BACKGROUND
The Word of God given to us is the same, but the results of the Word in our lives are different. Some believers reap a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty.
Matthew 13:23 (JUB) says, "But he that was planted in good ground is he that hears the word and understands [it] and who also bears the fruit and brings forth: one a hundredfold and another sixty and another thirty."
Believers who reap a thirtyfold harvest in the Word experience the good will of God, those who reap a sixtyfold harvest experience the better or acceptable will of God, and the ones who reap a hundredfold harvest experience the best and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
So, what makes certain people prosper in the Word more than others? God is not a respecter of persons but is a respecter of principles.
Acts 10:34 says, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons."
Romans 2:11 says, "For there is no respect of persons with God."
God does not choose who should experience His best among us, but He wishes that we all experience it.
3 John 1:2 says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers."
God is a Servant of His Word, in that He has exalted His Word above His own reputation. This means that He doesn't bypass the Word He has spoken, but places Himself under it's rulership. God is obedient to His Word.
Psalms 138:2 (LITV) says, "I will worship toward Your holy temple, and give thanks to Your name for Your mercy, and for Your truth; for You have magnified Your Word above all Your name."
It is up to man to determine the level of harvest he reaps from the Word of God, by his level of of obedience to the Word of God. Man's level of willingness and obedience to God's Word determines it's results in his life.
Isaiah 1:19 (JPOT) says, "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land."
Regardless of how marvelous it is, anything done by a man can be done in the same way by applying the same principles under similar conditions, with another person. The Word is so systematic and scientific that anyone can study and practice it to attain the desired level of success.
In the year 2000, the Lord taught me seven principles to maximize fruitfulness in the Word of God, as I was farming at my rural village in Zaka. He showed me how each stage of farming relates to our spiritual life in a vision and in it are the reasons for different results of the Word in the lives of the saints.
1. LAND CLEARING
The first stage of farming is clearing the land in preparation for other other farming activities like sowing. Land clearing is the development of land to create potential use for farming. The first principle for nurturing a Word from God is related to land clearing.
You can not sow on a land until you have cleared it in preparation for a harvest. No person can relate with God and receive His blessings when their body still houses Satan, and when their heart is occupied by some other beliefs opposed to the gospel.
Mark 3:27 says, "No one can enter into a strong one's house and plunder his goods, except he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house."
One must get rid of the native cover of stones, trees, stumps, shrubs and garbage. The land is then broken to make a workable bed in which the seed of a crop can be sown. The land surface being prepared is your heart. The wrong beliefs housed in one's stony heart must be removed so that Christ may come in.
Jeremiah 4:3-4 (LITV) says, "For so says Jehovah to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow to the thorns. Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskin of your heart, O men of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, that My fury not go forth like fire and burn, so that no one can put it out; because of the evil of your doings."
Ezekiel 11:19-21 (NET) says, "I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them; I will remove the hearts of stone from their bodies and I will give them tender hearts, so that they may follow my statutes and observe my regulations and carry them out. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God. But those whose hearts are devoted to detestable things and abominations, I hereby repay them for what they have done, says the Sovereign LORD.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them.
A seed of the Word sown in stony heart cannot be fruitful, and people who have such a heart quickly give up on the Word they had received in the heat of persecution.
Matthew 13:20-21 says, “But that which was sown on the stony places is this: he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy. But he has no root in himself, and is temporary. For when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, he immediately stumbles.”
The seed of maize sown in a forest will choke regardless of how great a farmer the sower is. Many people expect to receive from the Word of God which has been sown in a heart full of thorns, tree stumps and shrubs, which is as good as daydreaming. The seed of the Word will be choked by the wrong beliefs in your heart, regardless of how anointed the person who is ministering the Word to you is.
You may change pastors and assemblies, but the Word will not produce results in your life, if you are not born again in your heart. Many people are attending church and registered in the church books, but are not born again believers. They blame the church and it's leadership for not having results, and soon they fall back to their wrong beliefs. No one in their right mind will expect a harvest from maize sown in an uncleared forest.
Land clearing is done by rejecting all of the wrong beliefs that you have been holding on to, opening your heart to receive Jesus Christ and by letting go of the baggage of sin and guilt. You may kindly send your questions in the comment section and I will help you receive Christ as soon as your mind is made up.
Land clearing is done by opening your heart to receive Jesus Christ, and by removing all baggage of sin and guilt in repentance. Do not fail to clear the logs in your field just because you saw some twigs in the field of the person ministering the Word to you. Deal with yourself without being judgmental.
Mat 7:1-5 (ESV) says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”
Also, when you are receiving the ministry of the Word, clear your mind of any other previous information concerning the issue being addressed. Too many times we miss what God is saying because we are too full of what people said to receive new information!
No one can plant new seed on a piece land full of old seeds from the previous season. If Abraham had been so stuck to the first word instructing him to sacrifice Isaac that he would not have listened to the second word instructing him to stop just he was about to launch his knife into Isaac, he would have killed God’s promise!
Many times we kill the prophetic promises of God in our lives because we are stuck to what He said in the past. Don’t let what God said yesterday stop you from hearing He is saying today.
2. PLANTING AND MANURING
The second stage of farming that follows after land clearing is sowing seeds in the prepared land, and manuring the land.
Hosea 10:12 (LITV) says, "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap as kindness. Break up your fallow ground. For it is time to seek Jehovah, until He comes and rains righteousness on you."
Planting is sowing a seed to the ground hoping for its germination. The seed that you need to plant in your heart is the Word of God.
Luke 8:11 (LITV) says, "...The seed is the Word of God."
You plant the seed of the Word of God in your heart by reading scriptures. Reading scriptures deposits the Word inside you and builds faith.
Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
The Hebrew for ‘word’ here is ‘rhema,’ which means ‘inspired or prophetic utterance.’ It is that word that jumps out of scripture and hits you at heart – the living word! Reading the bible plants seeds of ‘rhema’ in your spirit.
Sadly many Christians do not study the bible for themselves. A believer who does not study the bible while expecting to hear from God is like a farmer who expects crops to germinate without planting the seeds. Some Christians do study the bible but have little or no time to attend church meetings and hear the Word through fellowship with other saints.
Such believers are malnourished in the Word like seed planted in sandy soil on the wayside, which is not manured. They are unfruitful as the enemy easily steals the Word that was sown in their lives.
Matthew 13:19 says, “When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.”
A wise farmer is interested in sowing good quality seeds that are approved by relevant authorities to ensure a great harvest. The Word of God is the best quality, most potent and recommended seed which is able to produce a great yield for you.
Acts 20:32 (LITV) says, "And now, brothers, I commend you to God and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build up and to give you inheritance among all those being sanctified."
Manure is organic matter used as fertilizer in farming. Manuring is adding manure to the soil around the seed to boost its growth with nutrients, and it relates to reading Christian books, listening to sermons and participating in bible study.
You can not harvest from the seed that you have not planted in the field. It's that simple. And when you don't plant a seed in a field, it will not stay empty, but something will grow - weeds. A believer who does not read the bible is like the unplanted field in which weeds of all kinds of unclean thoughts grow.
It is possible to get the fruit of the life of an unbeliever to the Christian who does not read the Word, just as a field in which no seed is planted will soon be part of the forest again. Planting the seed of the Word will help change your heart by renewing your mind to make you fruitful, so that you will not be swallowed in the forest of conformity by the evil in the world around you.
Romans 12:2 (NHEB) says, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God."
Ephesians 4:23 (LITV) says, "And to be renewed in the spirit of your mind."
Colossians 3:9-10 (LITV) says, "Do not lie to one another, having put off the old man with his practices, and having put on the new, having been renewed in full knowledge according to the image of the One creating him."
3. WATERING
The third stage of farming after planting the seed is watering. Watering is the process of applying controlled amounts of water to land to assist in the production of crops, also known as irrigation.
Irrigation comes from the Latin for ‘moist’ or ‘wet,’ but it means the purposeful wetting of something. The Holy Spirit is the water of life by which the Word of God in your heart is watered.
John 7:38-39 (NET) says, "Let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture says, ‘From within him will flow rivers of living water.’” (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
You water the seed of the Word of God you have planted in your heart by praying in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is by speaking in tongues, for when you speak in tongues your spirit prays while your mind doesn't understand what you are saying.
1 Corinthians 14:14 (NHEB) says, "For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful."
We do not know what to pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays according to the Word of God in our hearts in ways we can not pray naturally.
Romans 8:26-27 (NET) says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes on behalf of the saints according to God’s will."
When you pray the Word back to God especially by speaking in tongues, you are watering the seeds of ‘rhema’ in your spirit, allowing the Holy Ghost to act on the Word and bring it to manifestation.
John 6:63 says, “It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life.”
1 Corinthians 14:2, 4 says, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. For no one hears, but in spirit he speaks mysteries… The one speaking in a tongue builds himself up…”
1 Corinthians 14:14-15 says, "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding."
It goes without saying that if a farmer does not water his seed, it will not germinate. And if the germinated seed is not going to be sufficiently watered, it will not grow to bear fruit; but will dry up. Likewise a believer who does not pray in the Spirit is not going to see the Word manifesting in his life.
And if he will not pray sufficiently in the Spirit to water the Word that has begun to germinate, the manifestation will soon dry up and not bear fruit. Elijah saw the results of his earnest prayers. He had to continue praying for the seventy time after the manifestation of a small cloud that appeared after he had prayed six times.
1 Kings 18:41-45 says, "Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ” Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel."
James 5:17-18 (NET) says, "Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a harvest."
A lot of Christians forget to pray for the Word they received and soon it dries up and dies in the heat of spiritual attacks, like a seed which was planted and was not watered.
4. MULCHING
The fourth practice of farming that follows watering is mulching. Mulching is covering the upper surface of the soil between plants with a layer of mulch to reduce evaporation and conserve soil moisture, reduce soil erosion, suppress weed growth, improve fertility of the soil and provide plant nutrients as the organic material decomposes, and enhance the visual appeal of the area.
A mulch is a layer of dry, vegetative material applied to the surface of soil. It keeps the roots and bulbs of crops cool in summer and warm in winter. Mulching is similar to meditation. Meditation is the spiritual act of covering, hovering or brooding over the thoughts of the Word inspired by the Holy Spirit in the upper soil of one's heart.
Genesis 1:2 (AMP) says, "The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters."
The Hebrew 'rachaph' for 'moving' here means brooded or hovered, as when a mother bird broods over her eggs to hatch them and bring forth new life. Brooding means to think deeply about something, or the bird's act of sitting on eggs to hatch them.
Deuteronomy 32:11 (CEB) says, "Like an eagle protecting its nest, hovering over its young, God spread out his wings, took hold of Israel, carried him on his back."
This indicates that after meditating on God’s Word long enough for its gestation period, you will bring forth new life to any situation that was formless, empty, and covered with darkness in your heart. Then the Spirit of God came in to brood, to hover, over the situation in order to produce life.
The believer covers his heart with the organic material of meditation to reduce evaporation and retain the moisture of God's inspiration in the soil of his heart, to reduce erosion of the Word, to suppress the growth of the weed of worrying thoughts, and provide his spirit with nutrients as the organic material of the Word decomposes in his heart; just as the farmer does with mulching.
Joshua 1:8 says, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."
Psalms 1:1-3 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."
Meditation like mulching, creates a warm internal environment, conserves of the moist anointing within you, improves the fruitfulness and health of the heart, reducing growth of the weeds of worry and bitterness; which all enables the Word to germinate and bear fruit in your life regardless of the outward environment.
Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."
If you do not meditate on the Word of God, you will automatically grow weeds of worry. Worry is meditating on negatives triggered by sad memories from past events, or fearful propositions for the future. Stop worrying and replace it with positive meditation on good things.
Isaiah 43:18-19 CJB) says, "Stop dwelling on past events and brooding over times gone by; I am doing something new; it's springing up - can't you see it? I am making a road in the desert, rivers in the wasteland."
Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
Successful people in life only have time to meditate on the Word, they have no time to brood over the past.
Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 (NLT) says, "And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past."
You can not succeed while brooding over a grudge. Every time you brood over the past hurts, you have walked out of love. Love has no time to build bitter feelings over the past wrongs you suffered, it forgives.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NABRE) says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
As mulching protects the planted seeds in a field, meditation protects the Word of God planted in your heart. The heart must be protected above all things, to guarantee success and fruitfulness.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” \
Sadly many believers do not practice meditation and their hearts are contaminated with bitter and anxious thoughts of worry, which make them unfruitful.
Matthew 6:25-34 (GNB) says, "This is why I tell you: do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn't life worth more than food? And isn't the body worth more than clothes? Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren't you worth much more than birds? Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it? "And why worry about clothes? Look how the wild flowers grow: they do not work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that not even King Solomon with all his wealth had clothes as beautiful as one of these flowers. It is God who clothes the wild grass---grass that is here today and gone tomorrow, burned up in the oven. Won't he be all the more sure to clothe you? What little faith you have! "So do not start worrying: 'Where will my food come from? or my drink? or my clothes?' (These are the things the pagans are always concerned about.) Your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. Instead, be concerned above everything else with the Kingdom of God and with what he requires of you, and he will provide you with all these other things. So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.”
5. WEEDING
The fifth practice of farming after mulching is weeding. Weeding is the removal or uprooting of unwanted and unplanted plants (weeds) from a field or garden of planted and wanted crops. A weed is an unplanted plant, growing where it is not wanted.
Jeremiah 1:10 says, "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
Weeds are removed by the roots as they compete with the planted crop for space, nutrients, sunlight and water. The heart is the garden in which we must uproot the weeds of wrong thoughts so that they don't hinder the flow of the water of life.
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV) says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
John 7:38 (ESV) says, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Weeding is like continued repentance by which the believer removes unwanted evil thoughts that grow into bad speech and behavior from within the heart.
This repentance is not the Greek ‘metanoia’ repentance of the change of mind by which an unbeliever is born again, it is the Greek ‘metamelomai’ repentance’ which means to ‘repent, regret, and express remorse, grief or sorrow.’
It is sorrow over sin, not worldly sorrow because one got caught, but the godly sorrow of love as one realizes that his sin offends the Father and affects others.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (ESV) says, “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
It is repentance from sin by an already born-again child of God, done by showing humility and regret through the prayer of mourning and fasting.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn (repent) from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 (RV) says, “It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one of you hath his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up (lifted up with pride), and did not rather mourn, that he that had done this deed might be taken away from among you.”
James 4:9-10 says, “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.”
Sins like weeds are unwanted in any situation, as they grow shoots of guilt and fear in the heart, which fight and compete with the seed of the Word in the heart, resulting in reduced spiritual growth and fruits. The evil thoughts defile the heart and compete with the Word of God for control in the mind. If we let the weeds of evil grow within us, we will not be fruitful.
Mark 7:21-23 (ESV) says, "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Romans 8:6 (ESV) says, "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."
Hebrews 12:1, 14-17 says, "Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Follow peace with all, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord; looking diligently lest any fail of the grace of God, or lest any root of bitterness springing up disturb you, and by it many are defiled, (lest there be any fornicator, or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he did not find any place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears)."
In weeding we remove the root of evil thoughts by confessing our sins to God, and to one another. As we do so the Word cleanses us daily from the defilement of wrong thinking in the same we clean our bodies daily by bathing with water, and the blood of Jesus works like soap to remove all stubborn stains of guilt from within our conscience.
Ephesians 5:26, "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word".
James 5:16 says, "Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much."
1 John 1:7-9 says, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
People who continue keeping the weeds of sinful thoughts will soon have a wounded head (mindset) and a sick or depressed heart, and can not be fruitful as a result.
Isaiah 1:4-5 says, "Beware sinful nation, the people weighed down by evil deeds. They are offspring who do wrong, children who do wicked things. They have abandoned the LORD, and rejected the Holy One of Israel. They are alienated from him. Why do you insist on being battered? Why do you continue to rebel? Your head has a massive wound, your whole heart is sick."
6. PRUNING
Pruning is the sixth farming practice after weeding, and it the removal or reduction of parts of a plant or tree, that are not necessary to growth or fruitfulness, are no longer visually pleasing, or are injurious to the health or development of the plant.
Pruning is common practice for the improvement of flowering and fruit bearing. It is the practice of improving the aeration, health, and appearance of a plant through trimming, maintaining, and altering the growth. The Lord uses pruning to make us more productive.
John 15:2 (AMP) says, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]."
Pruning is the removal of good but unnecessary thoughts by the renewal of the mind. Unlike weeding, pruning is not the removal of bad weeds, but is the removal of good but unnecessary parts of the plant.
A tree is prepared for maximum fruitfulness by pruning the branches of excess twigs that become extra unnecessary weight. In the same way we should remove unnecessary thoughts and habits from our mind by the Word.
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”
The greatest enemy of better is not bad, but good; and the greatest enemy of best is not worst, but better. Pruning by the renewing of the mind helps us move from good through better, until we arrive at the best and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 says, "And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Pruning also removes dead branches that hinder the growth of healthy components. The dead branches we must remove are our beliefs in dead works of the law and human traditions, and trust in the finished works of Jesus Christ, as we let our minds be renewed by the Word.
Hebrews 6:1 says, "Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God."
Hebrews 9:13-14 says, "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Pruning remove portions that have a disease and infection, stopping it from spreading to healthy branches. Removing infected branches also exposes the others to more sunlight and air circulation, which reduces the incidence of disease.
Sometimes we develop strong ungodly habits that will not simply go by studying the Word, but will go through suffering - learning the hard way. Jesus learned to obey God by suffering, though He was the Son of God.
Hebrews 5:8 says, “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.”
7. PEST CONTROL
Pest control is the seventh practice of farming after pruning, and it is the regulation or management of animal species defined as pests, members of the kingdom that impact harmfully on farming activities by destroying crops and/or their fruit. In agriculture, pests are kept at bay by cultural, chemical and biological means.
Ploughing and cultivation of the soil before sowing lessen the pest burden, the use of pesticides or insecticides when necessary reduces pests, growing varieties and crops which are resistant to pests is another method, and introducing suitable predators or parasites which are natural enemies of the pests.
Pest control is like dealing with hostile relationships. There are people who act as parasites by sucking out life and hope from you through their words and actions. Leave their company and you don't have to say goodbye.
One cannot be fruitful when he or she shares his faith in prophetic words with the wicked, the sinners, or the scoffers. They will discourage him and make fun of the seed of the Word that was germinating in his heart.
Psalm 1:1 (ESV) says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.”
Bad company corrupts your fruitfulness by fanning the flame of negative thoughts which choke the Word, and make one unfruitful. Never tolerate one overly dependent, evil or negative person in your circle, for it only takes one bad person to ruin your fruitfulness in the Word of God.
One bad tomato will ruin ninety-nine good ones in a basket of hundred tomatoes, and the ninety-nine good tomatoes cannot cure the one bad tomato. Do not be tricked into partnership with a bad person by false words, nothing good will come out of it.
Matthew 13:22 says, “And that sown into the thorns is this: he who hears the Word; and the anxiety of this world, and the deceit of riches, choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful.”
1 Corinthians 15:33 (BBE) says, “Do not be tricked by false words: evil company does damage to good behaviour.”
CONCLUSION
We have seen the parallels between farming practices and spiritual growth. The teaching emphasized the importance of understanding and obeying the Word of God to experience different levels of success in one's spiritual journey.
The teaching introduced he concept of land clearing, which symbolizes the removal of wrong beliefs and sinful baggage from one's heart to create a fertile ground for the seed of God's Word. They highlight the need for genuine repentance and a willingness to receive Jesus Christ.
The second stage discussed is planting and manuring, which involves sowing the seed of God's Word and nurturing it through reading and meditating on scriptures. This process builds faith and prepares the ground for the growth of spiritual fruit as explained in the remaining five keys of fruitfulness.
The teaching emphasized the importance of clearing the heart of wrong beliefs, sowing and nurturing the seed of God's Word, and cultivating a receptive attitude towards His teachings. It sought to convey the idea that fruitful spiritual growth requires diligent effort, obedience to God's Word, and a heart receptive to His teachings.
By following these principles, the article suggests that believers can experience different levels of success and fruitfulness in their spiritual lives.
