The question I heard the Spirit of God say to me today was, “Will you be like a sunflower?” I received this question after I had been sitting with the Lord asking Him what message He had for me to release to others. Initially I wasn’t sure I had heard correctly as it seemed like an unusual message but when I was praying at other times in the day I heard this same question again and again. “Will you be like a sunflower?” Also when my daughter came home from school today she told me she had found two sunflower seeds for me. As she has never found sunflower seeds before I knew the Lord was sending me confirmation to let me know I had heard correctly and the question on the sunflower was from Him.

Below are the things that came to my mind as I thought about sunflowers –

1. Sunflowers get their name as they look like the sun. In the same way, we are to look like Jesus and continually be transformed. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says ‘And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.’ We are to continually change to become more and more like Christ and display the love of God to others. Ephesians 5:1-2 says ‘Therefore be imitators of God dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.’

2. Sunflowers follow the sun. Just as budding sunflowers follow or track the sun all day long we need to follow the Son of God, Jesus. We need to ensure we continually look to Jesus and have our faces fixed on Him. We are disciples of Jesus and are called to follow His ways. We need to follow the direction in which the Lord is leading us. By continually looking to Jesus, we are able to grow in His presence, just as the sunflower grows in the sun. Psalm 27:8 ‘You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face Lord do I seek.” We are to continually seek His presence (1 Chronicles 16:11).

3. Sunflowers are bold and bright. We too are to be bold in our sharing our faith with others (Acts 28:31) and are to be bright and shine with the glory of the Lord. We are to let our light shine so we will bring glory to God (Matthew 5:16).

4. Sunflowers are full of seeds. Just as sunflowers are full of seeds so we are to be full of the word of God. Luke 8:11 tells of a parable where the word of God was described as a seed. John 8:31-32 says ‘…If you abide in my word, you are truly disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In order for seeds to grow they must be planted in the proper place. If you want the word of God to produce in your life, you need to plant the word of God in your heart and mind. Find scriptures that relate to your situation or what you need and then plant those scriptures inside of you. Those seeds will then grow and strengthen you and produce a harvest.

5. Sunflowers need to be firmly planted. Sunflowers grow very tall and their stems become so heavy that they can fall over if they aren’t firmly planted in the ground. Sunflowers have deep roots that extend out. We too as Christians can become unstable and lose our way if we are not grounded in the things of God and in the word. We need to have a firm understanding of the knowledge of God, of who we are in Him and what is available to us in the kingdom of God. In Matthew 13:5-6 Jesus said, “Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died.”

6. Sunflowers produce seeds and oil that have healthy benefits. We too are to produce fruit that benefits those around us. We are to display the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control – Galatians 5:22-23). We are to meditate on the word of God, soften our hearts to the Lord, humble ourselves, continually seek more revelation of the things above and be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit so we may transform the world around us as we shine for Jesus and produce much for the Kingdom. Matthew 13:23 says ‘The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.’

I believe the Lord is giving an invitation for people to be true disciples, continually looking to Jesus. May we be firmly planted in God and in who we are in Him. May we be transformed from glory to glory, display the fruit of the Spirit and be carriers of the glory of the Lord. May we bring heaven to earth and produce much for the Kingdom of God.