Jesus shares a teaching recorded in Matthew 13 where He explains how it is possible for the Word of God to enter a man’s heart and produce an abundant harvest. This harvest may result in the benefits of salvation, healing, love, joy and peace to name just a few. Jesus also tells us that there are certain “heart” conditions that will hinder this abundant harvest. The first heart condition Jesus speaks of that will not produce any kingdom benefits is a hard heart. A hard heart is a heart rooted in pride. A hard heart says “God, I can handle this myself, I don’t need you.” A hard heart might say “I pray, I go to church, I do a lot of good works, therefore, I am fine like I am, I don’t really need to come to God; I’ve got this.” A person with this condition might be very intelligent, might be well educated, but hardness of heart prevents this person from accepting even simple basic truths of the Christian faith.
But, praise God, there is an answer to a hard heart: Humility. James 4:6 says “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humbling our hearts before God is likened to plowing up the hard soil, so that the seed of God’s Word can produce in our lives. Then the Holy Spirit is able to help us understand the hard concepts of faith so our lives can be changed by God’s power. In verse 23 Jesus further explains, “What was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop yielding thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown.” In the natural, planting time is right around the corner. Is your heart ready to receive the seed of God’s Word?
