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The Seeds of Your Past Can Choke out Your Future

You’ve seen vines that grow around trees and on windows? Those vines come from a little, bitty seed, which grows like wild fire. They’ll cover stuff, choke out stuff, in so much that they even kill a trees. They’ll smother the branches and choke out the leaves, and kill the tree. Those kind of seeds will choke our your future and if you have that kind of see in your life, it will choke out your future.

The word Seed in Greek is Sperma, where we get the English word sperm. We all know what sperm is. The Bible tells us the origin of our seed; of us. But the Greek work Sperma means offspring.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-3

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.

A tree can’t pick itself up and say it doesn’t want to lay where it fell. Like dominoes, when you set one off, all of them go off. This is how some things are in our lives. We set our lives up like dominoes. Whatever is in our past will knock down our future. We’ll wind up doing stupid stuff, and our future was based upon something we set up in the past. As we set things up in the past and we go beyond the past, we set up things like dominoes right behind us. Then we get to the point where we say we’ve made it! Were doing good. We have the car, house, wife, or husband, land, or job that we wanted. Everything is laid out just the way we wanted, and you sit back and say this is cool. Then all of a sudden, something comes out of nowhere that topples your life. When you take a deeper look, there were things in the past that have dominoed its self to the present that have caused me to loose. We look at these things and say “no I’ve cleared up my path.” Know this, whatever is in your past will become your future if its not taken care of.

Ecclesiastes 11:4

He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

If you’re so busy worried about something else that has nothing to do with what is needed now, time flies by.

Ecclesiastes 11:5-10

As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

 

The Bible tells us that when I was a child, I spoke as a child, I acted as a child, but when I became a man I put away childish things. We look at some of the young men today; getting girls pregnant. Then they say that they can’t afford a child. Well, did they think about that in the past? The child is back here, and the girl is young, and the boy is young. The boy says I still have my life to live. Why do an adult act while you’re a child? As you get older, and she gets older, you get set in your ways and do your own thing. You want to see your child, but the mother withholds you, and asks for money for the child. Now he did it when he was young and irresponsible. Now that he is older and somewhat responsible, all that is in his life. So she goes and gets a DNA test to show that he is the father. Domino effect. Now you’re working a good job making a lot of money. Then someone takes half your check to give to the mother and the baby. Domino fact. The court now has garnished your wages. Now you say she doesn’t deserve your money, that you’ve worked hard to get that. Too late to say that because you’ve set the seed in the past, which caused you set affects in your life. Another situation; you do investments, make a little money as a young person; saved aside. Someone convinces you to spend your money on frivolous things. You put your money toward that, which sucks the money from your pocket. Now all of a sudden someone wants to cosign or borrow money from you; a good friend. In the process, they defraud on the loan, they don’t pay it, and because your name is on the loan, they come after you because you cosigned. So you’re directly responsible because you have a job and the other friend doesn’t. So now they garnish your wages. Now you’re stuck with the child support and a loan you helped cosign. That should tell you one thing. Don’t set up seeds in your past to control what happens to your life in the future. Don’t start off bad habits…smoking, drugs because your friends said it was cool. Because you want to be cool, you starting taking up smoking. A little weed here, smoking a little there. Next thing you know, you’re smoking weed on a regular basis. Now the money you have coming in is spent on a habit; your money is slowing dissipating. Bad habits can cause you to loose your future.

A lot of people allow different kinds of things in their life, not understanding that it can cause them to loose their future. We look at Israel. We look at their life and structure. Some of the things Israel did in their past, hampered their future. When Israel was in Egypt, they cried and pleaded to where they got to the point where they cried on a regular basis. The Lord sent them a deliver; Moses. Isn’t it something how you can remember your past, the things your thought were fun and awesome? But the Israelites in Egypt were making bricks from straw to build buildings, working the slime pits, working the straw in, doing everything designated for someone who was a slaves. They were being whipped and tortured to help build things for that dynasty. Its amazing when they cried out, God gave Moses, who said he was coming to set the people free. Moses a deliver? “What you call its,” son? That boy is our deliverer? People couldn’t believe it. As the people were walking to their place of destiny being free, isn’t it amazing how when they got in the dessert, and there was no water, no food, they started complaining. Now mind you, there was no food or water barely in Egypt, but they recalled they had a better time in Egypt. Isn’t it something the things of your past your were trying to get free from, your require to be in your present? We become Children of God, and then when things get hard in your walk, you think about how it was when you were in the world. I partied, I did what I wanted to do, but you complained then that you didn’t want to do all that. Now you get salvation and say I’m bored, this Christian life was boring. But what did you do in the world? Sat in the house all day.

Get yourself active in the house of God before you complain that being in the house of God is boring. Well you say you don’t know what do. Get active. Once you do, you’ll find something that you desire to do and God will enhance that. But most people like to complain. Don’t let the past, your past things you did, the things you were doing in the past, build up and cause your future to be jacked completely up. You can’t allow that to happen. Right now, as you set right now, get everything cleaned up. Even if you have to go to your old friends and apologize, apologize, because you don’t want to be the one who holds back their future. So now you are free and can grow to be what God called you to be, so that mess won’t come back later and bite you. I’ve been dominoed so many times from things, that I should be flat. This is how we are letting our past become our future. So we need to find those seeds, dig them up, and destroy them, because they will surely grow up and choke up your life.

Mark 4:22-29

For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

Things in your life, if they are negative things, if you feed those things with negative process like thoughts, actions or deeds, as you bring those things into your life, that corn stalk in your life will begin to fill out and grow. As it gets into its maturity it bears fruit. All those things you’ve been feeding into your life, negative things, actions and deeds, will come to a maturity, and when they do, they will blossom out of you. So if you are fed being a liar, crook, thief, judgmental, nasty, lazy; when you get older it will blossom out of you because your nurtured those things. When they rear their head and blossom in front of you, its never in a good time, its always in a wrong time, but these things have become a part of you. So you’re only doing what you do, and what you have grown to do, what you have placed in you to do. Its just as I said earlier about the dominoes that you set up in your life. You’re in front of the dominoes and they are behind you. As a Child of God, don’t let your past become your future that will choke out the real purpose that God has for you. Just like that corn stalk with corn; the fruit on, they will build up. If its good things, your get a bunch of it, and if its bad things you’ll get a bunch of it. Make sure the things you do contribute to a good walk in Christ. Don’t let it be because of something in the past, or something you couldn’t let go of. Remember the Greek word for seed is Sperma, which is the natural offspring of something. Something natural; that you accumulated; that you gave all the time and nurture it needed to grow in your life. Understand this, the Bible tells us, what so ever a man soweth that shall he reap.

The Thief on the Cross

This Bible class was one of the most interesting yet, because questions were permitted to be asked, and research permitted to be done. Pastor Catron had somewhat of an open forum to discuss and ask questions. Our study started off with the account of the thieves on the cross with Jesus.

 

Luke 23:32-34, 38

And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God. And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself. And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This Is The King Of The Jews. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

 

On the subject of paradise, when a saint dies, they don’t immediately go to heaven as some might think. They go to paradise. The word says “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” The remark was posed as to what the rest of this particular passage says:

 

1 Corinthians 2:8-10

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

 

So as believers we know these things. Are you a believer who does not know by the Spirit these things? Pastor Catron says in order to hear what the Spirit says, you have to open yourself to God’s influence. Many things don’t happen in our lives because we so locked up on ourselves. “If I don’t read it, if I don’t have someone who shows me, then I can’t believe it.” This is the mentality we are prone to, and this is not a mentality to have when you want the Spirit to reveal things to you.

Back to the subject of the thief on the cross in Luke 23, moving to verse 39-44. Now, think about the situation of both malefactors who hung crucified with Jesus. One of them represented people who are caught in their sins, and can only think about themselves. The other represents the people who are remorseful and pose repenting hearts. Is this not like the conflicts in your life? The thief of remorse admitted that he and the other thief were getting their just desserts. Repentance starts in the heart. Christ knew his heart. Christ said “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Now is that robber going to heaven or hell? Well if he’s going to paradise, he’s going to a holding place waiting for the Lord to return.

The question arose about heaven and paradise. Are they two separate places? A look in the Bible dictionary tells us that the original paradise was a garden. In traditional Hebrew theology, the dead would descend to Sheol or simply put the grave. After the emergence in the belief of resurrection however, this view was drastically modified. After resurrection the dead would go to a place much like Eden. Does this resurrection to and Eden like place coincide with our view of Heaven or Paradise? It seems as though they equate paradise to heaven.

What does the bible dictionary say about heaven? A word expressing several distinctive concepts in the Bible. 1) An expansion over the earth 2) Heaven is also the dwelling place of God, and the source of New Jerusalem. Because of the works of Christ on the cross, heaven is in part present with believers on the Earth as they obey God’s commandments 3)The word heaven is also used as a substitute for the name of God. At the end of time, a new heaven will be created to surround the Earth (Revelation 21:1).

Well, we will look more into this in next weeks bible study.