Sounds so easy when you first decide to follow Jesus, doesn’t it?
Just believe and all else will follow.
Jesus gave us commands and we are to do our best to follow them.

We know some of them as they are easy, love your enemies,
forgive those who have harmed you, preach the gospel to name a few.
Jesus gave us many commands.
How do we follow all of them? What if we can’t. Well, we can’t on our own.
We need to make efforts to follow in His footsteps.
We need to carry our crosses, which is a hard thing to understand.
Carrying our cross is a metaphor of following Him
and accepting the hard things that come our way as we walk with Christ.

If we follow Jesus, we can also try as we may to follow how He walked
when He was on the Earth.
Jesus did what He saw the Father do:
Then answered Jesus and said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do:
for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. John 5:19
Jesus said what He heard the Father say:
For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me,
He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
And I know that His commandment is life everlasting:
whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak.
John 12:49-50

Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?
the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself:
but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. John 14:10

The more we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and have free reign over our flesh, we, too, will be reflecting the Father and His Son Jesus the Christ
through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us,
because He hath given us of His Spirit. 1 John 4:13
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16
What beautiful thoughts.

The Parable
The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. v 1
And great multitudes were gathered together unto Him,
so that He went into a ship, and sat;
and the whole multitude stood on the shore. v 2
Commentary:
There are times when Jesus spoke to many and other times to just His disciples
and at times, only to one or two disciples.
Just like with us, there are things for everyone to hear
and things that are very individualized.
At the end of this parable, He says, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Even though it is for everyone, not all will understand it.
Consider yourself blessed if you have ears
and can hear Jesus speaking to us in His word.
If you have not experienced Jesus’ Living Word, He will hear your prayer:
And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

The Parable:
And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went forth to sow; v 3
Jesus’ Explanation:
Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. v 18
Commentary:
This particular time Jesus was talking to the people, He spoke only in parables.
A parable is somewhat similar to a metaphor.
A parable is a short story with a moral to it.
A metaphor is an idea that similarly reflects another idea.
Sometimes Jesus did not explain the parables.
This time He did. Even so, some did not understand.
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not;
and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. Matthew 13:13

The Parable:
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side,
and the fowls came and devoured them up: v 4
Jesus’ Explanation:
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not,
then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  v 19
Commentary:
Some seeds never even make it to the hearts of men.
Even the most wonderful treasures can just fall by the way side and be wasted.
It depends on how the hearer values the words
and how much they desire to learn about Jesus and His Kingdom to come.

The Parable:
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth:
and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: v 5
And when the sun was up, they were scorched;
and because they had no root, they withered away. v 6
Jesus’ Explanation:
But he that received the seed into stony places,
the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; v 20
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while:
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the word, by and by he is offended. v 21
Commentary:
This is the difficult part for many to love and accept the truth,
no matter what that means.
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21
People like Jesus’ words on the surface.
They like that He is loving and kind and giving.
Many take issue with His words of Hell or of correction and harsh words for sin.
Jesus said,
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words
in this adulterous and sinful generation;
of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. Mark 8:38

The Parable:
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: v 7
Jesus’ Explanation:
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word;
and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word,
and he becometh unfruitful. v 22
Commentary:
Those are almost like weeds. They just cling to something,
but never develop enough to make a difference in their faith
or the hearers can be led astray as the thorns interfere with the truth.

The Parable:
But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit,
some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. v 8
Jesus’ Explanation:
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word,
and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit,
and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. v 23
Commentary:
This is where we hope to be: Good Ground.
We can till our own soil to an extent.
We also have to let the Lord do His work in our lives.
He knows best and can overcome the world within us.
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:16
Our work means nothing without His Holy Spirit.
We also do not make anything grow or bear fruit. Only God can do that.
We cannot make anything grow in the flesh, in our own lives or in the lives of others.
Our work in the Lord is valuable to Him and He will reward us greatly.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. v 9

Trying to figure things out in the natural, with the human understanding,
will not be beneficial in your relationship with Jesus.
While it is good to understand the Bible in the flesh, there is more to it.
There is another meaning and likely several. God’s word is alive. It reproduces.
It covers many circumstances and each scripture, each word in each scripture testifies of God. The Bible is God in word form.

That is why we have the stark warning about taking words out of the Bible
or adding words to the Bible.
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book,
If any man shall add unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 
And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy,
God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. Revelation 22:18-19

Removing words or adding words to or from the Bible
was mentioned also in Deuteronomy 4:2
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish ought from it,
that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God
which I command you.

What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto,
nor diminish from it. Deuteronomy 12:32

We cannot pick and choose. That is why loving the truth is so vital. By loving the truth, we agree with the Lord,
even though we might have arguments against it.
A form of submission to Him and not being ashamed of His words
in this perverse and adulterous generation.
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words
in this adulterous and sinful generation;
of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. Mark 8:38

Take God’s word very seriously. Let the Holy Spirit teach you and plant the word in your heart. Then, let it grow. The one thing you understand on the surface has a much deeper meaning. That is the difference between milk and meat.
I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 1 Corinthians 3:2

The Parable of the Sower Matthew 13:1-23 is helpful in understanding
and the lessons in God’s word are never-ending.
There will always be more to learn about God’s wordm
which helps us to understand Him and grow closer to Him if we embrace the truth, not in the simplicity of the flesh, but with the spirit, His Spirit.

The End of time has been put into the heart of humans.
He hath made every thing beautiful in His time:
also He hath set the world in their heart,
so that no man can find out the work that God maketh
from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 2:11

As you know, The Book of Revelation is filled with End Time prophecies.
While some prophecies are hard to understand,
all prophecy in The Bible will come to pass.
The book of Daniel echoes many of the events in The Book of Revelation.

The time to ignore this time has come and gone.
Jesus let us know about this time long beforehand.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree;
When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves,
ye know that summer is nigh: 
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things,
know that it is near, even at the doors. 
Verily I say unto you,
This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.
Matthew 24:32-35

What are “these things” that Jesus is referring to?
Listed in Matthew 24 in earlier verses:
For many shall come in my name, saying,
I am Christ; and shall deceive many. v 5
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars:
see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass,
but the end is not yet. v 6
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,
in divers places. v 7 All these are the beginning of sorrows. v 8

The signs are there. The fig tree is being shaken.
Seek the Lord. To be close to the Lord is imperative.
We will not make it, that is, be able to endure, without His strength.
We cannot navigate through these times on our own.
If we do not know what is coming, according to scripture,
we are at a great disadvantage and our spiritual health is in jeopardy.

But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. v 13

Put on the whole armour of God,
that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. v 11

Being strong in the Lord is a process.
It is not a fleshly armour, but a spiritual armour.
It is action in the Word of God.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, v 14
The loins symbolize our reproductive organs:
Produce the truth of the gospel. Jesus is the truth.
and having on the breastplate of righteousness; v 14
A breastplate is a protection.
When we walk in righteousness, we are protected by God.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
and His ears are open unto their cry. Psalm 34:15

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; v 15
Jesus was kind to the unthankful and evil and the goodness of God is what leads people to repentance. That peace is to bring peace between humans and God. We are to share with others that Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness
and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? Romans 2:4

Above all, taking the shield of faith,
wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. v 16
The armour is not about our power and our strength. It is the power and strength of the Lord within us. The power and strength belongs to Him.
Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

And take the helmet of salvation, v 17
The hope of salvation. Would a soldier fight without the hope of victory? This represents our faith in Jesus, that He will accept us through the redemption of His blood sacrifice and it is with that assurance that we are humble before Him, willing to stand up for Him as we are ridiculed and separated from this world while we still live in it.
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: v 17
The word, once it becomes a part of us, can be used as He leads, with His Holy Spirit to divide the soul and the spirit and separate truth from error.
For the word of God is alive and powerful.
It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword,
cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.
It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 NLT

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. v 18
Always in communion with the Lord in prayer.

Funny thing is now, several hours later, I cannot even remember what it was. I asked the Lord when I thought of it, How are we supposed to deal with those things that keep coming up? We try to forget and then they come into our minds, uninvited and how do we get rid of them. We know they offend You when we hold grudges.
I’m glad to know I wasn’t holding a grudge because it’s gone. It was like a flashback. I guess I was able to redo it quickly, that is forgive and move on and cast my vain imaginations down.

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:5

Keep going. Don’t get stuck, don’t wallow, just move along and forget about it. Give it to the Lord and trust He will give you the strength to let it go. If it doesn’t go away, check with Jesus to make sure you have forgiven from the bottom of your heart. Read His word if you need help casting down those memories. He will be there for you. He always is. He always will be.

According to the Bible, we are supposed to put to death our fleshly desires.
It is no wonder the flesh is our enemy. We’re trying to kill its freedom.
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Rom 8:13

We are created in the image of God.
We have emotions which can rule our lives if we let them.
Our flesh wants what it wants and we are used to getting those things.
Then, we decide we are going to live for God.
The flesh does not die quickly or easily.
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness,
which is idolatry: For which things’ sake
the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Galatians 3:5-6

This where denying yourself and taking up your cross comes into action.
And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23

If we refuse to deny our flesh, we are serving our own selves instead of Jesus.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
Loving himself and worshipping himself was what Satan did.
He got cast out of Heaven and was not able to fellowship with God.
We must be careful and realize when we choose our own selves,
what is best for us, what works for us, what we like,
what we think is important without checking with God,
we are choosing ourselves and the world. Hard truth.
Make your choice and stick with it. Seek God for wisdom and strength.
He has warned us many times how important it is to keep Him as our Lord.

To many He will say, I never knew you. Depart from Me.
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me,
ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:23 Look it up. It’s sobering.

1. Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
   I have already come;
   ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
   And grace will lead me home. v. 3
2. The Lord has promised good to me,
   His Word my hope secures;
   He will my Shield and Portion be,
   As long as life endures. v. 4
3. The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
   The sun forbear to shine;
   But God, who called me here below,
   Will be forever mine. v. 6
   John Newton, published 1779

Perilous times are here.
We will be affected.
That does not mean the Lord will not be with us.
He has promised that He will never leave or forsake us.
There are many promises in the word of how the Lord will be there for us,
how He will protect us from the enemy.
Jesus also gave us many warnings that we shall be persecuted
and some of us unto death.

I asked the Lord if I would be martyred.
He responded, “I will give you the strength you need.”
He did not say yes nor did He say no,
but indicated there are very hard times coming.
We need to be ready.
We need to have our lamps filled with oil.
We need to be close to Jesus.
We need to hear His direction on our lives.

There is much false hope out there now.
Some are trusting in a man.
Some are looking for the economy to strengthen,
for us to go back to the way we were
before God’s Judgment was being poured out.
We cannot look to anyone or anything but Jesus.
He is our only hope.
He is our only security.
The battles we face will be many and oftentimes consecutive.

The red horse of war in Revelation appears to have been loosed.
There will be much death.
Still, our only hope is Jesus.
A strong leader whose trust is in the Lord can help,
but only Jesus is trustworthy.

The Bible is filled with scriptures, whether in historical stories
or admonitions of God’s faithfulness to His people.
He reminds us many times to focus on Him.
So, focus on Jesus.
Do not let yourself be burdened by what is happening around you.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; 
but it shall not come nigh thee. Psalm 91:7

Whatever your fate in these End Times, Jesus will walk with you.
He will guide you.
He will comfort you.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him, and honour him. Psalm 91:15

This is not just for the Earthly situations, but this is about Heavenly situations as well.
Take a lower seat.
Let Jesus exalt you.
If you exalt yourself, you will be humbled.
There are positions in His kingdom.
From great in the Kingdom of Heaven to the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven:
but whosoever shall do and teach them,
the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:19

Which commandments is Jesus talking about?
The beginning of the list of commandments during this sermon,
The Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7,
tells us how important it is to follow His commandments.
There are many commandments and admonitions of the Lord.
Following His commandments is part of humbling yourself before the Lord.

Those people who say we have no responsibilities before the Lord
after we become saved are missing the mark.
Jesus teaches us many things and we are expected by Him to follow them.
If we don’t, we are acting in pride and we may very well have lost the fear of the Lord.