God is creative. Everything else has been created. When He creates, He does so with power and potential at the same time. God created the heavens and the earth and all that is within it. Everything on earth contains a seed. If fruit did not have seed, then when it was consumed, God would have to recreate the fruit. He created everything with the capability to reproduce itself. When you are saved and the Divine seed is implanted within you, it is a finished work, but it is not complete. Everything you need is in the seed. It is only able to release its potential, when it is released into an environment where the best can be brought forth from it. The seed doesn’t need to be altered or augmented. The only thing it needs, is to be activated. Nothing in your entire being can be released until it is activated. For instance, love isn’t love until it is given away. Forgiveness must be extended. If you want to see the potential and the power in you seed, there must be submission to the process. It is in THE DIRT. For every revelation, there must be a situation. There must be the dirt of experience for manifestation to be revealed.

Jesus is the Master Teacher. He takes the message of the Kingdom and make it relevant to His audience. He frequently used agricultural references. In the parables He spoke of the Kingdom of heaven being like a treasure that is hidden in a field, or a seed that a man will sow. The seed grows, even if the man doesn’t understand how it is happening. Aren’t you glad that you don’t have to know HOW, if you know WHO! If God is for us than no man can be against us. We may not understand much of what happens around us, but if we are in relationship with Christ, we are hidden in Him. We can trust the process. Jesus takes the simplest of illustrations and unpacks eternal truths. Scattering seed seems insignificant. Jesus Himself seemed insignificant. He did not appear as they thought the Messiah would appear. He willingly became ordinary. There are times when He seemed invisible. There are times when we plant our seed and we feel just as invisible. Even when we feel insignificant, invisible or ignorant, it doesn’t matter. God still knows HOW to work. He will. That’s a promise!

The Kingdom of God is like a man who sowed seed both day and night. It brings forth, even if he doesn’t know how. This is the parable in Mark chapter four, that Jesus uses to speak of the Kingdom of God. Notice, that in the analogy, it brings forth whether the man understands how it happens, or not. We live in the information age. It is so important in our current culture that we understand HOW things work. Understanding seems to give us confidence. In the Kingdom of God, however, we are admonished to, “Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and NOT lean on our own understanding”. The disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us HOW to pray.” Our walk is one of faith. It is proven when we can’t see. The opposite of faith is sight. When the seed goes into the dirt, the farmer must trust that it will bring forth, even when it appears that nothing is happening at all. It is now under in the dirt and unseen. We walk by faith and not by sight. We must trust God in the dark places. We don’t know how He is going to come through for us this time, but we can trust Him with the process. A seed is anything that you have, that represents a future that you want. Take the seed and sow it into the ground of trust. Let the process work. Let the dirt work! It may appear for a while that nothing is happening. There is a difference between something being planted and something being buried.

In Mark chapter four, we find the basis of our series. In the current culture of Jesus, people were typically involved in agricultural or the fishing industry. Often, He would use references which were common, to reveal an uncommon premise. He indicates that the Kingdom of heaven is like a man who scattered seed. Night and day, it brought forth, he knows not how. Jesus reveals deep truths about the unseen heavenly Kingdom, by using metaphors that the current population understood. The scriptures weren’t gathered then. There were only the five books of the Old Testament. Ordinary people had no access to the written Word. He speaks to them in metaphors, so that they would know how God functions. He told them consider the lily, and to consider the birds of the air. God cares for them. How much more valuable is man? In the opening metaphor, Jesus is encouraging us to take the seed of His words and plant them in our lives. We may not always see what is happening, but God is working beneath the dirt, to bring about the Kingdom of God in our lives!

So, how do you let the dirt work? Consider that Jesus begins his ministry with a message that had never previously been shared. Prior to this, they had always talked about God and sang praises about God. Jesus enters their world and begins to talk about the Kingdom of God. He would paint word pictures. He communicated in a variety of social languages that were practical. He spoke very often in parables. God knows how to reach us where we are, so that he can teach us about where are and who He is. He can speak the language of the elite and he can speak the language of the ordinary laborer. Whatever He must do to make His message plain, He will do. If He was talking to farmers, He would speak to them about seedtime and harvest. He modified His style but was consistent with His message. God is not “put off” my man’s ignorance nor intimidated by man’s wisdom. He came to preach the culture of heaven. He demonstrated through the language of agriculture that He understood the process of reaping a harvest. It would not be easy. God was not afraid to get into the dirt of our life experience with us and bring forth the Kingdom of God in our lives.

Life is messy. It just is! Even for the most committed Christian. While we are in this world, Jesus warned us that we would have trouble. Thank God, this is not the end of the story. He also told us not to be afraid, because He had overcome the world. If we are following the One who has OVERCOME the world, we will be able to manage the trouble we find IN the world. There is a great religious misconception or misrepresentation in Christianity. Some will teach that coming into relationship with Christ will make you immune to trouble. This is not reality. There will be moments of great joy and moments of great sorrow. Scripture teaches us that rain falls on the just and the unjust. The truth is that God keeps us during trouble. Isaiah said, WHEN you walk through the fires, He would be with you. He said WHEN you pass through the flood, the waters would not overcome you. It was never IF, rather it was WHEN. With God’s strength, He promised to carry us through whatever life might bring. You can be victorious in and through any situation, because God is with you in the dirt.

Everyone has a place. Everyone has a context. You can have a seed that is perfect, but if you don’t put it in the ground it will not grow. If you put it in the wrong soil, it won’t grow. Likewise, if you don’t find your THERE, you may have greatness inside you, but it will never be realized, because the atmosphere matters. It is just as important to be WHERE you are supposed to be as it is to be WHO you are supposed to be. King David and Bathsheba had an improper relationship that ended up in a surprise pregnancy and murder. It is important to recognize that it might never have occurred if David had been with his troops in battle, where he was supposed to be. The Bible tells us that it was the time when kings went to battle. It is easy to focus on what happened between the two individuals and miss the context of what contributed to their failure. This was never just to be a story about the consequences of adultery. It is a lesson to us that when you are not where you are supposed to be, you are vulnerable. If you know you have a weakness in an area, you have to say “No!” to certain environments. This is not about being self-righteous, it is about being self-aware. Plant yourself where you will be at your best. If you find WHERE you belong, WHAT you are destined to do will flourish!

ALL POTENTIAL NEEDS PROPER CONTEXT IN ORDER TO MANIFEST! Michael Jordan has been considered the greatest basketball player. He retired and wanted to try baseball. Because of his name he was able to try out. After a period, he only proved to be a marginal baseball player. His physical attributes that benefitted him in the sport of basketball, were a detriment to him in the sport of baseball. He eventually stopped the pursuit and went back to the NBA and picked up right where he left off. He went on to win three NBA Championships and was voted all three years the most valuable player. ALL POTENTIAL NEEDS PROPER CONTEXT IN ORDER TO MANIFEST! Gifted people manifest their genius in the appropriate environment. We were all born to be unique. We were wired for greatness. We were created on purpose, for purpose, and with a specific purpose in mind! Discover where you fit. Find your THERE! When you do that, the world will discover that there will never be another YOU!

You don’t belong EVERYWHERE. You do belong SOMEWHERE. The law of environment states that WHERE you are is just as important as WHO you are. I am not at my best everywhere. There are some atmospheres where I do not do well. For example, people who can’t stand losing may not do very well in a casino. The environment lends itself to the compulsory need to win. There are some places where my potential will be totally squashed. There are some relationships which will encourage me to flourish, while in others, I may not even be able to function properly. All potential needs proper context in order to manifest. I may be a great musician, but a poor athlete. Just because I am great SOMEWHERE, doesn’t mean that I am going to be great EVERYWHERE. That’s all right. Learn to find the environments that will allow you to become the best “YOU” that you can be! When God called Abraham, the first thing He told Him to do, was to leave everyone and everything. The principle is paramount, if Abraham was to become everything that God had intended, He would have to get out from under his current environment. This may not be the case for everyone, but for Abraham, it was essential. Some places will limit your ability to rise to your highest potential, because the people there are limited in what they will allow themselves to receive from you. WHERE you are is important. If God is calling you to a new THERE, just know that He is going to enable you to become something that you would never have been, anywhere else.

Jesus could do no miracles in certain places. You would think that He would have no limitations. While this is true in principle, He was limited in the practical sense, by environment. There were places that He was not as free to be all that He was. People remember you from years ago and if you go back to that place after a period, some people will expect you to be the same person that you had been years ago, when you were THERE. That is why it is difficult to go back and connect with people from your past. Some will always want you to remain as you were. God tells Elijah at one point to go to a specific brook, where He would sustain him THERE. The ravens brought him food and the brook ran with water, when there was no rain for three and a half years. He was sustained at the place of God’s instruction. When the time was up, God commanded Elijah to go to another location, where a widow woman would sustain him THERE. God intends for you to be obedient to new instructions and to move where you will next be sustained. Don’t miss the blessing, because you miss the law of environment. Follow with obedience and blessing will follow the instruction.