Still on the parable of the sower, last time I wrote on the first type of soil, the seed sown on the path way and how the devil came to steal the Word away. I made it clear that everyone receives the same message but it is what we do with it that makes the difference. As I also said, the first individual who allowed the devil to take the Word away was idle, that is he never felt it was important to make use of the Word, thereby allowing the devil to take the Word away from him easily.
The devil won’t take anything from you unless you give room to take it. Still, on the first type of heart, the heart was hardened, not ready to change so the seed had no effect. And as you know, in the spirit realm, there is no sitting on the fence, you’re either in or out, and not in between. Today, I will be taking a closer look at the second person, that is, the second type of heart, the one whom the seed was cast on stony ground, why there was a stony ground and how this could be avoided.
Taking my reading from the book of Mark 4:5-6 and 16 and 17 using the Amplified version, “other seed [of the same kind] fell on ground full of rocks, where it had no depth of soil; and at once it sprang up; because it had no depth of soil; and when the sun came up, it was scorched, and because it had not taken root, it withered away.” Jesus later went further interpreting it in verses 16 and 17 which says, “And in the same way the ones sown upon stony ground are those who, when they hear the Word, at once receive and accept and welcome it with joy; and they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away.”
The Amplified version identifies three words which could most likely be synonymous to the word offended and they are: displeased, indignant and resentful. First of all to be offended implies your feelings being hurt; to be displeased is to have a feeling of dislike in a thing; to be indignant is to have an anger aroused by something, or a self-righteous anger or disgust; and to be resentful is having a nature of displeasure stemming from the belief that one has been wronged by others or betrayed.
Jesus said these type of people receive the Word with such joy; you would see them full of so much excitement, but what would have happened, that made them stumble during trouble or persecution. It is simple; it is the spirit of unforgiveness and grudge. Jesus again said in Luke 6:22 and 23, “Blessed (happy-with life joy and satisfaction in God’s favour and salvation, apart from your outward condition and to be envied) are you when people despise (hate) you, and when they exclude and excommunicate you [as disreputable] and revile and denounce you and defame and cast out and spurn your name as evil (wicked) on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and be glad at such a time and exult and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is rich and great and strong and intense and abundant in heaven; for even so their forefathers treated the prophets” AMP.
Jesus said that trials and persecution is part of the package for living the Word, but we weren’t born perfect, even when we received the Word we weren’t perfect either. So can we justify the man with a heart of stone? No! The same answer boils down to what you do with the Word.
The man with a stony heart received the Word with joy, but there wasn’t any root or I’ll say proper foundation when he received the Word. Every Believer is expected to receive the Spirit of perseverance and this has to do with you laying down your life and allowing Christ take over becoming the Lord of your life. When you meditate on the Word, it grows in your heart and the power of Christ reflects in everything you do. But what was the case with the man with the stony heart? He refused to drop the attitude of having grudges; he didn’t have a heart of forgiveness, and God doesn’t use individuals who do not forgive. Luke 6:37b says, “acquit and forgive and release (give up resentment, let it drop), and you will be acquitted and forgiven and released.” AMP. It is not that God hasn’t forgiven us of all our sins, however it is left for us to accept it into our hearts.
For the man with stony heart, why his heart became stony is simply because when he was excited with the Word, he was supposed to focus on the Word and be transformed, just as a farmer takes good care of the seed as it germinates. But no, the man with the heart of stone was busy focusing on those whom had offended him. So when trials and persecution came, just because he wasn’t founded on the Word stumbled easily. In other words, he is just the perfect example of the man Jesus spoke of in His parable when He said, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’, and not do the things which I say?” [Luke 6:46]. He who listens to His Word and does what Jesus says is like a man who built his house on the rock, the flood, wind, stream, whatever you may think of, beat against the house, but it wasn’t shaken because it was founded on the rock. Jesus also said, those who hears His Word and does nothing, like the man with the heart of stone is like the man who built his house on sand. The exact things which beat against the house on the rock where the same which beat on the house on the sand. But guess what? The house on the sand collapsed!
The Word strengthens us in every situation, but when you don’t focus on the Word, you use your strength and YOUR STRENGTH WILL FAIL YOU! It is only when you’re well-grounded in the Word, that is allowing the Holy Spirit take over your life, then you would speak like James who said in James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”
In order not to be like the person with the heart of stone, you are to remain in the Word when you receive the Word into your heart beyond just accepting it. Although there are levels in digesting the Word properly. Focus on the Word and not the world. God is always there to help, that is why He gave us the Holy Spirit as the helper. Helper is not just a figure of speech, it really means helper.
Why not accept Jesus today if you haven’t. Pray out loud, “Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Saviour. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!” Congratulations, you’re born again, you are now brand new!
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GOD BLESS YOU.
Unless otherwise stated, the following scriptures are gotten from New King James Version (NKJV)
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