What does it take to actually grow your faith in Christ?
In the journey of faith, it’s easy to be distracted by life’s challenges. But Todd Mullins reminds us that if we have Jesus, “then you’ve got everything that you need.”
In a stunning message, Mullins shared powerful insights from Mark 4, where Jesus teaches the parable of the sower—a story that reveals how the condition of our hearts impacts our spiritual growth.
In this parable, Jesus compares the Word of God to a seed that is sown by a farmer. “The seed is the word of God,” Mullins explains, and the soil represents the condition of our hearts. “This is really the parable of the soil more than it’s the parable of the sewer because the sewer can’t make anything grow,” Mullins says. “The sewer doesn’t do anything about the soil. The sewer just sows seed.”
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Mullins explains that our hearts must be prepared to receive God’s word. He identifies several obstacles that hinder spiritual growth.
First, a hardened heart blocks God’s word from taking root. “The more that you and I ignore God… every time we resist God… my heart gets hardened in that area and I can no longer receive,” Mullins states. Just as a rocky path prevents seeds from sprouting, our hearts can become resistant to God’s influence when we turn away from His voice.
Mullins also highlights the danger of distractions, comparing them to thorns that choke the growth of plants. “The worries of this life… the deceitfulness of wealth… and the desires for other things come in and choke the word,” he warns. These distractions can take many forms—fear, anxiety and misplaced priorities—but they all prevent us from fully embracing God’s word and growing in our faith.
To see growth, we must cultivate good soil. How do we do that? We live our lives according to the Word of God. If we do not live out what the Word of God says, it will be impossible for us to cultivate strong, good soil for the kingdom of God.
“Good soil is going to not only receive the word but is actually going to do what the Word says to do,” Mullins emphasizes. True spiritual growth is not just about hearing God’s word, but about living it out. As James 1:22 reminds us, “Do not merely listen to the word… but do what it says.”
Spiritual growth is a continual process of sowing, cultivating and tending to our hearts. When we decide to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, eliminate distractions and live out what Scripture says, then we can truly have victory and freedom in Christ.
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Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
