Recently Pastor Rodney has taught on the quality of the ground (heart) into which seed (the Word) is sown.  Most, if not all of us like to think that we have good ground; that we are always receptive to the Word.  Not only that, but after receiving the Word, we expect that we are able to protect it and have it grow and produce a huge harvest.

I recently had an experience that pointed out how sneaky Satan is.  After the service, a friend was very upset.  We heard the same thing, and I thought it was fine, but she took it very differently.  She was so upset that she thought about leaving the church.  We talked and I mentioned that Satan comes immediately for the Word’s sake and she needed to be careful of what was going on in her heart.  It took awhile, but she saw that that was indeed what was going on and settled down.  It turned out she did misunderstand what had been said and became offended.  She almost lost the Word that was planted in her heart because of it.

Unfortunately, this is not uncommon among believers.  In America, we are geared to worry and take offense.  In fact, this is the norm in our society.  We see it on TV, hear it on the news and even hear it from friends and family. If we are to overcome the wiles of the devil, we need to guard our hearts.  We cannot be ignorant of his devices to steal the Word. As mentioned in the parable of the sower, we can’t afford stony ground or thorns.  It is necessary to keep the heart soft and receptive.  Hosea 10 says to break up the fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.  We break up the fallow ground with the Word.  James 4:7 says to Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. As long as we stick with the Word, it will help us keep our heart right.  When we keep our heart right, we receive more Word. The condition of the heart and the Word feed each other.

–Susan