That None Should Perish

February 9, 2026

Matthew 13:4 Living Bible

“A farmer was sowing grain in his fields. As he scattered the seeds across the ground, some fell beside a path, and the birds came and ate it.”

We all know this parable but God wants me to put it into a different context, our HEART! Our salvation starts with our heart and a change inside. It feels wonderful at first and we are in love with that feeling. But sometimes that feeling starts to wear off and we wonder why?

Like the human heart, it needs blood to circulate throughout our body. If it is blocked, then the heart starts to die. It cannot do its job as something is keeping it from circulating. So it is the same when we forget to feed what God has planted. Like the seed in rocky ground, it will eventually die. God wants to feed YOU but HE needs YOU to respond. It is a two-way street. By staying in contact with Him, reading His word, and doing His WILL; not yours, then that seed has a chance to grow. He can transplant that tiny little seed from the rocky soil and replace it with good soil that is watered by the Gardener and it will thrive. But YOU need to respond.

PRAYER: Oh Lord God, Praise YOUR HOLY NAME ABOVE ALL! I ask that you take that tiny little seed that You planted in my heart and allow it to grow and blossom. Not just in my heart, but to every part of my body. My heart feeds my mind, my hands, my feet, my eyes and ears. Every part of my body needs YOU to survive in this world full of sin, distractions, lies that the evil one tells us, and it is choking me to the point where I cannot survive!

Lord, I ask that you come to my heart, and cut off all those branches that are not producing fruit for You. Take away all feelings that are not of YOU, take them away, burn them and then can You come in and replant that poor, tired seed into a new heart born of YOUR LOVE FOR US! Remind me to daily water it with YOUR words, love, compassion and purity that YOU desire. Only then can we find YOU!

AMEN!

The Seed and Your Heart, Part 2 The Living Bible

Matthew 13: 3-6

“And some fell on rocky soil where there was little depth of earth; the plants sprang up quickly enough in the shallow soil, but the hot sun soon scorched them and they withered and died, for they had so little root. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorna choked out the tender blades.”

Matthew 3:20-22, paraphrased.

Going back to our heart example from yesterday. Some hearts accept Jesus and they accept it with true joy but he doesn’t have much depth in his life and the roots don’t go very deep and then when trouble comes or persecution begins because of his beliefs, it fades and he drops away.

The ground covered with thorns and thistles repreesnts a man who hears the message, but the cares of this life and his longing for money chokes out God’s Word and he does less and less for God.

PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit! Thank you for giving us the instructions that we need to protect our hearts! Praise Your Name.

Help us to clean out our hearts as they become clogged with thinking of ourselves only. WE aren’t meant to just say “okay, I am saved and I will make it into heaven.” That is not HOLY! That is thinking just about ME and not fully understanding that it is about You! You and JESUS in partnership with each other. Me giving myself TOTALLY to JESUS! It is a very selfish way of thinking that I did this and now I want You to give me everything I want.

GOD SAYS NO! And He responds by trying to get your attention, but after a while all of those thorns start rapidly growing up and then eventually You don’t hear HIS VOICE and it disappears.

Or so you think.

Jesus is always there.

Waiting for YOU!

Whether you believe in Him or not, He is always there. Jesus will never go away, He is Eternal and Lord of All.

He loves YOU that much. Jesus will never force HIMSELF on YOU. He will NEVER ASK MORE OF YOU THAN YOU ARE WILLING TO GIVE if you have very little belief. But for those that do BELIEVE ON HIM, He will ask much more of you.

Take care to weed out YOUR heart. Search it diligently. Replace all those “ME” desires, those evil thoughts that satan plants, YOUR SELF, and habits. Those mean nothing. satan is leading you down into hell and doesn’t care about you. satan is a liar and always will be.

Remember that the narrow road is hard to walk, and the road that you walk is WORTH IT. Jesus wants, loves, and knows what is best for YOU. He has your best interests in mind. He will never force you, or coerce you into doing His Will. It is an invitation to Heaven, and He is waiting for YOU to accept it.

Jesus is waiting for YOU!

AMEN!

The Seed and Your Heart, Part 3

February 11, 2026

Matthew 13:8-9,and 23 The Living Bible

“But some fell on good soil, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty and even a hundred times as much as he had planted. If you have ears, listen!”

And jumping down to verse 23.

“The good ground represents the heart of a man who listens to the message and understands it and goes out and brings thirty, sixty or even a hundred others into the Kingdom.”

PRAYER: Bless those who believe in the Lord of All! And Bless those who bring others to His Kingdom of Heaven!

But remember not to grow too comfortable in your works, for the evil one is always watching and waiting to find a chink in your heart and he will try and find a way in. Don’t listen to the false prophets or preachers who twist HIS WORDS or try to pervert The Gospel. Turn a deaf ear to them.

Rather than listening to them, pray for them instead. I am no better than you or them. We are to be first of all, His messengers to EVERYONE. Remember that God created ALL OF US in His image and we are human. We are not above God or even to presume that we are. We are His servants.

Remember that a garden grows but it needs pruning, weeding and watering. So it is like our hearts. Be on constant guard of your heart. Constantly check your heart with scripture. Water your heart with His Good Word. Listen to Jesus who is the King of Your Heart, especially when He tugs at it! Do not ignore it as it usually means something needs to be fixed. Keep your mind clear and healthy as they work together and do not let something perverse in, not even a tiny crack as that crack can spread and grow. NO! That crack cannot be allowed in at all!

Check your habits and make sure that they MIRROR JESUS! Wipe that mirror off, clean it until you see HIS FACE looking back at YOU!

Remember, He has made you into a Holy Vessel that He wants to use and to keep it HOLY.

AMEN!

The Seed and The Heart, Part 4 Feeding Your Heart

January 12, 2026

John 15:9-15 The Living Bible

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Live within my love. When you obey me you are living in MY LOVE, just as I obey MY FATHER and Live in His Love. I have told you this so that you will be filled with MY LOVE and JOY. Yes, your cup of JOY will overflow! I demand that you love each other as much as I LOVE YOU. And here is how to measure it–the greatest love is shown when a person lays down his life for his friend; and you are my friends if you obey me!”

Freely you have received, now freely give! His LOVE for You and Me was freely given to us to share with others. His Love is what YOU feed YOUR HEART to make it pump. It is the purest fuel that you can feed it. That Love that He has given us helps clean out the clogs and protects us! JOY is what keeps HIS LOVE alive. Without love, you have nothing to be JOYFUL about. Without JOY, love will grow cold. They go together. He LOVED US so much that He gave HIS LIFE for me and YOU! JOY FOLLOWS AS WE KNOW HE IS RISEN AND THAT FUELS OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER! As His followers, We are to obey HIM!!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, Heavenly Father and Holy Spirit, I praise YOU above all others!

Remind me daily to grow and fall back in love with You.

Remind me to fuel myself with daily reading from the Holy Bible.

Remind me to search my heart and not let anything that is not of You take root, but to pray on it and allow YOU to cleanse my heart.

Remind me to FORGIVE those who have hurt me, and to LOVE THEM, as You did for me.

Remind me that once I was unworthy of your love, but You changed me, forgave me and now I have been made worthy by YOUR LOVE AND JOY. AND TO EXTEND IT TO OTHERS!

Remind me to LOVE OTHERS as that is YOUR COMMAND!

And most of all, remind me to KEEP YOUR LOVE CLOSE and to SHARE IT!

AMEN!

The Seed and Your Heart, Part 5, A Gift of Peace

February 13, 2026

John 14:21, 26-27 The Living Bible

“The one who obeys me is the one who loves Me, My Father will love him; and I will too, and I will reveal myself to him.

Down to verse 26-27.

But when the Father sends the Comforter instead of me–and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit–He will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you.

I am leaving you with a gift–peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Now that the good seed has been planted, tend to it by obeying the Father and the gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit. Nurture it, hold onto His Peace and LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I LOVE YOU!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for sending us the Holy Spirit and the peace that you have given us, the peace that only those who know you can have, not what the world offers. That is only temporary and changes with the wind. The peace that You have given us is eternal, unchanging, and takes away our worries. Your peace grants us wisdom, boldness of faith, and a heart that is not afraid but rather confident!

The peace that You have given us will not fade away because of circumstances in the world but is eternal. You live within us eternally and the world cannot take it away!

Lord, help me to guard my heart, listen to You and the Holy Spirit. Nudge me gently when I stray and bring me back to You. Don’t let me be lead astray by the temporary things of this world.

Remind me that it is YOUR WILL and not mine that I need to obey. You know me inside out as You created me in Your image, for Your Purpose and You know what is best for me even when I cannot see it.

Grow my trust in You as I walk with You.

Grow my faith in You as You continue to teach me through Your Word.

Guide me as I learn from You. Remind me that worry is superficial and of this world and that the Peace YOU give me is Your Gift to me and will never die.

Hold me tightly when I start to doubt, stray, worry or wonder. You are in control, have all the answers I need and the peace that holds me steady in Your everlasting love for me.

Amen!