God is STILL God and soil is still soil…

I know exactly what you’re thinking… “He’s lost his mind,” or “What’s with all these crazy titles and posts?’. Ha! Let me explain…

I’m gonna get right to the point with this one; let’s look at the parable of the sower (Luke 8: 4-15). Jesus takes us through the understanding of this parable and explains about where the seed (the Word) lands, and the condition of the people that receive it. He makes it very clear that the sower (God) can and will sow seed to anywhere it is needed, but the focus is on the condition of the soil and its surroundings. The Bible teaches us that His word cannot return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11); void can also mean without result. This re-iterates the fact that the soil is a very important factor for growth and the condition of such is significant for the result.

Even from the beginning of creation, mankind was designed from the soil, dust, earth, and ground. The earth was historically considered to be the most valuable asset; this is the reason why God promised so much land, why Moses was instructed to help the people of Israel to inherit it, and why David was commissioned to possess it at all costs. Why? Because of the capabilities of the ground; its ability to reproduce and sustain growth.

The most common thing in the parable is the soil; notice that every instance where the sower spread his seed, there were still results. Even when the seed was sown on rocky ground (or shallow soil, in some translations), it STILL sprouted!! What does this tell you? That no matter what condition the soil is in, there is always potential for growth. Soil is still soil; whilst its capabilities may be hindered or reduced by other factors and conditions, it was designed to bring forth life. And so are we… No matter what life may throw at us, we still grow. Don’t get me wrong; not all growth is good growth. In fact, I would encourage you to be the best kind of soil you can be to get the best results. But a lot of the times this is not possible.

Life can challenge us in ways that we can become hidden from the proper conditions for growth. The more that we stay away from His presence, we lack the moisture of the Spirit, the daylight of His glory and the warmth of His grace. And guess what? We will continue to grow, but not the growth we truly need. Did you know that growth can still take place in darkness? We can even grow in crowded places with no substance, around people that have ulterior motives, ministries with false doctrines or teachings. We, being the soil, can have our own ideas about how to live right and serve God, instead of searching His word and following His mandate for us. Many times, we often think that we are rooted in good soil and don’t realise we’re setting ourselves up for a mighty fall.

Here's the beautiful thing; God is still God! The unchangeable, omnipotent, unshakeable God. The one who’s conditions for growth never change. The same yesterday, today and forever more (Hebrews 13:8). Where the sun always shines and the rain always falls; the perfect balance for all our needs. Yes, of course we will have times where we feel like we are out of our depth and storms will come to shake up the very core of our existence. Who doesn’t go through turbulence? I’ve sure had my fair share of tribulations; far more than I care to think about. But in all things, God has remained consistent: the clear blue skies, the radiant sun, the perfect temperature and even the amazing downpour.

Whilst God provides the perfect conditions for growth and reproduction, we must take responsibility for our “depth”. Good soil demands us to have room for roots to develop, in order so that when we grow, we become resilient and strong. It’s at this place where we can truly bear fruit (Luke 8:8, 15). We ought to grow, not because God demands our fruit and substance, but to distribute what we have manifested for the greater good of His kingdom. It’s important to remember not to take His unchanging nature for granted, Isaiah reminds us to call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6) so we must draw near to Him while we still have breath. Let’s be good soil and grow as He would have us to grow: strong, resilient and fruitful.

BY STEPHEN MCCORMACK

He Knows My Name

Hey guys, it’s Stephen… Yeah I know, it’s been a while!! I hope you’ve all been well.

Here at New Nation Destiny Centre church, we have some great revelatory truths and some equally challenging ones; but truths all the same. One Sunday, our Pastor, Apostle Michael DaCosta, spoke to us about the woman with the alabaster box (Luke 7:36-50), and although I’ve heard this story taught and preached hundreds of times, it was the way that our pastor pointed out something I hadn’t considered.

It wasn’t the obvious details that everyone knows about the story; you know, the example Jesus gave to Simon (the Pharisee), the anointing of Jesus’ feet, the woman being forgiven. No, it was the fact that what Simon was THINKING about that was wrong with this whole situation; verse 39 (KJV) says, “he spake within himself”, meaning he didn’t verbally say anything audible for anyone to hear. And yet, here comes Jesus and ANSWERS Simon’s thoughts! Wow!!

Put yourself in Simon’s shoes for a minute… What on Earth did he think Jesus wanted to say to him? Certainly not the very thing he was thinking about the woman who was a sinner!! But Jesus heard exactly what he was thinking and it needed to be addressed. This brings me to the title of this blog, “He Knows My Name”.

Now, I think I remember saying in a previous blog that God is omniscient, the all-knowing God! So, He doesn’t just know my name, He knows EVERYTHING about me, you and everyone else! So even when we choose not to talk to God, please know that He already knows all that we go through. I know… I hear you asking, “Stephen, if He already knows everything I’m going to say then why do I need to communicate with God?” That’s easy; God wants a relationship with us. He gave us free-will to do as we desire within the remit of His ultimate will for us. But He wants us to open up to Him willingly, to talk to Him like we would our friends and family. Not for His benefit, but ours! God is GOD!! There is nothing that we could ever give Him that He; in His infinite wisdom, power and authority, could gain from.

Hearing this word made me very uneasy at first, but I soon realised how important it is for me to keep a clear channel of communication with the Father. Having to hear, “Stephen, I have something to say to you…” has its pros and cons. It means that God is still speaking to me regardless but it also means that my thoughts can be heard as loud as thunder in a church hall. My thoughts have to be of a nature that is Christ-like, and not carnal. My thoughts; if misdirected, can turn into negative actions and manifest into undesirable behaviours. It’s only by His grace that we keep grounded but we cannot continue to operate from grace. Grace is the fail-safe, the “press button in case of emergency”, the back up plan, if you will. And with God, His grace is always there by the truckload. But in order to be who He called us to be, we have to walk in the same power and authority that Christ exuded every day.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying this isn’t a hard lifestyle to keep up. Trust me, let me be the first to say I struggle a lot with speaking to God and having positive thoughts. With all of the curveballs that life throws at me, I often drop the bat, run and hide in the bleachers. But sometimes, not swinging is not the same as giving up; for some of us, it might mean that we need to take a time out to re-strategise, change the size of the bat or choose a more comfortable stance. And in our Christian walk, we need to do just that; change things up a bit: adjust our prayer life, tweak how we study God’s word or spend more time with our brothers and sisters in the faith. The more open we can be about our current state, the easier it is to begin the transformation process. And guess what? The best part is that God never changes; He will still be the God who knows your name, knows your past, present and future, knows when you cry, and knows when you need Him the most.

Truth be told, we won’t always get it right. But we should endeavour to try. That’s all the Father would have us do. And I hope that with the sincerity of our hearts, we give Him all we have. Peace be upon us all and the love of Christ to all who read this.

BY STEPHEN MCCORMACK