The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
- Matthew 13:22
October 20, 2023
Good morning, everyone! I am so glad to be here with you this morning. Now, I want to take a moment to tell you a story. A few months ago, I was on a long drive with a friend, and we got stuck in a traffic jam. As I looked around, I noticed something odd about the cars around us. Each car had a different demon inside it. Some cars were filled with the demon of laziness, others with the demon of doubt, and still others with the demon of anxiety and worry.
It was a powerful reminder of the demons that we all face in our lives. We all have our own demons that we need to overcome if we want to move forward and make progress in our lives. So, how do we do it? How do we overcome the demons that stand in our way?
First, we must recognize that these demons exist. We can't ignore them or hope they will go away. We must acknowledge their presence and recognize that they have a real impact in our lives. As we read in James 4:7, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." We must submit ourselves to God and recognize that He is bigger than our demons and that He can help us overcome them.
Second, we must build up our faith. We must trust in the power of God and in His ability to help us defeat our demons. We must remember that God is faithful and that He will never leave us or forsake us. As Jesus said in Matthew 17:20, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." We must trust in God's power and believe that He can help us overcome our demons.
Third, we must take action against our demons. We can't just sit back and expect them to go away. We must actively fight against them. We must pray, read our Bibles, attend church, and talk to our friends about our struggles. As Paul says in Ephesians 6:13-14, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist." We must actively fight against our demons if we want to overcome them.
So today I want to challenge all of us here to take up the fight against our own demons. Don't let them keep you down any longer. Take action against them today and trust in God's power to help you overcome them. As the old adage goes: "Where there is faith, there is hope; where there is hope, there is courage; where there is courage, there are no demons!"