Day 12

13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” Mark 4:13-20

Jesus is not talking about different soil types or the best practices for raising crops. He’s using an illustration to depict supernatural and heavenly realities. The different soil types represent varying conditions of the human heart and our receptivity of His word in our lives.

1. Welcome God to come and begin this time by expressing gratitude, praise, and worship.
2. In these few verses we see several types of soil identified: soil along the path, rocky soil, soil among thorns, and good soil. God is the only one who knows us perfectly from the inside out. In prayer, ask the Lord what type of soil is the condition of your heart and why? 
3. Process His words to you and note what emotions and or thoughts come up. Remember, we are on a journey with the Lord. Sometimes, different seasons or circumstances garner different heart responses. In some seasons, it’s easy to both receive and allow His Word to flourish in our lives. But sometimes it’s hard to receive God’s word for our lives, and we become like a harder and or more difficult soil towards growth in our lives. 
4. The Lord will not force you to be “good soil.” However, God can do the work of softening your heart, no matter the circumstances. As an act of surrender to the Lord, ask Him to do the beautiful and refining work of making you a place for His word to grow. However, say this to Him when you are ready. 
5. Take some time and listen to the song, “Lord, you have my heart” by Martin Smith and allow the Lord to speak to you.