TCIKOBD: Those That Fell On The Path

¹⁸ “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: ¹⁹ The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. Matth. 13:18-19     

Remember as the farmer was scattering seeds some felt on the path, and the reality is that not everyone wants to hear about or receive the WORD.   When Jesus delivered this message there were those in the audience who were there to only see if He said something to give them a reason to cry heresy.    There were those that came because someone strongly and/or wrongly encouraged them.  There were people there that were mad and hearts were hard for a multitude of reasons.   If we are all honest, since these variety of soils are really conditions of the heart.....our hearts have been hardened before toward something or someone.    This is precisely why some messages you receive and others you struggle with or completely miss.   Let the sermon (THE WORD/SEED) be about loving your wife, or loving you neighbor as yourself, or about giving, or fully committing to________________________ (you fill in the blank) and we struggle because we are mad at ____________________ or we've been hurt one two many times by__________________ and we don't want to trust...................  

The problem is with this heart condition the word says any WORD/SEED that is scattered along this path gets eaten up by the enemy because:

 A servant owned by God must not make trouble. He must be kind to everyone. He must be able to teach. He must be willing to suffer when hurt for doing good. ²⁵ Be gentle when you try to teach those who are against what you say. God may change their hearts so they will turn to the truth. ²⁶ Then they will know they had been held in a trap by the devil to do what he wanted them to do. But now they are able to get out of it. 2Tim. 2:24-26

We too have been and are sometimes those that reject the WORD.  Paul wanted to encourage Timothy that as believers we are to be kind to EVERYONE.  Must be humble and teachable even as SAINTS of GOD.  We are to be gentle (especially with the LOST) and be willing to be hurt for and when doing good, so GOD may, so GOD would be able to change their hearts...........  We need to stop attempting to change our neighbors, our spouse, our kids, our co-workers hearts and rather focus on LOVING THEM as GOD commanded us to do, and ALLOW HIM to CHANGE their hearts...ours included.   When we aren't doing this...when we are mad, turned off by others we are TRAPPED in the BAIT OF SATAN called bitterness.  We are being held captive and our ability to LOVE is stifled because that seed is being picked off by Satan and we are given to hatred.  

So what chamber of your 4 heart chambers is hardened.....and let's pray that GOD would break and soften that chamber for that "people group" that HE TOO LOVES....that you TOO need to demonstrate HIS LOVE towards.    LGLP