Mark 4:18-19

18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. -Mark 4:18-19

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What falsehoods are you planting in your life that’s distracting you from God’s truth?  Two days ago we talked about removing activities that could keep you from God’s Word.  Today we’re going to talk about how embedded lies in our lives can choke out the truth of God.

The thorns (or weeds) in this passage refer to the lies we have believed in our lives.  The seed once again is the Word of God.  By believing and internalizing these lies, it distract us from believing in the truth of God’s Word.

This passage gives a couple of examples of how embedded lies can distract us from God’s truth.  The first is if you’re someone who believes in the lie that God is not in control.  This passage calls it, “the worries of this life.”  You’re a worrywart.  Because you don’t believe that God is in control, you’re constantly worrying about things.  You worry about what college you’ll end up attending.  You worry about who you’re going to date.  You worry about everything and anything.   Believing in the lie that God is not in control or that He is not sovereign over your life naturally keeps you from the truth of God’s Word.  Why would you truth God’s Word if you don’t even trust God?

The second example of how embedded lies can distract us from God’s truth is if you believe in the lie that money and material things will ultimately satisfy you completely.  This passage phrase it as “the deceitfulness of wealth and desires for other things.”  You believe that money and stuff will solve all of your problems.  You believe in the lie that money and stuff will make you happy.  

Just a heads up, there are a lot of unhappy rich people in the world.  Money doesn’t solve your problems.  Oftentimes it gives you a bigger headache.  The rapper Biggie Smalls wrote a song called “Mo Money, Mo Problems” that speaks to this.  By believing this lie, you’re so consumed by pursuing money and stuff that you forget about the heavenly truths of God.  You’re so concerned about earthly things, why would you care about God’s Word and its heavenly message?

So now the important question: How do you remove these lies from your life?  The first is through prayer.  You ask God to help you to ignore the lies that keep you away from Him and His Word.  Everyday when I pray, I’m reminded of God’s love for me.  When I pray, I’m reminded that He alone satisfies.  When I pray, I remember that He is enough.  Prayer destroys the lies that Satan and the world wants us to believe in.

The second way we remove these lies is by scattering more of God’s Word in our lives.  Remember, these lies were once seeds, too.  A lie is but a seed that was dropped in the soil of our lives and have taken root.  We watered and nourished this lie until it’s become a weed or a thorn.  By inundating  (this means “flooding” for you studying for the SATs) ourselves with God’s Word—the seeds of truth—we don’t leave any room in the soil of our lives for seeds of falsehood.

Reading this devotion is a great start, but it could also mean reading a Christian book.  Attending church, youth group, and Harvesters and AYL where you get to hear the preaching of God’s Word are also good.  Podcast sermons and YouTube sermons are pretty great, too!  Check out our daily Communal Devotional time on Zoom to pray AND read the Bible!  Flood your life with God’s Word so there is no opportunity for lies to take root in your life.

What are some lies in your life that you need to pray against?  What are some ways you can flood your life with God’s Word to prevent lies from taking root?