walking home

Luke 8 v 5. “As he was sowing the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.”

We often wonder why people cannot see the simplicity and the truth of the Gospel message. Sometimes when we speak to our friends, it seems like we are up against a brick wall. But Jesus himself teaches in this parable that the message of the Kingdom will have different and varied responses from those who hear.

Jesus tells us in Luke 8 v 18 that those along the path are those who hear but the devil comes and takes away the seed from their hearts, so that they cannot believe and be saved.

There are those who do indeed hear the Gospel but there appears to be no response. The seed of the word lies discarded and trampled upon. Here we are told that one of the activities of the devil is to thwart any effect of the Word on the heart. Who knows what methods the devil may use – distractions, disappointments or a simple inability to think properly about truth and life in general. Like the birds of the air he snatches the seed away, because one of these seeds may just possibly take root if left lying there on the path

Have you ever thought about the possibility that the reason why your friends or family don’t believe may be because of an attack by Satan on their hearts and minds to keep them from believing? Some people simply succumb to the general tenor of something and are not able to contemplate seriously the Word of truth that is presented to them. They appear to us as hard, unmoving, hostile.

What is the answer to this? While this hardness of hear may persist with many people until the Lord returns, we do, nevertheless, have the weapon of prayer. We pray to God that the hard hearts that seem so unaffected by the Gospel would soften before the devil snatches the seed away. God can do anything and we must believe and trust Him.