Hi, everyone! I'm Tania, and welcome to the Moms for Christ Podcast. The Word that I have today comes from the book of Matthew chapter 13, verse 22, and it says: “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word, making it unfruitful.”

The seed of God... "those things that are implanted in you, meant to produce something for The Lord..."

This Word is really speaking of seeds, but those seeds are Words of God, the Word that comes whether reading in the Bible, or on Sunday getting a Word from The Lord, or learning something in youth group or Bible study, those things that are implanted in you that are meant to produce something for The Lord that sometimes get snatched away or stolen because different things in this world distract us, and we forget about what we have learned.

"...so that we would be ones that don't forget what God has done in our lives..."

I know that TV has been a big distraction, and video games, so we really cut back a lot on doing those things, and really talking about what has been implanted. If it’s youth group, we’ll come home and talk about, “What did you learn in youth group? How did that apply to your life?” My husband and I do the same when we come from maybe a Sunday service, and we talk about, “What did we learn? How did that touch our heart?” or “What is God speaking to us through that Word?” So, that Word is able to sit in us and take root, so that it's not a Word that we just step out and forget, but that it's a word that we think on and really allow that Word to go deeper within us so that it would produce something for The Lord, so that we would be ones that don't forget what God has done in our lives, and we have the determination and the desire to please The Lord, and to serve Him, and to bring Him something real-- to bring Him something perfect.

"And that's the goal: to really make sure that the cares of this world don't steal what's God's..."

So, a lot of times we talk about what God has done in our lives and we remember how good he has been to us, so that we always remember God's faithfulness in our lives. Sometimes the distractions of this world aren't always TV or video games; sometimes there are other things that come in our lives, but we always remember what God has done, and in remembering what God’s done and remembering His faithfulness we keep our eyes on Him. And that's the goal: to really make sure that the cares of this world don't steal what's God's, but that we guard the things that God has implanted in each and every one of us.

It reminds me of Taylor. Right now, she is playing an instrument for the first time, and it's not her instrument. It's a rented instrument, so she practices every day, and she has to take care of this instrument. She needs to make sure that she keeps it safe, that she guards it, and she doesn't let things stop her from watching over her instrument. It's a really big instrument and it's really heavy, but she brings it to practice every week, and she brings it home because she knows that she has to keep it safe, and she knows that at the end of the year I'm looking for fruit, and the fruit would be that she would know how to play this instrument. So, the goal is really that just as Taylor guards and watches over her instrument, and practices it, and goes over the music, and really works at learning this instrument, that she would be the same with everything that God implants in their lives.

"Lord, we pray that this Word would go deep within each and every one of us."

So, would you join me in praying for the children that they would not let the cares of this world steal what is God’s? Lord, we thank You. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for how You have given us this Word to guide us and to show us how to walk, Lord, but also to teach us so many different lessons, Lord. And Lord, we pray that this Word would go deep within each and every one of us. Lord, that it would not be a Word that is brushed over, but that it's a Word that is meditated upon, that it is a Word that is held on to, Lord, so that it is not forgotten, that it is not snatched up, but that each and every Word that You implant in Your children and in Your people, Lord, would take root and produce a crop for You. We thank You for all that You have given us, Lord, and we just ask this day that we would be those that would glorify You, that we would be those that would have a basket full of fruit to present to You. Thank You, Lord, for all that You're doing and thank You for Your Word. Amen.

God bless and have a wonderful week! I'll speak to you soon.