Breaking Chains and Bearing Fruit: How God Grows His Kingdom in You

Summary

This devotional explains how spiritual growth depends on our response to God’s Word. Using Jesus’ parables in Mark 4, it describes four heart conditions that determine fruitfulness. Hardened habits, shallow commitment, and distractions hinder growth, while receptive obedience produces lasting fruit. God causes growth, but believers cooperate by removing obstacles and applying biblical truth. Healthy habits nurture maturity as God expands His kingdom within each life.

Habits That Shape the Soul

Habits begin as spiderwebs and then become chains. Some habits are good. Some are not.

Regular church attendance is a good habit. Regularly attending with your mind in neutral or without commitment to do anything about what you hear is not. To grow spiritually, you must be willing to change your ways.

Why Hearing God’s Word Requires Response

Several parables in Mark 4:1-34 portray the growth of God’s Kingdom. It embraces more people and more of each person.

Spiritual growth depends on an individual's response to God’s word (Mark 4:1-25). Jesus described a farmer sowing seeds in diverse types of soil. The story has a deeper meaning. Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (Mark 4:9, NIV).

The Four Soils of the Heart

Since His disciples did not understand the Parable of the Soils, Jesus explained it. He said the four soils represent four responses to God’s word.

The first response is like a seed scattered on hard-packed soil. It is taken away before it germinates. That is why unbelievers do not understand God’s word.

It is also why some professing believers do not apply it. Have long-term habits so trampled and hardened the soil of your mind that the word has no chance of germinating? Growth requires a willingness to change.

Short-Lived and Choked Spiritual Growth

The second response to God’s word yields only short-lived growth. Often this follows a merely emotional response to the gospel.

Absent is a whole-person commitment of mind, emotion, and the will for the long haul. Toadstool Christians are briefly spectacular. But they fade away quickly.

The third response results in choked-out growth. An initial positive response to the word occurs. But the word is not allowed to complete its course and produce fruit.

Distractions choke it out—the desire to be a star student or athlete, fit into the group, be cool, popular, noticed, secure, or comfortable. Financial idolatry chokes it out. So does the desire for other things. Your priorities determine both your spiritual fruit and the church’s future.

Good Soil and Lasting Fruit

The fourth is the good soil response. Biblical truth is like fertilizer. To bear fruit, you must incorporate and apply it to your life.

Breaking Chains and Bearing Fruit

God causes spiritual growth (Mark 4:26-34). He pre-programs seeds to bear fruit. Given favorable conditions, God’s rule within you will result in breaking chains and bearing fruit. You cooperate by removing obstructions to growth as God mysteriously transforms your speech, attitudes, motives, and actions.

Partnering With God as a Faithful Gardener

The Parable of the Mustard Seed teaches that the Kingdom of God grows from a small beginning to reach impressive proportions (Mark 4:30-32). God makes it grow, but you are the gardener who works with Him. See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.  #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources

God has empowered me to write His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength. It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship e-book. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead 7,541 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 17,361 people. I invite you to explore and use it in your setting. 

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