The word for this week is "root". Mark 4:16-17 says this:
16 And in the same way the ones sown upon stony ground are those who, when they hear the Word, at once receive and accept and welcome it with joy; 17 And they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away. AMP
"Root" here is the Greek word "rhiza". Vine's Expository Dictionary says: is used of cause, origin, source. The reason that these people fall away is because they do not have the root (origin, source) of the Word within them. They do not have the Holy Spirit of God living in them. They are not believers. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us this:
14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated. AMP
You DO have the Spirit of God living in you, so you CAN receive, know and understand the Word of God! That is why studying the Word is so exciting, because it has meaning to you! The more you prepare your heart to receive from the Word (I like to pray Psalm 25:5 before I study), the more understanding you will have. As you act on the Word, the understanding of that Word will take root in you and you will be able to continue to build on that, layer upon layer, growing more every day! I LOVE how that works!
A look at the negative aspect of "root" is found in 1 Tim 6:10:
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. KJV
If we are going to believe the Word of God, then we have to realize that the root cause behind every thought or act of evil is the love of money! This is the Greek word "philarguria" which Strong's Concordance says means: avarice. The Dictionary definition of avarice is: excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain. This is not necessarily money, but anything someone desires that they feel they don't have. It is like a hunger that is never satisfied and a thirst that is never quenched. This drives people to do things that most other people would never think of doing. Having this understanding of human nature may help you in every area of life! I believe that God is going to use you to minister to some people that many of us will never come in contact with! You will do great! You ARE a mighty man of God! Here to encourage you in that is Hillsong with "Stand In Awe":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
