Hearing with Your Heart

James 1:21 NKJV “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”

The Lord Jesus Christ, in the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), described four responses to God’s Word. First there is the hard heart, which the seed on the roadside represented. The hard heart does not understand and receive the Word, and therefore does not produce any fruit. Next there is the shallow heart, which represents the seed that fell on ground filled with rocks. This describes those who are very emotional but have no depth in their lives. Thus, they bear no fruit. Thirdly, there is the crowded heart, represented by the seed that goes into the soil imbedded with thorns. This speaks of those who receive the Word initially, but they lack repentance and permit sin to choke out the Word of God. Lastly, there is the fruitful heart that receives the Word and allows it to bring forth fruit. You determine what kind of soil your heart will be. You determine whether you will have a hard heart, a shallow heart, a crowded heart, or a fruitful heart. You determine how the Word of God will affect your life. It is up to you. The Word of God cannot work in our lives unless we receive it with the right heart! It requires that “we lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive God’s Word with meekness “.  The Word of God (the truth) is your defense against falsehood and deception of Satan. The Word of God is the raw material you have, to produce victory in any area of your life!