In the parable of the sower, Jesus compared a man sowing seed in the ground to a man preaching the Word of God. Jesus makes the comparison between the soil and the heart of a man who hears the Word being preached. In the case of the parable from Mark 4, Jesus is the One sowing the Word. Today, the sower pertains to whosoever is preaching or sharing the Word with another person. In both cases, the Word of God is the seed that's being referred to.
The seed in this parable is not the problem, the soil is. Mark 4:16-17 (Amplified) says that, "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."
We have, at one time or another,seen these people who for whatever reason become displeased and fall away. It doesn't make a difference the reason, it just happens.
Once again we see that the reason for the persecution or trouble that comes is because of the Word. It didn't come because of the person, but because of the Word. This Word that is sown in the heart of a hearer is the most dangerous thing that satan can face.
This person has no real root in themselves and are easily offended. The enemy will use whatever offends and displeases this person against them. They heard the Word with joy and then fell away when things didn't work out the way they planned.
When you get born again, things change in every part of our lives. Things we used to do are things we don't do anymore. Things we used to say, we don't say anymore. We sometimes think that everything will just happen, but it doesn't. Learning to walk in the Word takes time. We start as babies, and grow into mature men and women. It's a process that can be sped up by good teaching and study, but it takes both.
The main thing I want you to notice is that all the trouble was because of the Word that they heard. This weapon of persecution and trouble is something that satan has used for hundreds of years. We used to hear it said that if you will just receive Jesus, then everything will be alright. We found out that, as far as the world is concerned, everything will not be alright. It may be alright between you and Jesus, but not between you and satan. By receiving Jesus, you just declared war on the devil and his army.
I think that this is something that most of us didn't understand when we got saved. The parable of the sower shows us that Jesus expected the enemy to show up and was putting forth a rally cry to be ready when it happens. Once we could understand that this would happen, we could be prepared for when it comes. This is an ongoing attack by satan throughout our entire walk with the Lord. each and every time we begin to walk into a new place with Jesus, we are still under attack.
As we grow in the Lord, we keep getting new revelations and new things in our lives. If we don't get offended when everything doesn't work without trouble, then we'll continue growing. When you become a mailman; dogs come. It just goes with the job.
1 Peter 4:12 (Amplified) says, "Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality, as though something strange (unusual and alien to you and your position) were befalling you."
Peter talks about the trial of your faith. Who is trying you is the thing that most Christians have a problem with. Some have been taught that it's God Who is trying you, but according to what Jesus preached, it's satan that has come to take away the Word. Once you come to the knowledge that it's the devil doing the troubling, it's a lot easier to walk it out. Now, I know that if I hold fast and continue to grow, then God (by His Word) will deliver me.
If you will stand against the enemy, then you'll be able to hold the seed of God's Word until it grows into a harvest of grace in your life. It takes time for an acorn to become an oak tree, but it will happen if we keep the seed in the soil.
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