Shine Forth the Light of God

And he said to them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick? 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 has ears to hear, let him hear. -Mark 4:21-23

The margin in my Bible more accurately translates the word candle as lamp or light. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” So this passage in Mark is talking about the Word of God. Is God’s Word to be put under a bushel or a bed instead of set on a candlestick?

Jesus is saying that His Word isn’t meant to be hidden or stuck on a shelf somewhere. It’s meant to be placed on a stand, where it can shine forth and give life to everyone. In other words, God wants His Word to get on the inside of us so it can start producing life on the outside.

How do we get God’s Word off the pages of the Bible and operating in our lives? How do we become living epistles, known and read of all men? (2 Cor. 3:2.) Mark 4:23 53 tells us “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.

The Word shines forth when we take time to hear and feed on it. The more we hear the Word, letting the Holy Spirit teach us God’s higher thoughts and ways, the more the Word gives us light, truth and understanding. Then we’re able to pass its truth on to others.

You see, were God’s billboards on this earth. As the Word produces life in us, the love, health, peace and light of God then shine forth in every area of our lives to give life to those around us.

CONFESSION:

I have ears to hear, so I choose to hear God’s Word. The Holy Spirit opens the mysteries of the Scriptures to me, revealing the life and the ways of God to me. God’s light and life are in me, shining forth so others can see.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

How To Be “Good Ground”

And other [seed] fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased, and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. -Mark 4:8

So what do you do to make sure you are good ground? Well, start out hearing God’s Word. When the thief comes to steal it away, keep on hearing the Word of God. When persecutions and afflictions come because of the Word, (and they will come to everyone), keep hearing what God says.

First Peter 4:12 says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” What do you do when the fiery trials come? Do you feed on them? No, you keep on hearing the Word.

The cares of the world will try to distract you but keep on hearing the Word. The deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things will try to get in your way, but just keep hearing the Word and plowing through. One day the fruit of that Word will start popping up on the other side of all the trials and distractions of life. You’ll reap a harvest that is thirty, sixty or even a hundredfold!

The Bible says, “My son, attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings” (Prov 4:20). As long as we want abundant life, including healing in our bodies, we must incline our ears to His sayings. We must hear God’s Word coming from the pulpit, from tapes, from television and radio and, most importantly, from our own mouths.

Someone may ask, “How long do I have to hear the Word? All through eternity! It’s that good. It’s not a chore—it’s a pleasure.

CONFESSION:

My ears are a gateway to my spirit. What I hear controls what fruit is produced in my life. I desire the fruit of divine health and abundant life, so I won’t let anything distract me from hearing God’s Word!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Watch Out for Thorns!

And some [seed] fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded not fruit.

And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. -Mark 4:7, 18-19

How could anything gain enough strength or power to choke the Word and cause God's Word to become unfruitful! The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things, don’t have enough strength in themselves to do it. It’s what we do with those “thorns” that cause them to choke the Word in our lives.

“These are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word.” This person starts out right. He’s hearing and feeding on the Word of God and the Word is starting to grow and bear fruit.

And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in…” Then suddenly the cares of this world show up, and he starts listening to them. The deceitfulness of riches and lusts of other things follow right along, and soon he’s feeding on them instead of God’s Word. The “thorns” enter in and choke out the Word, making it unfruitful in his life.

Several years ago, I was trying to share the Word and pray for a man in a hospital but having little success. The man finally said, “I guess I was just born bad ground.”

No, there’s no such thing as anyone’s being born bad ground. You decide what kind of ground you’re going to be. You can be the kind of ground that never bears fruit, or you can decide to be good ground that bears a hundredfold return!

CONFESSION:

I’m good ground for the Word. I cast my cares on the Lord. I seek the riches of my inheritance in Christ. The Word is planted in my heart and is bearing good fruit!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

 

 

 

“Stony Ground” Hearers

And some [seed] fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun was up, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away.

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.                                                                                                                    -Mark 4:5-6,16-17

We’ve all seen these “stony ground” people. They come to hear the Word of God, and they get really excited about it. They say, “Oh, man, this is so good! I’ve been looking for this for years!

But these people are also “have-hearders.” They don’t settle down and continue to hear the Word. Therefore, the Word they’ve heard never really takes root in them.

The minute persecution and affliction come along for the Word’s sake (and they will), these people stop hearing the Word and start hearing the persecution and affliction. In six months, we wonder where they are. They’ve just blown away with the wind.

When I first found out that by Jesus’ stripes, I was healed, I said, “Thank God, I’ll never be sick a day in my life again!” Then I spent the next six weeks battling all kinds of symptoms!

As soon as you get a revelation in the Word, the thief will try to steal that away through persecution and affliction. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up saying, “Well, I tried that, and it didn’t work.

Jesus said these people endure only for a short time because they have no root in themselves. (v. 17) How does God’s Word take root in us? By our hearing and hearing. What we hear on a regular basis is what bears fruit in our lives.

CONFESSION:

I attend to God’s Word, so it is rooted and grounded in my heart. When symptoms attack my body, His Word rises up in me to heal, strengthen and comfort me.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Don’t Be a “Have-Hearder”

Behold, there went out a sower to sow.

And it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it up.

And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. -Mark 4:3-4, 15

Jesus is teaching the foundation on which the entire kingdom of God operates; sowing and reaping. This spiritual principle applies to every part of life. If you sow the seed, you reap the harvest. If you don’t sow the seed, you don’t reap the harvest.

The seed here is the Word of God. Jesus begins to explain the parable to them. “The sower sows the word.” (v.14) The Word of God is the subject. “These are they by the wayside, where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

How was Satan able to do that? Why could he just come in and steal the Word away so easily? Look at the phrasing: “…but when they have heard…” Jesus says they are “have-hearders.” He doesn’t say, “They’re hearing it”, He says, “They have heard it.” The reason that Satan could steal it away so easily is that they quit hearing God’s Word and started hearing something else.

I remember when I thought I knew everything there was to know about Mark 11:24. I’d heard hundreds of different messages about that one verse. At one meeting, the minister said, “Open to Mark 11:24,” and I just shut off my mind.

About six weeks later, I couldn’t figure out why that verse wasn’t working for me! The reason was that I'd turned into a “have-hearder,” and the thief started stealing away what I’d already planted in my heart.

People often say, “I’ve already heard that. I don’t need to hear it again.” But we must hear every part of God’s Word continually. What we’re hearing today will bear fruit in our lives tomorrow.

CONFESSION:

I am a hearer, not a “have-hearder.” I continually hear the Word. I keep it before my eyes; I incline my ears to its truth. And as I act on God’s Word in faith, it bears much rich fruit in my life.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

A Treasure Hidden for Us

And he taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his doctrine, Harken, Behold, there went out a sower to sow. -Mark 4:2,3

In this passage, Jesus began teaching a crowd in parables. Later, when He was alone with His disciples, they asked Him the meaning of the parable of the sower. In essence they said, “We don’t understand what You’re talking about.”

Jesus said to them, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables” (v 11). Then He continued, “Know ye not this parable? And how then will you know all parables? (v. 13)

Jesus was saying, “This is the key. If you gain understanding of this parable, everything else will start to open up to you.”

Some people read the Bible and say, “I don’t understand the Bible. It’s Greek to me.”

Well, the Bible was written in code form. That’s why God gave us the Holy Spirit—to translate, interpret and teach the Word to us. The reason many people have trouble understanding the Word is that they’ve never let the Holy Spirit be the teacher. They try to read the Bible with their own understanding.

But the Word is revelation truth. Verse 22 AMP says, “[Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret except in order that it may be made known.” God’s revelation truth was hidden not to keep it from us, but to keep it for us.

Every time you open your Bible, just ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. He is the teacher of the Church, and He will reveal to you what is written on the pages.

CONFESSION:

The Holy Spirit is my teacher: He teaches me hidden truths and wonderful mysteries as I read and meditate on God’s Word. I am planting the Word in my heart, and it is bearing rich fruit.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Blessed Are the Merciful

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. -Matthew 5:7

The best thing you can do if you need healing in your body is to start praying for people to be healed. Believing God for others to be healed increases your capacity to receive healing for yourself.

Jesus said, Blessed are the merciful.” What are you doing when you’re praying for the sick? You’re showing God’s mercy. Blessed are the merciful.” How are the merciful blessed? “For they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

People all through the Gospels cried out for mercy, and the blessing they received was healing. You will receive God's healing mercies as well, as you minister God’s healing mercies to others. This is confirmed in Ephesians 6:8, where it says, “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.”

Paul states a spiritual principle here. If you’re doing good things, the same good things will be given back to you. Therefore, the best thing you can do when you need healing is to thank God that healing belongs to you and then start finding people to minister to. Go pray for the sick.

Be out doing the work of the ministry, fulfilling the Great Commission, whether your body hurts or not. As you get busy seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ministering God’s mercy to others, the healing mercies of God will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).

CONFESSION:

Jesus is my healer. I show His mercy to people to help them receive, and I obtain the healing mercy I need.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999