Watermelon Seeds teaching given by Don Johnson

          At Dominion Living Training Center March 15, 2008

I believe that most of you know that I like to garden.  As far back as I can remember I have always liked to get my hands in the soil, or as some call it, dirt.  I have a picture at home of me in those white short overall type pants.  I look like I was about four or five.  There I was in those silly looking pants squatting down in the flower garden.  Well enough of that.  About that age, I remember being over at the next door neighbor lady’s helping her plant some flowers.  I was so busy that the time got by and my mother came looking for me.  And I know you all know when your mother comes looking for you, you are in trouble!  We will stop there.  That was my earliest memories of gardening.         

A side step here; at times I feel old when I want to share this.   I remember World War II and the practice of air raids at school which was to climb under your desk and put your head between your knees.  I remember the days of rationing and oh yes, Victory Gardens.   My parents owned the lot next to our house so that area was our play area and it became our Victory Garden location as well.  My dad borrowed a single plow from a farmer and hooked it on to the back of the car.  Mom and dad plowed up the earth into soil so that we could make a garden out off.  This was my first experience in gardening.  They gave me a small area that I could call my own and I planted watermelon and squash.  My dad showed me how to make a small mound, mine looked like Long’s peak! He showed me how to make a little ditch around the mound to water the seeds and mine looked like the Panama Canal! He showed me how to place small indentations in the soil with my finger to put the watermelon seeds in mine looked like the Grand Canyon!  As you can imagine, my ratio of seeds to the outcome of seedlings was not that great. You are probably wondering why I am telling you all of this.  I am setting the stage for the play or I should say; how to build a strong spirit.  I will be getting to that. 

         Arizona used to be known for its excellent watermelons. I have always liked a good watermelon.  So if I wanted a good melon, I had to raise my own.  To raise your own, first you have to find good seeds.  Today they have hybridized the seeds and it is getting harder to find good unaltered seeds.  They are available but you have to know where to look for them. I have raised melons in Tucson Arizona (the best), Guam and here in Fort Collins.  In Guam the melons would burst before they became ripe because of so much moisture and the right temperature 24/7.         

Now in Fort Collins I have had to relearn gardening. Frost in Fort Collins can be as late as June. So I had to have a planting schedule. I found out how long it takes for a watermelon to grow to be ripe.  I had to start the seeds in the basement or greenhouse so they would have a long enough growing time.  Building a good garden is like building a strong spiritual life.  I’ve taken some thoughts from Tim Jorgensen’s book, Spirit Life Training. 

           BUILDING A STRONG SPIRIT:          

To build a strong sprit is all about giving your spirit what it likes to feed on.  There are things that your spirit gravitates towards and hungers for.  What you feed grows stronger, what you starve gradually dies.  So what does your spirit hunger for? THE WORD OF GOD           

This is no surprise, but this is without a doubt Number1.  Jesus made a choice that He would rather starve his flesh than neglect the Word of God.Luke 4:4 (NKJV) ⁴But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man

shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”The Word of God simply does something to your spirit; it imparts life, strength, and energy.  It's difficult to explain why or how it does this, nevertheless Peter says in 1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV) ^“as newborn babes, desire the pure milk

of the word, that you may grow thereby,” It gives your spirit life for growth. HEAR IT           Listen to the word.  That is the first thing that we hear after our spiritual birth.Romans 10:17 (NKJV) ^”So then faith comes

by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”          The Bible talks so much about being careful who we hear; what we hear, and how we hear.  What?  should be the Word of God.  Who? should be someone who can speak the Word with the integrity, spirit and strength of how God Himself would say it.  How? we should hear is with an attitude that knows that these are the very Words of the Creator of the Universe.  We listen with intensity and response. We write down notes.  We have so many ways to hear the word of God. There is the Bible on tape, CD, mp3, radio, TV, etc!  Good Bible teachers also help. You should be your own best preacher.  God has set in the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teacher to get the word into our spirit with the gift God has given them. READ IT           You must read the word.  This involves time without distractions.  When you read it, there will be some words that will jump out of the pages into your spirit.  The Holy Spirit will emphasize certain words strongly that will cause your spirit to burn with intensity about that truth.      WRITE IT           You must write the word.  Why?  Every king in the Bible was told to write for himself a copy of the law. Deuteronomy 17:18 – 20 (NKJV)  “¹⁸Also it shall be

, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a 

copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites.  ¹⁹And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he

may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, ²⁰that his heart may not be lifted above his

brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.” He couldn't hire someone to do it for him, he couldn't photocopy or cut-and-paste it.  There is something about taking the diligence to write for yourself the Word of God.  It gives you a sense of responsibility and intimacy with the Word that God requires.  It is a way to NOT skip over any words in a verse, and is also a tool for memorization. 

MEMORIZE IT           You must learn to memorize the word.  The previous 3 steps, Hearing, Reading, and Writing are nothing if they don't lead to memorizing the word.  Every failure in the Bible was through forgetfulness of the Word. 

MEDITATE IT           You must meditate on the Word.  This involves 2 smaller steps: Contemplation and Declaration.  Contemplation is thinking intently about the full meaning, about what was heard or read.  Your spirit loves this:Psalms 39:3 (NKJV) “³ My heart was hot within me;

 While I was musing, the fire burned.  Then I spoke with my tongue:  (What does musing mean?—Meditation, Meditative state)

           Contemplation causes your spirit to ignite the meaning of the scripture with your soul.  Your memory recalls the verse to your mind, your intellect begins to understand what each word really means, your imagination begins to see its application, your emotions begin to come alive as you feel what God feels about its truth, and your will decides to take a course of action concerning it and first of all begins to speak.  Declaring the word begins to shape the spiritual world around you. You conform to the manifestation of that word. 

Jeremiah 23:28 - 29 (NKJV)  “²⁸’The prophet who has a dream, let him tell

 a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?’ says the Lord. ²⁹ Is not My word like a fire?’ says

the Lord, ‘And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’”

                      This process of meditation is important.  If you try to speak it before you contemplate it the words will not have the effect desired even though it is God's Word!  God's Word is more than letters, syllables and sentences.  It is describing a reality.  If your soul is not wrapped around the meaning of that reality (as much as you are able to anyway), all that is coming out of your mouth is simply sounds and noises from your vocal cords.  It must be powered by a faith from your heart in the conscious reality of what those words mean.  On the other hand, it is important to speak it not just think it.  God does not just think.  He speaks and things happen.  His power will not activate unless there is a revelation of his will through word and deed. 

Amos 3:7 - 8 (NKJV) “⁷Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, unless He

reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. ⁸A lion has roared! Who will

not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”  And we must know Mark also. Mark 11:22 - 23 (NKJV) “²²So Jesus answered

 and said to them, “Have faith in God.  ²³For assuredly, I say to you, whoever

 says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not

doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” So we must do the entire process of true meditation: which is Contemplation and Declaration, to be able to release the power of God's Word. 

NECESSITY FOR SPIRITUAL LIFE           There is power in the Word of God.  We were created in the image of God by the Word of God. We were born again by the Word of God.  We are guided by the Word of God.  It is described as light, water, food, air, fire (and much more) the basic necessities of life.  Without these we die.  In the same way if we don't feed our spirit with the Word, there is no way our spirit can be strong.  But more than that it is how we put that Word into us that unlocks the full life-giving power of the Word to our spirit. WHY THE WORD DOESN’T WORK           The number one parable of Jesus was the parable of the sower. Matthew 13:3 - 23 (NKJV) Mark 4:1 - 20 “³Then

He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.  ⁴And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came

 and devoured them.  ⁵Some fell on stony places, where they did not have

much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  ⁶But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  ⁷And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  ⁸But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  ⁹He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” ¹⁰And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak

to them in parables?” ¹¹He answered and said to them, “Because it has been

given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  ¹²For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will

have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  ¹³Therefore I speak to them in parables,  because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  ¹⁴And in

them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:     ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; ¹⁵ For

the hearts of this people have grown dull.     Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,  Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ ¹⁶But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;  ¹⁷for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets

and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. ¹⁸“Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  ¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not

 understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.  ²⁰But he who

 received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹yet he has no root in himself, but endures

only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  ²²Now he who received seed among the

 thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  ²³But he

 who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”          

The seed represented the Word of God sent to the 4 different kinds of hearts.  If someone just carelessly throws out the seed it will land on the surface of any of those kinds of hearts.  In spirit life training you are the sower.  You know that the problem is never the word’s lack of power.  The problem is the sower’s carelessness in planting the word!  It is a stupid farmer that does not plant with focus and intensity.  Let’s be honest.  There are Bibles in so many forms and shapes all over the place.  But strong spirits are precious few!  See, it is not just the power of the Word but the power that pushes the word that makes the difference.          

In the past I have used many bibles, but the New King James Version to me has the power that pushes the Word and to me that makes a difference.  IT IS LIKE THE TYPE OF SEED THAT I SELECT TO GET THE BEST WATERMELONS. HOW IT GOES IN IS HOW IT WILL COME OUT!          

 It is where and how I sow the seeds that makes a difference in receiving a harvest in the fall.  The seedlings need protection from invaders. Weeds come up as quick as the seedlings.  They have to be weeded. They need to be cultivated. Then after they produce runners with large leaves they are pretty much able to protect themselves from weeds and small invaders.  This is the same with us with the word. How intensely do you hear it?  If you listen to nice, story telling preachers who are not intense that Word will go in one ear and out the other.  How intensely do you read it?  How focused are you to catch that key scripture and write it down?  How intense are you to memorize it?  How intensely do you contemplate and boldly declare the Word?  Intensity in the sower will  prepare the soil of the heart.  It will shatter the hard heart of unbelief and carelessness.  It will drive the seed deep enough that it will be remembered in the time of trial.  It will burn out the weeds of distractions, and shape our habits to consistently apply that Word.  THEN it will produce results.  It is only how the Word is sown that will unlock your spirit’s life and power. 

HEAR IT,   READ IT,   WRITE IT,  

MEMORIZE IT                   And    MEDITATE ON IT

 Doing all of this will Help Build a Strong Spirit