Barriers to Applying God’s Word
We meet resistance in attempting to do what God's Word says.
I want to be like Jesus. I want to be like Him in my thinking. I want to be like Him in my behavior. One of the key ways for me to become like Christ is by knowing God's Word and applying it in my life. God's Word is a gift to us. It contains the story of our salvation. It tells us how we may be saved—by grace through faith (see Eph. 2:8-9). At the same time, God's Word guides us in how to live our lives for Christ. It reveals to us God's purposes, values, and expectations for our lives. The Bible is a really important part of the Christian life. It's no wonder the Scriptures say this about God's Word: "Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" (Deut. 8:3 ESV). God's Word provides us with the sustenance we need to live our lives each day for Christ.
It's no secret that I always encourage the reading and studying of God's Word every day. It's a foundational spiritual practice. I, myself, read up to 9 passages of Scripture per day. But knowing God's Word (by reading it) forms only one half of the equation for Christlike transformation to occur. It's not enough that we know God's Word. It's important that we also apply God's Word in our lives. James exhorted the believers in his letter with these words: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (Jam. 1:22 ESV). We can easily deceive ourselves into thinking that we're following God and transforming by accumulating a lot of Biblical knowledge. But does all that knowledge matter if we don't apply it in the end? Transformation requires both knowing God's Word and applying it in our lives.
But applying God's Word is where we get bogged down. We meet resistance in attempting to do what God's Word says. Jesus knew this really well. He told a parable that showcased the difficulty of applying God's Word—the "Parable of the Sower" (aka "Parable of the Soils"). The parable is about a farmer who sows seed (in Matt. 13:18, Jesus explained that the seed is God's Word). The parable contains three types of soils where the seed lands and doesn't produce fruit. These three soils represent three barriers to applying God's Word:
Barrier 1: Path – Some seed (God's Word) fell on the path and the birds ate it up (see Matt 13:4). Jesus explained that the "the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19 ESV). One of the things we need to recognize is that there is a spiritual world. In that spiritual world reside God (Father, Son, and Spirit), angels, demons (evil spirits), and the evil one (Satan). The evil one doesn't want God's Word flourishing in the life of any person. That's because God's truth is powerful—powerful enough to change the trajectory of a person's life when taken seriously. The evil one doesn't want that and will seek to interfere with God's Word being applied in the life of a person.
Barrier 2: Rocky – Some seed (God's Word) fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil. The plant sprang up quickly but didn't have much root. The sun came up and scorched the plant and it withered away (see Matt. 13:5-6). Jesus explained that some people hear and receive God's Word with joy and they endure for a little while. But "when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately [they fall] away" (Matt. 13:21 ESV). Trouble and persecution may arise because of one's belief in God's Word. That's because many in our world don't believe in God and His holy Word. They don't believe in God's purposes, values, and expectations. Experiencing trouble and persecution will cause some to abandon the Word. It's just easier to live without it when their family, friends, and community don't believe in the same way and even become hostile towards them.
Barrier 3: Thorny – Some seed (God's Word) fell on ground with thorns. When the plants grew up, the thorns ended up choking the plants (see Matt. 13:7). Jesus explained that some people hear God's Word but "the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful" (Matt. 13:22 ESV). Some people hear God's Word but refuse to change their purpose in life in light of it. They continue to make the pursuit of wealth and comfort their primary purpose in life and they're distracted by riches and the things they can buy with it. They end up pursuing worldly things rather than the things of God. And they don't produce fruit in accordance with God's Word in the end.
Applying God's Word in our lives is not easy. It's made even more challenging with the presence of these 3 barriers to application: (1) the interference of the evil one, (2) troubles and persecution, and (3) cares of this world and riches. We need to consider how these three barriers are impacting our application of God's Word and our transformation to become like Jesus in the end.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
