ACCESSING GOSPEL BLESSINGS, PLANT THE SEED OF FAITH

The prophet Alma was a great leader and teacher who taught the people of his generation about the importance of having faith in the word of God. According to him we can only access gospel blessings if we plant God's word in our hearts.

In Alma 32: 28 he said: “Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now If ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold,, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves- It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good,, it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.”

Unbelief
In Alma's time we had people who rejected the word of God because of their unbelief. In our world today, we have a lot of people who do not believe in the power and efficacy of God's word. In their apostasy they have deprived themselves of gospel blessings.

The prophet Alma taught his people to have faith and plant the word of God in their hearts, saying this was necessary if they wanted to experience profound changes in their lives. They should not cast out God's word by their unbelief. They should plant it in the fertile soil of their hearts and nurture it until it grows into a tree bearing fruits that they can harvest and enjoy.

Characteristics of seed
A seed is a good seed if it has the following characteristics: it must be viable, it must have the capacity to produce its own kind, it must have the capacity to multiply and give more seeds, it must be planted in suitable soil, it must be watered, and when it germinates it must be cared for, weeds around it must be cleared to give it chance to grow and bear fruit.

A farmer must have faith to plant it in the first place. There is a period of waiting during which the farmer must labour and ensure that the young plant is nurtured; it is provided sufficient nutrients and sunshine to make it grow. It must grow into a beautiful plant bearing fruit which the farmer can harvest and enjoy.

When a seed germinates, the farmer knows it is a good seed. Growing into a tree that bears fruit is not an overnight phenomenon. The farmer must be diligent in providing care so that it does not wither and die.

The word is powerful and transformational
The word of God is comparable to a seed. It must be planted in the fertile soil of our soft hearts. This can only happen if we have faith that the seed will do us some good. The word of God which represents Christ and all he stands for is powerful and transformational. When we receive or read God's word, we need to ponder over it to experience its efficacy and inspiration. We must pray and allow the word to grow in us. We must obey the word and do what it tells us to do. We must ask God in earnest to give us strength along the way. This is because of the many challenges that can come our way. Unbelief and doubts are real traitors that can paralyze us into inaction.

We have to persevere and be consistent in adhering to gospel standards and practices in order to receive divine blessings.

When God's word is planted in our hearts, it produces effects similar to what happens in the case of a seed that is planted in fertile soil.

The efficacy of the word
First, God's word will enlarge your soul. This means your spiritual life will expand. You will grow, develop and make progress in your spiritual life. You will be longing for the scriptures because of the inspiration to do positive things and to serve the LORD righteously. When your soul enlarges, more room is created to receive more.

God's word can enlighten our understanding. Your appreciation of God and what he expects of us can only come with our understanding of the scriptures. Knowledge is information which we can acquire in diverse ways- reading and being taught or mentored by others who are more experienced than we are. Wisdom is divine truth that can be applied to solve difficult human problems. God is the only source of true wisdom.

Reading the scriptures will sharpen and enhance our understanding of God and his standards.

God's word can be delicious to you. When we eat food that is delicious, we get really satisfied. The word of God is delicious because of the many benefits that come to us including being clothed with peace and love. The knowledge of knowing that we can receive forgiveness if we truly repent of sins and the fact that we have a caring God can satisfy our soul.

Conclusion
In conclusion, we need faith to imbibe the word of God and receive divine blessings. President James E. Faust (1920-2007) spiritual leader and teacher noted; “We need to prepare our own seedbeds of faith. To do this we need to plow the soil through daily humble prayer, asking for strength and forgiveness. We need to harrow the soil by overcoming our feelings of pride. We need to prepare the seedbed by keeping the commandments to the best of our ability. We need to be honest with the Lord in the payment of our tithing and our other offerings. We need to be worthy and able to call forth the great powers of the priesthood to bless ourselves, our families, and others for whom we have responsibility. There is no better place for the spiritual seeds of our faith to be nurtured than within the hallowed sanctuaries of our temples and in our homes.”

Yours in inspiration,

Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU

Personal Development Coach