While our faith is secure and protected by the Lord, when we allow our assumptions to lead us, we position ourselves in a place of vulnerability where the devil can have his way with us.
We can attend religious gatherings like a church service and think we are good with God. But without a believing faith, we become vulnerable to hell’s attempt to rob us of what the Lord has given to us. Only by believing in the Lord and allowing Him to take us deeper are we protected from the assaults of hell upon our faith.
Jesus was teaching a parable about a farmer scattering his seeds. He revealed what happens when the Lord casts the seeds of faith before a person. He used a variety of soil conditions to reveal what happens when His seed falls on the soil of a human heart.
“The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away and prevent them from believing and being saved” (Luke 8:12). There is no salvation apart from that choice. Our choice to believe in the Lord affirms our salvation.
The phrase in verse 12, “take it away,” means to give the devil the authority to come and take by force what has been offered to us. Some translations use the word “steal” to illustrate this act. Hearing is not believing. We must accept what the Lord said, even if in our hearing we may struggle with what He said.
In the same discourse, Jesus transitioned to a parable about the effectiveness of our faith, resembling a lamp. A lamp is not to be hidden. It is to be expressed openly, “A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house” (vs. 16).
There is a danger in living a kind of faith where our assumptions, not the truth, are allowed to lead us. This is especially challenging when we choose to follow teachers who diminish the Lordship of Jesus at the expense of keeping His Lordship open and visible for all to see.
“So, pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them”(vs. 18).
The same Greek word is also used again in verse 18 as was used in verse 12 to describe the taking away of a seed of faith that was planted in a shallow place. It describes the theft by the devil of what we assumed to be true, but was a lie. This happens because we failed to listen to the Lord and allow Him to challenge our faulty assumptions.
A shallow and hidden faith prevents us from allowing the Lord to move us to a deeper place where a mature faith will be displayed. Only a maturing faith can keep us safe when the enemy comes and tries to steal our faith.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins
Featured Image by Pexels from Pixabay
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