God's Word will bring forth fruit anytime it is planted in a believer's heart! Make your heart a good ground (Mark 4:8).
 
Last week I was in Boston for business and rode the train to one of the business locations.  On that ride from downtown to East Boston was a young man sitting next to me, reading a book. Since we sat in close proximity, I asked him the title of the book he was reading. He quickly looked up and informed me he was reading a devotional book titled ”A Man After God’s Own Heart.” His answer took us to a great conversation on faith and Christianity.  I informed him I was working on my next blog post along the lines of the heart. He was excited to know he is in alignment with the message. God is so majestic in His wisdom!
 
If you follow our daily encouragement posts on Take Back Ministries social media outlets; you probably caught a snippet of today’s blog from last week (Beloved, God's Word will bring forth fruit anytime it is planted in a believer's heart! Make your heart a good ground-Mark 4:8). The cultivation, growth and increase of God’s planted word in a believer’s heart are agricultural in nature.  Growing up helping my father on the family farm in addition to a background in veterinary science makes these biblical words come alive in a practical way. 
 
In this account of Mark chapter four, Jesus was teaching on the parable of the sower using agricultural terms. He began with the opening that a farmer went out to sow his seed. As the custom of sowing seeds, a farmer scatters the seed over an allotted area of land. In agriculture this is called broadcast seeding, which can be done manually or mechanically. One standout of this scripture is the truth that the same seed (the word of God) was scattered in different grounds or soil. Increase of the word of God (proof of outcome of reading, studying, hearing and meditating) in a believer's life is directly proportional to the type of soil the heart is when the word is sown.  

God is so amazing in His ways that as followers of Christ we get to choose what kind of ground or soil we want God’s word to grow in our lives. Our hearts are the ground or soil for God’s word. No one gets to determine what kind of heart or soil for you to have. You and I get to do that! That is powerful. We can determine if our hearts will be shallow, rocky, thorny or good soil. As sons and daughters of the Most High God, we have been equipped with a will that can lead our hearts to be good grounds for the glory of God! Mark chapter four further explains some of the hindrances for the cultivation, growth and increase of God’s word in our hearts.  Satan himself, lack of root or good foundation, worries of life, deceitfulness  and desires for other things are the examples Jesus gave on hindrances to fruitfulness.

There is no better time for us as followers of Christ to determine to make our hearts good grounds for the manifestation of the power of God.  We have a privilege to be impactful ambassadors of Christ when we allow the seed of God’s word not only sown but to grow in good soil of our hearts. Think about the thirty, sixty and hundred fold increase that comes from a fruitful good ground. Brothers and sisters, ask the Holy Spirit to help your heart be a good ground for the increase of God’s word. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and this is what He does best. From such good ground come love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, self-control, kindness and faithfulness.  Against these fruit of the Spirit there is no contradiction of any form to a world that needs the saving grace of Jesus Christ. God Bless you!

For The Cause of Christ,

Dr. Johnson Obamehinti

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears  
  the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30
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Nature tells a fascinating story of an exquisite God. The meticulousness of God’s majesty is delicate yet so captivating.  This is similar to the gift of femininity. Brethren, have you ever wondered what our world would be or look like without women? Our world would be devoid of one of the most essential aspect of God’s character- that of Helper!
 
Genesis 2:18 give a glimpse into the heart of God when he created man and woman. The word helper in that verse in Hebrew is ezer (meaning to rescue, to save and strength).  This word is used in the Old Testament in the context of powerful acts of support and rescue.  In the New Testament, we see a similar relationship. In John 14:26, Jesus tells us about the Helper-the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in His name. Both of these and many more similar scriptural references are not an accident.
 
This weekend we celebrate Mother’s Day- a day set aside here in the U.S. to celebrate the gift of motherhood. Here in our family, Mother’s Day is always extra special. Our daughters and I celebrate motherhood of their Mom, and grandmothers. Prior to five years ago, their great-grandmother (my grandmother) was part of Mother’s Day celebrations. She passed on to glory at the age of 137 years.
 
Men and women are created equally with different uniqueness. There is a part of God’s character that is only unique to women and vice versa for men.  This is one of the reasons why it is important to have the perspectives of women in all facets of our society. An entity without the input of women is missing a whole lot of God’s uniqueness only found in women.
 
My daughters and I are tremendously blessed by the gift of God in my wife. Her capacity to love, encourage and help people is very powerful. Her love for God is infectious! We have a saying in our family about the fact that she has the ears and eyes of Jesus. Take that in different ways and you will get some understanding of the depth of her love for God. She is an epitome of a dynamic phenomenal woman! Brothers, go all out to celebrate the gift of femininity in your life. Our world is much better because of each of them. Sisters, happy Mother’s Day to you. May your wells of love, encouragement and help never run dry. God Bless You!
 
For The Cause of Christ,
 
Dr. Johnson Obamehinti