The Parable of the Sower is the key to understanding faith. Our hope is evidence that faith has the power to accomplish the impossible. Hebrews 11:1 tells us what faith is. Faith is not of this world. It is a real authoritative spiritual substance that produces the things of our hope. God has given everyone the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). However, some people possess the gift of faith that transcends natural faith (1 Corinthians 12:8-9). In other words, everyone possesses faith, but people possessing the gift of faith trust God fearlessly.
There are two levels of faith: little faith and great faith. When you doubt God, you diminish your measure of faith to little faith. When you trust God, you increase your measure of faith to great faith/ Jesus explains how faith operates and reveals the key to understanding faith in the Parable of the Sower.
Trust
There was a time when people told the truth concerning a matter. But today, there is truth and alternate truth. There is news, and then there is fake news. Ultimately, we don’t know who to trust anymore. Modern-day society suppresses the truth, and despite the facts, people choose what they want to believe.
There is no scientific way to define faith. However, the Bible says that faith is a real spiritual substance. So, if faith is founded on spirituality, how do you know if what you believe is correct? The Bible tells us that we should live by faith and not by sight. However, the troubles associated with life make it difficult to live by faith. More than seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah alluded to our present day. He writes:
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.
Isaiah 60:2
We must continue to trust God to guide us through the darkness that now covers the earth. Only by faith will the world see the glory of God shine through the darkness of evil.
Never Relinquish Hope
Never relinquish your faith in God. The Holy Spirit desires that we be aware of the awesome power of faith. In the midst of sickness and diseases like Coronavirus and RSV, it is important that we know faith has the power to heal. When we recognize the power of faith, it helps us transition to the realm of the supernatural, where the power of faith rules. Consider how the woman with the issue of blood received her healing.
And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
Matthew 9:20-22
Confidence of Salvation
The key to comprehending salvation is understanding faith and how it operates. We receive salvation by faith in God. Without faith, no one can be saved, for the Bible says, “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11: 6). We think of salvation only in terms of going to heaven. However, the true meaning of salvation is to be saved from captivity.
Jesus came to free the captives (Luke 4:18). Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. No amount of work can earn salvation. We stand justified before God only by faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing else can save us from the wrath of God, which is to come upon the earth. God grants spiritual and eternal deliverance immediately to anyone who accepts His conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) and confesses that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:10).
Your faith is the greatest asset in your arsenal of spiritual weapons. God sees and knows all things, and He knows you by name. Perhaps you received a life-shattering medical diagnosis from your doctor of an illness you had hoped to overcome. Or maybe you are in a situation that looks hopeless. Whatever your dilemma, I want you to know that all things are possible to the “One” who believes. The “one” here refers to Christ. Therefore, if you believe in Christ, you also believe in God, and you have confidence that He can do all things.
The Key to Understanding Faith
The key to understanding faith is revealed in the Parable of the Sower. Having faith is a lot like having a tomato seed. For example, you don’t have to understand how a tomato seed produces a plant. The tomato is in the seed. God has placed everything the seed needs to produce a tomato. In the same way, all the things you hope for are in the seed of your faith. Therefore, cultivate your seed. Plant it in good soil, water it with the revelation from the Holy Spirit, and allow the light of God to shine in your life. Don’t allow the riches and pleasures of life to destroy your hope because of your lack of understanding of the Word of God.
A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Luke 8:5-8
Comprehending The Parable of the Sower
The Parable of the Sower illustrates how faith works. At the end of the parable, Jesus says: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear. In essence, He was saying: if we are to understand faith, we must hear the Word of God with our physical ears and also with our spiritual ears. You can never understand faith with your intellect because intellect is physical, whereas faith is a spirit.
And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.
2 Corinthians 4:13
Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower:
“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
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. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:11-15).
Four Ways to Perceive Faith
Here are four ways illustrating how we receive faith:
1. Wayside Faith
The devil’s first attack on your faith is to prevent you from receiving the Word. Wayside faith hears the Word of God with their natural ears only. The Word never sinks into their heart; it just enters their mind. The devil comes immediately and takes the Word to prevent them from believing what they heard.
2. Stony Ground Faith
Stony ground faith hears the Word and receives it gladly. But because they don’t understand the Word, and their hope is rooted in material things, they only believe for a while. When temptation comes, they fall away. Satan tempts you with self-condemnation by reminding you of your shortcomings. He will tell you that God does not want to talk to you, and then he proceeds to talk to you. Do not listen! He’s only trying to steal your faith.
3. Thorny Ground Faith
People who have thorny ground faith are those who think they understand God, hear the Word, and then go about their normal activities. When the problems of life overwhelm them, they let their emotions rule. The result is, that their faith dies. When you intellectualize faith, you start to rely on your feelings. Then you succumb to the cares, riches, and pleasures of life, making your faith unfruitful.
4. Good Ground Faith
Good ground faith hears the Word with spiritual ears and understands the principle of faith. When you have good ground faith, it will not give in to worry. It patiently waits for the harvest with confidence that God will produce the harvest. Don’t try to understand the Word with your intellect. Understanding the Word only comes by revelation.
Develop good ground. Allow God to reveal Himself to you through your understanding of faith. Determine that you didn’t come this far to lose hope. If you use your shield for faith, for it has the power to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one and you will reap the hundred-fold harvest.