another need. Often we look for God to change our outward
circumstance (the result) with out stopping and asking Him to change our heart.

We try to get an outward answer without an inward change. This doesn’t help. Things in life
build up and snow ball until we are in a circumstance that causes an outward manifestation

Change your heart and you will change your life!

that is what the Lord has asked me to share with you today

Hosted by English Rose

EnglishRose says:        Lord Jesus, thank you for this lovely family you have given us at
cfw. May we continue to be blessed by each other as we learn and share. Guide us in our
thoughts and words tonight as we come together to get to know our heavenly father. I thank
you for preparing us to hear your words.


EnglishRose says:        May we receive them with a joyful heart and savor them.
In Jesus' nameAmen.

oatker says:        amen

EnglishRose says:        We have been looking at Mark 4 and how our hearts are
represented in the four types of ground and how it is important that we as Christians prepare
our hearts to receive His word.

EnglishRose says:        We first looked at Jesus being the sower, but also that we can sow
the word into our own hearts and we looked at the 4 types of heart. We are going to go over
this again now in Mark 3.

EnglishRose says:        I love that Mark 3 begins with hearken; behold the sower went
out to sow.

EnglishRose says:        I looked it up in the dictionary and it said: heark·en (verb)
1.Literary . to give heed or attention to what is said; listen.

EnglishRose says:        This word is used at the beginning of the parable to say, be
mindful of what I teach you, pay attention to and hold in regard what I am showing you.
Behold means to watch and consider. Jesus is really encouraging people to actively listen here.

This stood out to me as the word I got for starting this bible study was ‘savor my word’. I
encourage you the think about what type f heart you are as we recap the 4 types of heart.

EnglishRose says:        Mark 4:3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and
devoured it up.

EnglishRose says:        So this is the sinner that hears the word of God but it doesn’t
take root. They don’t seem to get it. They may say that’s ok for you but it doesn’t work for me.

EnglishRose says:        5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth;
and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

This is those that make a commitment, they seem to really be into it and then out of no where
they give up and they say, oh I gave the Christianity thing a go but it’s not for me. They may
have had an experience or someone they looked up to but they messed up and they give up.

EnglishRose says:        6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had
no root, it withered away. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked
it, and it yielded no fruit.

EnglishRose says:        These are those that hear the word of God, they may even receive
it with gladness but they are distracted by the cares of the world. This could be things like sin or
legitimate things like careers or how they are going to feed their family. The cares are like
weeds that grow up,

oatker says:        your right on the money with the first two keep going

but weeds don’t grow overnight. They grow slowly over time and suddenly we notice that they
are there.

EnglishRose says:        8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang
up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

This is the one that flourishes in their relationship with the Lord. They have the relationship with
the Lord that allows them to draw their strength from the Lord. These are the people that
commit themselves to study the word

oatker     says:    great point weeds slowly choke

EnglishRose says:        and they sow the word into their own hearts that they then go on
the bear much fruit to those around them. They understand that they must savor His word.

So the 4 types of heart are:- the sinner.- the fair weather believer.- the believers that get
distracted by the cares on the world.- the believer that is plugged into the word and makes that
the most important thing in their life.

EnglishRose says:        The common thing that is lacking for the first 3 types of heart is
relationship. They don’t know the Lord so when they are challenged or come up against
persecution then they fall away. To become the fourth type of believer we must learn to savor
the words of the Lord and understand Him.

oatker says:        great stuff your spot on

EnglishRose says:        Matthew 13 shows Jesus explaining the parable to the disciples

oatker says:        oh im so glad your with us mercy join in as ya will

mercy says:        thanks

EnglishRose says:        Matthew 13: 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why
do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been
given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been
given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given,

EnglishRose says:        and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even
what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because
seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them
the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘ Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;
15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes
they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

EnglishRose says:        Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I
should heal them.’

EnglishRose says:        16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they
hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what
you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Those that listen to the Lord are blessed with knowledge of the kingdom and rewarded in
abundance and those that do not, loose their reward.

Today I feel that we are to focus on the 3rd type of heart which Mark 3:18 describes as
18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19And the cares of
this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the
word, and it becometh unfruitful.

oatker says:        what a privelledge to be part and belive good point rosie

EnglishRose says:        Where do these thorns come from?

EnglishRose says:        Genesis 3:18 – explains where the thorns came in

EnglishRose says:        17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the
voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt
not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy
life;

EnglishRose says:        note the word hearken again and that this is not used in reference
to listening to the Lord

oatker     says:    ahh rosie never conected two before very good

EnglishRose  says: 18Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of
the field; 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for
out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

EnglishRose says:        Because Adam took his focus off of the Lord and looked to his
wife, sin entered the world. Sin causes us to be tempted and distracted. What has this got to do
with cares of the world? Well everything, if we put our lives above the Lord then it is idolatry.

EnglishRose says:        We all are familar with this scripture and that sin causes death

EnglishRose says:        Hebrews 6:8 gives us a warning not to be like the one who grows
with the thorns,8but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose
end is to be burned.

oatker says:        exellent again ya spot on focus on gods word is paramount

EnglishRose says:        But the great thing is that Jesus took the cares of this world to the
cross when He put on the Crown of thorns

EnglishRose says:        John 19:1 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And th
e soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe.
3 Then they said,[a] “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you
may know that I find no fault in Him.”

EnglishRose says:        Even though Jesus never took His eyes off of His Father He took
all of our sin and distractions on the cross

EnglishRose says:        so that they cannot hinder us anymore

EnglishRose says:        so man bought the thorns into the earth

mercy says:        He defeated the enemy and death

EnglishRose says:        and we see Jesus taking them away on the cross

EnglishRose says:        so back to our hearts ...

EnglishRose says:        Today at work we have been talking about performance reviews
and how each of us have different ideas about what a fully effective person should be like. Too
often we set the bar too low in our Christian life and we allow ourselves distractions.

EnglishRose says:        We have been given important knowledge here, make sure we
find time to listen and seek understanding. Don’t allow yourself to be condemned by our sin
and seek forgiveness. Lastly make sure that we put effort into our relationship so that we can
stop cares of the world from becoming part of our lives

EnglishRose says:        know that your enemy is defeated!

EnglishRose says:        this is what Jesus is setting out what he sees a fully effective
relationship to be. Praise God we don’t get performance reviews but we can seek Him to
understand where we need to deal with things…

oatker     says:    jumps for joy

EnglishRose says:        I challenge you to look at your relationship.

EnglishRose says:        Mark 4:21And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put
under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? 22For there is nothing hid,
which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

oatker says:        oooooooh thats good

EnglishRose says:        And this is confirmed in Luke 6:44 For every tree is known by its
own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble
bush.

EnglishRose says:        If we don’t put the effort in it will show, it is a kingdom principle
that we are known by our fruit! We may try to portray that we are all sorted but actually the
things that are in your heart, that you are in rebellion over, will show. This is why we see many
Christians get into a place of offence or they are frustrated because they know the word but they
don’t understand why it isn’t working for them.

EnglishRose says:        Be careful of your focus, let no thing be an idol to you that it
becomes more important than your relationship with the Lord. This requires an active diligence
in your thought life to ensure that you remain focused on Him and rebuke the things that are
not in line with the word.

EnglishRose     says:    I am not saying this to condemn you but in hope that you can get
the best out of your relationship with the Lord. The good news is that the Lord wants to help
us have a better relationship with Him

EnglishRose says:        John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit
He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

EnglishRose says:        God wants us to be the best we can be…

oatker     says:    slow down tha tis such a good point rebuke the things that dont comply

EnglishRose says:        John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed
you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask
the Father in My name He may give you.

EnglishRose says:        He wants to bless us, but we can get the most out of our prayers
if we pray His word to Him as we are praying His will.

oatker     says:    your so right but it can be people that can get in the way of focus and ya
cant rebuke them so go in ta depth here rose

EnglishRose says:        If we dont do this then that is why sometimes we may see a break
through but then it appears to be taken away from us

all i have is hope     says:    The fight is not of flesh and blood

EnglishRose     says:    it is because the word grew up in us amoung thorns

EnglishRose says:        Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come
after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

EnglishRose says:        But we must have faith when we read the word. This comes by
savoring the word and holding it above all else.

all i have is hope says:        amen

EnglishRose says:        faith and grace are both gifts from the Lord

oatker     says:    your so right again

EnglishRose     says:    Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have
not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher?

EnglishRose says:        We must believe for our victory. James tells us about how we can
be victorious when we come against trials.

oatker says:        faith comes by hearing

EnglishRose says:        James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various
trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its
perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing

all i have is hope says:        been there this week

EnglishRose says:        5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all
liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no
doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

EnglishRose says:        7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from
the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

the double minded man is like the one that looks at the cares of this world

James goes on to explain what happens if we focus on the cares of the world.
9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, 10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a
flower of the field he will pass away. 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat
than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes.

EnglishRose says:        So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.

EnglishRose says:        James shows us how to love God under trials

EnglishRose says:        12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has
been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love
Him.

all i have is hope     says:    amen

EnglishRose says:        notice how the crown of thorns has now become the crown of life

EnglishRose says:        13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”;
for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is
tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

oatker says:        well im learning rosie i have never conected that

EnglishRose says:        15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin,
when it is full-grown, brings forth death.16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with
whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

EnglishRose says:        18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that
we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.

EnglishRose says:        James goes on to tell us what qualities we should have…

EnglishRose says:        19 So then,[a] my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness
of God.

EnglishRose     says:    note how Mark asks us to hearken to His voice and again here we
a called to listen, and not speak out or become offended

oatker says:        ah another challenge

EnglishRose says:        yes it is James tells us to be doers—Not hearers only!

EnglishRose says:        21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

EnglishRose says:    implanted word, that we have sown intou our hearts

all i have is hope     says:    big point

EnglishRose says:        22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing
his natural face in a mirror;

EnglishRose says:        24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets
what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,
and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

EnglishRose ,26 If anyone among you[b] thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue
but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless

EnglishRose says:        27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

EnglishRose     says:    So I challenge you all to look at James 1 and ask the Lord how
you can be like the fourth type of heart and grow and bear fruit thirty, sixty or a hundred times!

EnglishRose             that is your homework :)