It Begins with a Sure Foundation

A true revelation of God’s Word is the single most important

element of a victorious Christian life.

The Word of God often refers to itself as a seed. There are a total of
forty-four verses in the New Testament where the Greek word sperma was
translated “seed.” This is the same word from which we derive our English
word “sperm.”

To conceive and give birth, whether it’s for a miracle you need in your body
or for the vision God has given you, you must first plant God’s Word like a
seed in your heart. Conception, which eventually produces the fruit,
cannot take place without first planting a seed.

I constantly meet Christians who pray and believe for God’s intervention in
their lives, but remain frustrated with their results. Why? Because they
have never conceived their miracles by planting the seed of God’s Word in
their hearts. That’s like a woman who prays to get pregnant and then is
confused when it doesn’t come to pass even though she has never had a
relationship with a man. The seed has to be planted for conception to take
place.

In Mark 4, the Lord taught three parables that illustrate that the Word is to
the kingdom of God what a natural seed is to a harvest. The first of these
parables, the story of the sower, is the key to unlocking all the others (Mark
4:13). If we don’t understand these truths, Jesus said, we won’t understand
any of His other parables.

There are many life-changing truths in these parables, but one fact must be
understood to get the full benefit of this teaching: The Lord used the
comparison of His Word to a law of nature, which is unchangeable, not an
institution of man.

Here’s what I mean: Nearly all systems that people have created can
be cheated or manipulated. The legal system can be beaten, letting the
guilty go free. The educational system can be beaten, passing students who
haven’t really learned the material. But the process of seedtime and
harvest can’t be changed.
What if a farmer waited until he saw his neighbors reaping their crops
before he sowed his seed? Regardless of how sincere he was or the
justification for not sowing his seed at the proper time, he would not reap a
crop overnight. The law of seedtime and harvest cannot be violated.

This is why our Lord chose to compare the way His Word works to a seed.
The germination process of the Word of God in your life takes time and
can’t be avoided.

In the second parable of Mark 4, Jesus said,

“So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and
grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself;
first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the
fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the
harvest is come” (Mark 4:26-29).

The seed is the Word of God (Mark 4:14), and the ground is our
hearts (Mark 4:15). Our hearts were created by God to bring forth fruit
when His Word is planted in them. Just as a seed has to remain in the
ground over time to germinate, so the Word of God has to abide in us.

Jesus said in John 15:7,

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you.”

What would happen if you planted a seed in your garden and then dug it up
each morning to see if anything was happening? It would die and never
produce fruit. You have to have faith that the seed is doing what God
created it to do.

Some people put God’s Word in their hearts for a day or two, but if they
don’t see fruit almost immediately, they dig up the seed through
their words and actions and wonder why it didn’t work. It must be left
in the ground over time. Then, there are also different stages of growth.

Mark 4:28 says,

“First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”
Many people are impatient, wanting to bypass the growth cycle and get the
full ear right now. I’ve actually had to tell people what they were believing
God for was not going to happen, not because the vision wasn’t good, but
because they were expecting a complete ear of corn immediately.

For example, a Charis Bible College student came to me who had never held
a job, had been in a mental hospital, and had lived on welfare his whole life.
When he heard the teaching on prosperity and vision, he started dreaming
big. He had a plan to buy and renovate an old hotel. The total cost would be
over 4 million dollars.

It really was a grand plan. I complimented him for the fact that he was
dreaming and told him to keep dreaming big. Then I told him that it might
work for someone but that it wouldn’t work for him. Why? Because this
person had never believed God for a dime before. There has to be “first the
blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”

You may think that was too harsh, but it was the truth. It’s possible that he
could have won the lottery or the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes.
It’s possible, but that wouldn’t have been God. God’s kingdom operates on
laws, like the laws that govern the fruit-bearing process of a seed. God will
not give you the full ear of corn if you haven’t seen the first
blade. That’s the way God’s kingdom works.

This is precisely the reason most people don’t see God’s best
come to pass in their lives. They have lottery faith. They think that
since God loves them, He will just grant their request regardless of whether
they put the miracle of the seed to work or not.

Jamie and I are great examples of that. When I was a young man and a
novice in the ministry, I hated receiving offerings. I was hoping that
someway, God would just give me a bunch of money, and I could minister
without ever receiving an offering. Well, that is not the way God works.

God ordained that those who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (1
Cor. 9:14). Even ministers must live from the fruit of what they sow. Over
many years, as I taught the Word of God to hundreds and thousands of
people, the seeds of those words took root. The fruit of God’s Word and our
efforts came in the form of changed lives and a desire in the hearts of those
who had experienced this change to help others.
Then, when I finally understood how seedtime and harvest
worked, I shared with them what God was doing through our
ministry and gave them an opportunity to give. They responded and
we were able to reach more and more people with the good news. Through
their gifts, not only were they touching the lives of others, but also at the
same time, they were planting financial seeds for their own futures.

When I made the decision to go on television in January of 2000, the Lord

spoke to me. He said that my ministry was just beginning, and if the
ministry ended now, I would never fulfill what He had called me to do.
Well, that was pretty powerful, considering that by that time, I had been in
ministry for over thirty years. All that we had been doing, even
though we had seen the fruit of thousands of changed lives, had
just been planting seeds. God wanted to take this ministry to a new
level so that He could get the message of His unconditional love and grace
to the world.

Since then, the ministry has exploded. I believe this is happening

for two reasons: 1. Because of the seed we have planted, and 2. Because
it’s the time in history when the world is ripe for the message God has
placed in my heart. There is no other way to say it. It is just my time, as it
was for Esther.

In Esther 4:14, we read,

“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance
will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s
house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom
for such a time as this?” (New King James Version).

The fruit of all the seed we have planted and that you have
planted is coming to bear on the huge challenge of reaching the
world. Opportunity abounds, doors are opening, and it will take every one
of us working together to see the vision fulfilled. God has built a strong
foundation for this ministry through His Word, and we are now building
upon that solid foundation.

You may watch our television program and read our newsletters or visit our
website. However, I have found that most of our partners and
friends have no idea all that this ministry is doing to reach
people around the world. The Lord told me I need to change that.
I need to make the vision plain (Hab. 2:2) so that others can join with us to
accomplish what the Lord has given us to do.

I know you will be blessed to learn how your gifts are affecting lives. I have
much to tell you about what is taking place and will do so in my monthly
letters to come, on our website, and on the Gospel Truth program in the
near future. I believe you will be excited and blessed about what you learn.

This law of seedtime and harvest operates in every area of our

lives. If we will plant God’s Word in our hearts, then allow the seed to
germinate and the plant to grow to maturity, we will reap the fruit of a
harvest. That is God’s best!

I cannot tell you strongly enough how important it is that you

know God’s Word and that you plant the seed of His Word in your heart
long before you need the fruit of the harvest. It could mean the
difference between prosperity and poverty, or even life and
death. I believe this is so important that it’s the very first class I teach to
new students at CBC every year. Getting this series will be like attending the
first week of CBC.

My teaching series, A Sure Foundation, will help you understand the power
and importance of God’s Word in your life. It will help you go beyond the
“touchy-feely,” emotion-based thinking that many mistake for faith. It’s not
about what you feel; it’s about what has been planted in your heart and
what will come to full fruit. It’s the foundation to receiving the promises of
God

Sharper Than A Two-Edged Sword

The doctors sent her home to die, BUT GOD…! Many of you may
remember the testimony of Hannah Terradez. She is the little girl who was
healed in Walsall, England, in 2006. She was three years old at the time but
only the size of a nine-month-old baby. She had a problem that kept her
from eating solid food of any kind. It was actually poisoning her body. A
tube was then inserted into her stomach, but that failed as well. (Watch the
video of her miraculous story at www.awmi.net/extra/healing.)

But God had a plan. What seemed almost insignificant at the time
turned out to be the beginning of a miracle. Hannah’s parents had rented a
car to take her to the hospital. The car was only equipped with a cassette
player, so when they stopped by Hannah’s grandmother’s house to drop off
the other kids, they asked if she had any teaching cassettes they could listen
to. She found one of my cassette tapes in the back of a drawer, where it had
been for fifteen years. Hannah’s grandfather hadn’t listened to it, because
he couldn’t handle my Texan accent.

Ashley and Carlie Terradez, desperate to learn something that

would help their daughter, listened on the way to the hospital,
and it changed their lives. The Lord lit a fire on the inside of them that
led to the complete healing of their daughter and a totally different
direction for their lives. After Hannah’s healing, they enrolled at Charis
Bible College (CBC) in England. They graduated, moved to America, and
now help run the third-year CBC program in Colorado Springs. Praise the
Lord!

I’ve talked to Ashley about this on a number of occasions, and he said the
teaching on that cassette was exactly what he needed. Since then, he has
listened to many of my messages, but he said that first tape was different
than any other. It was like I took everything the Lord had shown me and
put it on that one tape. I didn’t go into great depth on any one teaching but
just gave an overview of dozens of life-changing truths.

Ashley and Carlie were in a crisis situation. They didn’t have

time to study everything in depth the way they have since. But that
summary of major points overwhelmed their unbelief and gave them the
hope they needed in order to see Hannah healed. This was like getting a
drink from a fire hydrant. It blew away their fears and caused
hope to come alive.

The reason I shared the background to Hannah’s healing is because I have

just released a new book that can do for you—and thousands of other
people—what that tape did for Ashley and Carlie. It’s called Sharper
Than a Two-Edged Sword, a compilation, or summary, of
sixteen of my books. Each one of the sixteen chapters is like the
CliffsNotes version of an entire book.

This book came about when my U.K. staff put out little trifold tracts that
gave brief teachings on salvation; baptism of the Holy Spirit; spirit, soul,
and body; and other topics that I often teach. Then they combined these
teachings into one book.
As I was editing this book, I was really blessed. Of course, I know
these life-changing truths, but to put them into a format where they can be
reviewed in one sitting is powerful. It built up my faith even though I have
taught these for decades.

I’m especially excited about the accompanying workbook. Many

people use our study guides and workbooks to teach home Bible studies or
Sunday school classes. Instead of going in depth on any one subject, this
workbook gives an overview that will expose new people to the basics
quickly. Then they can go back and further study the ones that most
interest them. At the end of each chapter of the book, they will find a list of
reference materials on that specific subject.

This workbook includes a CD-ROM that allows you to print as

many copies of the Lessons as you like. They are formatted for
discussion and are meant to be used to interact with those being discipled.
There’s also a teacher section that gives additional information helpful in
answering questions that may arise. It’s awesome!

In addition to the new book and the accompanying workbook,

there is one other important ingredient that makes this different
than any other offer. I have just completed teaching all sixteen of these
messages on television. You can now order these messages in a four-DVD
teaching As Seen on TV. It is perfect for discipleship.

Begin by having everyone read a chapter in the book. As a group, watch the
program on that subject (approximately thirty minutes long). Then, go
through the Workbook together. I believe this combination of condensed
studies may be one of the most powerful discipleship programs we have
ever put together.

I believe that the order in which the chapters are arranged is important too.
The book starts with salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then the
truth of who we are in the spirit, which is what the Lord used to totally
change my life. It progresses through my teachings The True Nature of God
and The Believer’s Authority, on to God Wants You Well and Self-
Centeredness: The Root of All Grief.

In many respects, it is like our original Discipleship Evangelism material.

That has sixteen lessons in each of three levels for a total of forty-eight
lessons. Those materials have been used all over the world. In Uganda
alone, around 500,000 people have gone through the course, and it has
changed lives.

I met one Ugandan woman who pastored a church but didn’t know the
grace of God. She had run off nearly everyone in her church by her harsh,
legalistic teaching. But after going through the Discipleship Evangelism
program, she finally got a hold of the true Gospel. She went to people
individually and apologized for her mistakes, and the church began to grow.

Then one of the church members died. At the wake, while the others were
visiting, Pastor Grace slipped into the other room with the corpse. After
about twenty minutes, the man who had been dead for two days walked
into the room where all the others were gathered. Needless to say, revival
was on. Pastor Grace now has around 1,600 people in her church.

All of that came through discipleship. That’s what it’s all about. We have too
many who have been saved but don’t truly know the Lord and the power of
His resurrection. The single most important thing we can do to affect our
lives is receive a good, solid revelation of God through His Word. I believe
this new book and the accompanying material will help facilitate that.