Saved by His Grace

“Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.” -Luke 8:14 (NKJV)

Is your faith being choked by worry and distractions? Do you ever feel like you keep going back to Ground Zero when it comes to how you live out your faith? Do you keep wondering why you feel like you are close to the Lord in your heart but then struggle to remain calm when a trial arises in your life?

In the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4–8; 8:11–15), Jesus warns that the anxieties of this world can become a dangerous trap that stunts spiritual growth. The Greek word for “cares” in Luke 8:14 is “merimna,” which means care or anxiety (see the Blue Letter Bible). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words further expounds upon this: “to draw in different directions, distract.”

I like what the NKJV Study Bible has to further say on this verse: “According to this parable, cares, riches, and pleasures of life are three great obstacles to spiritual unfruitfulness. The concerns of life can quelch spiritual growth. This type of ‘soil’ is viewed as tragically unsuccessful.”

As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:4, “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” This means that, while we are in this world, we are not of it, and our primary focus should be on pleasing God, not the “affairs of this life.” We later discover in 2 Timothy 4:10a that Demas, Paul’s companion and co-laborer in Christ, had sadly fallen into this trap: “for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica […].”

When worries and desires of this world take over someone’s life, they tend to stop putting Jesus first and instead begin to worship idols—such as anxiety, money, worldly pleasures, alcohol, drugs, social media, and so forth—ultimately losing trust and faith in God’s saving work. An idol is anything you place more importance on in your life above God. Someone can be so led away by their anxieties and desires that they stop putting Jesus first in their lives and soon fall back on old sinful habits. God did not free us from the bondage of sin only for us to return to it.

“And do not be 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.” –Romans 12:2

Anxiety in itself can truly choke one’s faith. Each time you give into thoughts of anxiety, you are little by little losing your firm foundation in the Word, in Jesus, and placing more importance and trust in anxiety. Not to mention, giving into anxiety opens doors to the enemy. By accepting anxiety, you are saying you don’t fully trust the Lord and His promises for Your life. We must always remember to take thoughts captive, ask where they are coming from and line them up with scripture.

If you are someone who struggles with anxiety, I encourage you that God will always be there to give you strength. Just make sure you are living a repentant, obedient life to Him, and keeping your focus on God, not on temporary fleeting pleasures. Those temporary fleeting pleasures are very likely adding to your anxiety; trust me, I have been there. The best thing you can do is stay constantly in your Bible, constantly praise and worship Him, stay in regular fellowship with other like-minded believers, and most importantly, spend quality time in the prayer closet, drawing closer to Jesus. In a future blog post, Lord willing, I will talk in depth about anxiety and how the Lord will help you overcome and heal you from past trauma.

We need to be carefully on guard against falling into these traps and becoming the seed that fell among the thorns. Jesus needs to be at the center of our lives, not just at church on Sundays and during weekly small group Bible study. Each day, we should be making time to get in our prayer closets and read the Bible before we even start our day.

I personally have a daily commitment where I aim to read at least four chapters before I start my day, with a daily commitment of 12 chapters. I strive to not allow myself to watch any form of entertainment until I have read my 12 chapters for the day. Now, I know reading 12 chapters/day may not be for everyone, but I highly encourage you to work your way up to a similar goal.

My mentor gave me this daily goal, which was originally given by the Lord during prayer, and I have noticed a truly positive difference in my life when I remain consistent with it. Each day, I read four chapters in the New Testament, four chapters in the Old Testament and four chapters in Proverbs. Just make sure you are reading the books in canonical order (e.g., Matthew to Revelation) and not skipping around randomly; I will expound upon this in a future blog post, Lord willing.

We must truly soak up the Word in order to grow in Christ. It is how He sanctifies us, how He washes us clean from our sin and renews our minds, like it says in Ephesians 5:26, “that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” I’ve noticed that on days when I manage my time poorly—waking up late and struggling to read properly—I tend to operate more in the flesh, especially with patience and self-control in my speech. It’s during times when you allow yourself to be consumed by the cares of this world—what the world calls stress—that you can open doors to the enemy, which can manifest in everything from spiritual attacks in dreams to physical illness.

In all we do, we need to carefully weigh the choices we make, and consider whether anything or anyone is pulling us away from God and the godly lifestyle we should live. This is exactly why we are warned not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers; you need brothers and sisters in Christ in your life to support you through edification, prayer, and accountability, not unbelieving friends who will constantly attempt to draw you back into the very things that Jesus rescued you from (or is trying to rescue you from).

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” –2 Corinthians 6:14 

We should ask ourselves, am I giving God my all? Am I making Him a priority every day? Am I being wise with the time He has given me; am I giving Him more of it? Look at how many hours are in a day and critically evaluate how much of it you are devoting to the Lord outside of your daily job and sleep. Ask the Lord how He wants you to better steward your time. After all, life is but a vapor, and how we spend it—specifically through our obedience to God—determines the eternal treasures we accumulate in heaven (see Matthew 6:19-21).

For some of us, this might mean we need to sit down and identify hurdles and distractions that are keeping us from giving Jesus more, and come up with solutions to overcome. This could look like:

• Getting up earlier to pray and read for at least 30 minutes before you begin your day.
• Going on a media fast for at least a week and then afterward limiting total media consumption to 2-4 hours each week. Replace all the time you would have spent on entertainment with reading and studying the Bible.
• Going on a social media fast for at least a week. Afterward, place an app timer on your phone to limit your time on Facebook/Instagram.
• Placing reminders on your phone for consistent prayer and worship times throughout the day.
• Choosing a consistent day each week to at least do a 24-hour water fast. The Sabbath on Saturdays is a great time for this, especially if the idea of skipping a couple meals during a work day seems daunting.
• Listening to the audio Bible when you are getting ready for the day, during commute times and during lunch.
• Choosing to watch a sermon instead of a movie or TV show in the evening.
• Listening to the audio Bible or praying during walks.

If you feel like you keep allowing distractions to separate you from God, then I encourage you to take this to the Lord in prayer daily. This could look like a simple prayer you add to your daily prayers, such as, “Lord, remove all distracting thoughts and distractions that take me away from You.” 

Jesus doesn’t want a spot in the long list of things that fight for your attention each and every day. He wants to be the One who you pursue above everything and everyone else. 

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” –Matthew 6:33