Guarding Against Falling Away

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For the last few weeks I have felt led to read and teach from the parable of the sower. For this post, I will focus on the seed sown along the roadside. Matthew 13:3-4 says:

And He told them many things in parables (stories by way of illustration and comparison), saying, A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside and the birds came and ate them up. (AMP)

Jesus ended the parable by saying:

He who has ears [to hear], let him be listening and let him consider and perceive and comprehend by hearing. Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables? And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is the reason that I speak to them in parables; because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand. In them indeed is the process of fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah, which says: You shall indeed hear and hear but never grasp and understand; and you shall indeed look and look but never see and perceive. For this nation’s heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them. [Isaiah 6:9, 10]. Matt. 13:9-15 AMP

Then in verses 18-19, Jesus begins to explain the meaning of the parable:

Listen then to the [meaning of the] parable of the sower: While anyone is hearing the Word of the kingdom and does not grasp and comprehend it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the roadside. Matt. 13:1-19 AMP

The roadside or the path around the garden is the area that has not been tilled or prepared to receive the seed (the word of God). I believe it represents the condition of a lot of people’s hearts. As Isaiah prophesied about the nation of Israel, their hearts have become dull and hardened because when the Lord dealt with them about their sin, etc., instead of responding with obedience, they resisted the Holy Spirit. What Isaiah prophesied was the same process that Paul talked about in Romans, chapter one. God has revealed Himself to all of mankind through His creation, but when people continually resist and reject the leading of the Holy Spirit, He gives them over to their foolish thinking and ultimately a hardened heart and a seared conscience. This doesn’t usually happen all at once, it is a gradual process that happens through repeated resistance and disobedience until the person doesn’t even realize that they have become dull, hardened in heart and deceived.

However, in Mark, chapter four, Jesus gives the following encouragement to those who hear and obey the word of God:

If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend. And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear, For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing even what he has will be taken away [by force]. Mark 4:23-25 AMP

It can be hard to discipline ourselves to study and pray day in and day out, but this is a very encouraging scripture. Jesus is saying that there is a sowing and reaping affect when we study and ponder the scriptures. When we sow to the Spirit by disciplining ourselves to study and pray, a harvest of virtue and knowledge (revelation) comes back to us. Proverbs 4:23 says: “Above all else, guard you heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” The best way to guard against becoming dull, having a hardened heart and ultimately falling away, is to actively seek the Lord, study His word and respond with obedience when He deals with us. God bless you all.

In Christ, ~ Kelly Rowe