Jesus made it very clear: the SEED is the Word of God and the GROUND is man’s heart.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus went on to explain there are four types of heart (or soil) that the Word will land upon, and three of the four produce little or no fruit. So our goal is to find out how to make sure our heart is good ground. None of us are born-again with a perfect heart. And the reality is, we have an enemy who works against God’s Word lest it bear fruit in our lives.
1 Peter 2:2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” Because the Word causes growth, the devil loves to steal it, kill it, or choke it from producing in our lives.
So in the last article, we learned the first thing we must do is SHOO THE BIRDS. In other words, to protect your “ground,” you mustn’t allow thoughts of doubt to flutter around too long.
The next type of ground (or heart) is the one Jesus said contained little depth of earth because of all the rocks. This person has a joy for a short season, but because they have no root system, they believe only for awhile and then fall away. In fact, they primarily stumble at persecution, tribulations, and temptations.
The bottom line is: MOVE THE STONES. In other words, when you stumble, learn from it and fix the path.
Hebrews 5 has a tough word for us: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (vs. 12-14).
This means: you and I are going to have to mature.
But isn’t this true of natural life as well? A baby learning to walk stumbles and trips often while their legs are growing strong. But when they are older and more seasoned, they learn to dodge stumbling blocks–some of which are there to protect them.
Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to guard our heart (or ground) because out of it spring the issues of life. The word “issues” in this passage literally means boundaries or controlling factors. In a positive sense, these are the things that keep you from destruction; like the little voice that says “Look both ways before crossing the street.” This is a good boundary.
But what about the voice that says, “No one likes me.” Or “I can’t do anything right.” This is a stumbling block.
Many times, our “issues” are negative, and these become stumbling blocks and boundaries to a victorious and free life in Christ.
I recently moved our furniture around in the living room and set a small table at the end of the couch. Every person in my house has either knocked it over or caused all my decorations on it to crash to the floor because we’ve run into it. One of my kids even said, “Get rid of that thing!” But honestly, we just needed to learn there was a new path in our living room and therefore, go around it.
In the same way, when God’s Word reveals new areas in our life that need our attention, we can’t just ignore it. We’ve got to deal with the issue and see that a new path is good. But on the other hand, if a negative situation keeps causing us to stumble (and sin), then we’ve got to remove the obstacle. We’re never going to grow (or produce good soil) if we stay in a baby stage refusing to move the stones in our path.
And I’ll add: Jesus said, “But some [seed] fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture” (Luke 8:6).
Throughout the Bible, God’s Word, His Spirit, and His Presence are all likened to rain. So remember to make it a priority to have regular time with God so the seed of His Word will have adequate moisture to produce.
God has designed your heart to be good ground, so shoo the birds and move those stones! Remember, the difference between a stumbling block and a stepping stone is what you do with it.
