The Soul Sower

Open your eyes to all that is before you. Look and examine what the Lord is doing in this wicked world, in this evil time and era. See and examine what is before you with His wisdom, insight, and understanding. 

The Lord has been working as a master strategist and is shining His light on all that is dark, in government, organizations, peoples, and even in the churches that have been cloaked in darkness for generations. 

God is chasing them out into the open like rats from a sewer for all to see, exposing them for exactly what they have always been. Yet many do not see this or understand. Be careful that you are not deceived by him who is deceiving many. 

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Ephesians 5:13-17

Be careful who you put your trust in, be tentative who you rely upon, and who you place your full confidence in. For many in these last days are not what they seem. 

They walk in their own understanding and in their own wisdom and spirit. Yet they praise and glorify the Lord God with their lips while hiding sins and a wicked heart under a blanket of deception. They have become adulterous in the eyes of God, forsaken, and cast off.

The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.

Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.

The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand.

Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms; Micah 7:2-5

Submit yourselves to God in all your ways and do not put any man or anything upon the throne of worship, in the place the Lord belongs. Do not esteem man, beast, spirit, or word greater than the Lord God Almighty. Devote yourself to Christ Jesus and the instruction of His Word through His Spirit and you will not be deceived, you will not be led astray.

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace.

Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:4-10

The Lord is able to meet your every need. He owns all that you can see with the eye and everything else that you can not. He has created it all, controls everything, and holds all things together. 

But many times He chooses to concentrate His power and His all encompassing riches into forming you to His image. I can only speak for myself, there is a whole load of work to be done to get me there, and I believe you as well.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13

God surely is for you and with you my dear Brothers and Sisters. Even though at times the chastisement and discipline are incredibly crushing and you may feel it is the end. Remember the Lord has a great purpose for your pain. Great strength, wisdom, and understanding are born out of adversity.

You may fear that the Lord has passed you by, but it is not so: He who counts the stars, and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made, or the only saint He ever loved. Approach Him and be at peace. Charles Spurgeon

In good and joyous times He is with you, through the normal day to day struggles He is there,  and especially during the times of struggle, hardship, and woefully painful times He is working so very close to your side you don’t even know it.

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalms 34:15-18

Never does He leave you or forsake you, never does He waste a moment to teach, correct, and instruct you. To do the miraculous work of molding, shaping, and crafting you into His image.

Always, His mind is fixed upon you. Consistently is His hand upon you to make you into what you should be, unfailingly He performs His work to craft you into exactly what He always intended, what He created you to be. He knows what is right, good, and best for you.  

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 1 John 3:1-3

Yes, He loves you this much!

In the ups and downs of life, in the rising and falling, and in the mountain top celebrations along with the deep valley of darkness, He is there. He will give you a song within your heart and joy, peace, and rest for your soul all along the way. 

For, He is a good good Father, He does everything well, never making even one mistake or misstep. Compassionate, caring, and loving forever more towards His children in everything He does.

That is a God you can lean on. That is a God you can put your complete faith in. That is a God you can trust with every ounce of strength you can muster for all eternity.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

Just as the Apostle Paul, John the Baptist, and all the other true saints of the faith that came before you, you will have to endure many strenuous trials, tests, and hardships before you enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 

It is not those who are weak that endure, but the strong. It is not the frightened that march forward, but the bold. It is not the coward who charges headlong into battle, but the brave. As Jesus mentioned, the violent take heaven by force, and they have been since the beginning. 

It is those who give it all to the Lord, that lay down their very lives for the call. It is those who walk in the power of the Holy Spirit that become victorious. He is powerful, valiant, and fearless and He will make you just like the saints of old if you give Him everything.

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:11-15

Paul was nearly stoned to death and beaten with rods three times. yet the Lord saved his life until he had reached old age. Until he finished his race. He boldly preached the Gospel and he taught the Lord’s servants without fail. Not afraid of the beatings and horrible mistreatment that he met by the hands of wicked men. It was all for the sake of Christ, for the sake of the call.

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. Acts 14:19-22

Suffering, enduring, and struggling are marks of a true believer. The entire road God has planned must be traversed to cross the finish line at the end of the race. No runner of a race can be considered successful or victorious if he does not endure until the end. This takes true grit in the face of the devil’s last ditch effort to destroy as many lives as he can in these last days.

That is why God looks for those who are rough and tough in these last days. Those who are not afraid to step out into the unknown, into the midst of the fray of real and spiritual battle, willing to go to take extreme measures for the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who consider their lives worth losing for the sake of Christ.

Endure to the end. Run the race that God has set before you with boldness, a stout heart, and a clear focus on Christ and His Holy Spirit. He will lead the way, He will conquer through you and before you, and He will hold you fast and never let you down until your race is done.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:11-12

Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ Revelation 2:25-28

Some days are just an incredible struggle. Some days the labor is a down and out fight to keep moving forward. You find yourself in a low and dark place, stuck in the mud of despair and despondency, at the bottom of a ravine knowing the only way out is up.

I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3

This life is full of hardships and difficulties and the devil will not waste any opportunity he can to drag you down and pull your eyes off of the goal. He desperately wants you to take your eyes off of Jesus and the hope and promise He has made to you. 

Always remember Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. He allows you to struggle, stammer, and strain to climb your way up that hill of difficulty. But He is always there to help you, to lift you upon the solid rock, to strengthen and encourage you to keep up the good work. To keep up the good fight and fill your heart with joy, praise, and singing to the Lord.

My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Psalm 108:1-4

When you find yourself in that place don’t look down in the dirt, allowing the pain, worry, and anxiety to get the best of you. But Look Up! Look up to your Savior who is always there for you. Look up to Jesus, look into His loving eyes, look into His magnificent Word, and feed on the Bread of life that will sustain, nourish, and empower you.  

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8

You may be low now, you may be gritting your teeth as you strain to climb the cliff up to your place, but He will shore you up, He will build your muscles, and toughen your determination and stamina to reach for that upward goal He has set before you. You will be victorious and you will be triumphant in all you put your hands to do. 

Keep your eyes on Him. Keep your mind fixed upon His promises and Word. Keep your focus on Jesus who provides, guides, comforts, and sustains you in every situation and circumstance.

He is the almighty God, He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is ruler and creator over all things and holds everything together big and small. 

Since, He can do all of this, He surely will take care of everything for you. Working well ahead of you.

It is like He is building a bridge one stone at a time, one brick at a time He is laying before your feet. Asking you to step out over the edge before laying the next, so that you may safely move forward and testing your faith in Him in everything.

Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.

His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God.

And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron.

He will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11-16

In the weakness of your flesh, on the rough and uneven road, and in the dark low valley and  the unknown direction the Lord is leading you, it is the Lord your God that your faith relies upon.

It is His promises and His Holy Spirit that your confidence lies. It is in His life sustaining power and His dependable guiding hand that keeps you going, that keeps you from giving up or giving in.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

He will do as He has promised. The Lord your God will move and perform everything He has said He would do. When the clock strikes 12, on that very second He has preordained according to His will and timing, He will not delay, He will not wait one more moment. But He will send out His word, His command, and it will all be accomplished.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

Though the tests are strenuous and taxing, the trials fiery and furious, and the weight and pressing that you had to endure is beyond others’ comprehension.

Yet the Lord is with you. He has never left or let you down. He has always been there to hold you and keep you, and you will one day bear witness to His amazing power to keep you until the very end by His mighty power.

You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high. Luke 24:48-49

There will come a day, there will come a time that all will see and hear of the wonderful, amazing, and marvelous power of the Lord God Almighty.

On that day there will be no denying the testimony of all the grand and awesome things He has done. It was all Jesus and His power, it was all His will, and it was all the power of His Spirit that led you and brought you through each and every tumultuous and treacherous thoroughfare.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. Romans 8:26-30

How do you know who is of God and walking in His Spirit and those who are no of God and walking either in their own spirit or of the evil one? Are they really a follower of Christ or do they just hold the title of Christian? 

A vast majority of those who reside within the four walls of a church building and call themselves “Christian,” is not of the Lord. But they are no more a follower of Jesus Christ than a stone picked out of a stream is a follower of the Lord, neither of them has His Spirit. They are dead and lifeless.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 1 John 4:1-6

If they walk in the Spirit of the Lord they will display the fruits of the Spirit, they will obey the commands of the Lord, and will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord as well. Test them not only by what they say but by their actions and deeds.

If they walk in the ways of man and the deceptions of the devil, the words from their mouths and the deeds from their heart will reflect his wicked ways. 

Though they may claim to be walking with God and praise Him with their lips, their actions will show the truth and make clear without any doubt who they really serve. They are not true, they only carry the title “Christian,” but they are false and have been sent out into the world, not for good but to deceive.

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:7-9

Beware of them, avoid them, do not so quickly join yourself to them, listen to, or follow what they declare. Those who follow the ways of evil and wickedness are not just those who riot, loot and vandalize. They are not just those who attack, kill, and maim. 

They are those who walk in deceptive ways, scheming and conniving their way into churches and the lives of the weak and wavering. Walking in a majestic masquerade, wearing the clothing of the upright, talking with the vocabulary of the church, and preaching from the pulpits of piety. 

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.”

It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. Jude 1:17-21

Be alert to their treachery, be sober-minded to their ways of deception and smooth words that they speak. Seeking to puff others up with pride, arrogance, and gossip just like how they operate. Speaking with truth mixed with lies which makes everything they say a lie.

This is why you should study the Word of God. This is why you must feed on the Bread of Life, that you will know the truth. If you know the truth you will recognize falsehood, and the truth will set you free from the web of deception.

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says “I know Him” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,

but whoever keeps His word, in Him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says He abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked. 1 John 2:3-6

Forsake your own ways and turn to the Lord. Turn to the Lord who loves you. To the one who cares for you so very deeply. He cares for you with an everlasting love and His unfailing compassion is always waiting for your return. 

Come to Him in genuine brokenness, knowing that it is Him that you have sinned against and Him alone you will stand or fall before.

Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgment. Psalm 51:4

Like the man Jesus spoke of in Luke 18:13-14, “But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified,” 

Turn away from your sinful desires, your self serving ways, your lust filled thoughts of what you might gain upon this earth. Is not the reward He wants to give you enough? Do not the marvelous riches He wants to lavish upon you in heaven far outweigh any amount of wealth, influence, or clout you may gain here on earth? He only wants what is best for you.

Walk in His ways, be planted in His fertile soil. Drive your roots deep in the richness of His Word and His love. Obey His commands, follow His leading, and do as His will requires you. Because He knows what is best for you, and He puts forth His commands that you may be blessed in all you do.

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Turn to Jesus and follow His every command. Take heed to His direction for your life. Obey what He instructs you, trust where He guides you, go where He directs you, and His strong and powerful hand will never fail you. 

In His hand is peace, joy, and relief from your heavy load of sin. Upon His path are good, right, and true rewards that lead to life and to the light that illuminates the heart and regenerates the mind.

Even when you have turned your head to one side and have stumbled, the Lord is patient, slow to anger, forgiving, and will cleanse true hearts of repentance. He is seeking and waiting for you to turn back to Him with your whole heart. 

Do not be like the Israelites who stumbled and fell, refusing to turn to the Lord with their whole hearts. But only half-hearted, praising Him with their lips, and yet turning away in their hearts. He sees straight to the heart of the matter and nothing can be hidden from His sight. 

Return and repent to the Lord Jesus Christ. Be faithful and continue before Him all the days of your life with a genuine devotion ingrained deeply in Him that no one will be able to deny. 

Then your roots will grow strong and will drive deep into the foundation that is unshakable. The foundation that has been established since before the dawn of all creation, the foundation who is Jesus Christ. 

You will then stand firm, nurtured, and steadfast against any foe or any storm. Then you will never wilt and never fall, but your strength will remain from season to season. Your leaves will remain green, blossoms beautiful, and fruit good.

Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; accept what is good,”

I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; He shall blossom like the lily;  He shall take root like the trees of Lebanon;

His shoots shall spread out; His beauty shall be like the olive, and His fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. 

Whoever is wise, let Him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let Him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them. Hosea 14:1-2a, 4-6, 9