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Hearing God - by Greg Laurie

Beryl367
Beryl367

So, I wanted to share this devotion by Greg Laurie. This is only the second time that I've heard someone say (or write) that I'm responsible for the "soil condition" (i.ie. stoney or good) of my heart. I used to not know that and thought we were just stuck with "whatever we got".


Anyway, here's the devotion: 


 


Pastor Greg's Laurie Daily Devo


 


Monday, November 8, 2021


Hearing with Your Heart



LISTEN  


"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”


—James 1:21


In our time of instant information and 10-second sound bites, it’s challenging to slow down and apply the words of Psalm 46:10 to our lives: “Be still, and know that I am God” (NKJV). So many of us tend to run around in our self-made circles of activity instead of wisely and calmly sitting at His feet.


 


We need to be ready to hear what God has to say. In Matthew 13, in the parable of the sower, Jesus described four reactions to the truth of God’s Word. First there is the hard heart, which the seed on the roadside represented. The hard heart doesn’t understand and receive the Word, and therefore doesn’t produce any fruit.


 


Next there is the shallow heart, which parallels 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 weeds. 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’s up to you.


 


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


 


The Word of God can’t work in our lives unless we receive it the right way. That’s because it’s possible to hear with our ears but not with our hearts


########


Thanks for reading.


Peace and blessings to you all.


LavenderC
LavenderC
A good sermon. Thanks for sharing it.

I have not listened to the Bible in the cassette taps yet but read the Bible a few times after I prayed during the past week. I have been typing my prayers on my desktop. I am glad it works well right now. There was a time when typing the prayers was difficult because my back and fingers hurt when I did it, and I had to stop. Now it has become the best way for me to pray since I am able to focus better than praying in my mind when I do my devotion (quiet time).
Group FounderMarleneJ
MarleneJ
The parable of the soils or the parable of the sower is very important to me. I've been caught in bad soil, in the past. Because I am a gardener, I always prayed for God to transplant me to better soil, where I grew more fruitful.

So, I don't really believe we are responsible for the states of our heart. I believe God is sovereign and in control, this is a Reformed approach to the question of who God is!

I don't believe that we are in control. It is more that we are his servants/slaves and our job is to follow God. If I wanted to put myself anywhere, of course, I would pick the fertile soil.,But instead, I was in the Rocky soil, and among the thorns, Sometimes I was even in the dry soil.

Anyway, I've always prayed for the fertile soil. Not sure if God has granted that prayer yet, but he has changed my greatly by the power of the Holy Spirit!
LavenderC
LavenderC
It sounds like Pastor Greg is talking about how Christians when he said "so many of us tend to run around in our self-made circles of activity instead of wisely and calmly sitting at His feet" In this case, we can say we are responsible for the condition of the soil of our hearts.

I am not sure whether he is talking about Non-Christians or Christians or both when he said "
We need to be ready to hear what God has to say. In Matthew 13, in the parable of the sower, Jesus described four reactions to the truth of God’s Word.."

"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’s up to you."

- If "you" here means "Christians," I think yes, we can decide what kind of soil we want our hearts to be. We can pray that God will give us good soil if we are aware we don't have good soil.
LavenderC
LavenderC
Correction: "It sounds like Pastor Greg is talking about how Christians when he said ..."

Should be "It sounds like Pastor Greg is talking about how Christians receive or should receive God's words when he said ..."

I always thought In Matthew 13, in the parable of the sower, it is about when Non-Christians hear God's words.
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