Why Your Heart Condition Determines How Much Much God Speaks to You
Why Your Heart Condition Determines How Much God Speaks to You
"Take care how you listen."
Jesus hollered this phrase to the crowd more times than anything else He ever said. It was the cry of His heart for everybody listening. Here's what's amazing: they all could have heard and understood. The question wasn't whether God was speaking—it was about the condition of their hearts to receive what He was saying.
This truth hit me when I first read the parable of the sower as a new believer. I realized that God's word—His voice—was completely affected by the condition of my own heart. That's when I started crying and asking the Lord to help my heart be good soil.
The Seed Is Always the Same
In the parable, the seed represents God's word. A seed contains everything inside itself to bear fruit—an apple seed has everything to produce a huge apple tree with abundant fruit. God's word is a seed that contains everything we need.
But that seed isn't effective unless it lands in good soil. The condition of the heart affects how God's word impacts us, how much we receive, and our ability to bear fruit.
Four Types of Heart Soil
Hard Hearts: The Roadside Soil When hearts are hardened by disappointment, hurt, or skepticism, God's voice can't penetrate. The enemy snatches away what little might be received before it can take root.
Shallow Hearts: The Rocky Soil These people receive the word with joy but have no firm root. They believe for a while, but in times of temptation, they fall away. They're enjoying it as entertainment, but it's not really impacting them.
Choked Hearts: Among the Thorns These people receive God's word, but life gets in the way. Worries about provision, riches (either not having enough or fear of losing what they have), or pleasures of this life literally choke out the Lord's voice.
Good Hearts: The Fertile Soil "These are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." Notice: honest and good heart. If you're not practicing honesty, you're deceiving yourself. Good soil hearts hold God's word fast and bear fruit with perseverance.
The Warning We Can't Ignore
Jesus gave a warning: "Take care how you listen, for whoever has, to him more shall be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away."
This isn't God playing favorites. The condition of our heart determines both the quality and quantity of fruit from His word. How we respond to what He's given us impacts His ability to give us more.
Think about it: if somebody was talking to you and you weren't listening, would they keep talking? Same with the Lord.
The Moses Example
Moses noticed a burning bush that wasn't being consumed. When Moses turned aside to see this great sight, THEN the Lord spoke: "Moses, Moses."
God wanted Moses's attention first, then He spoke. Are you tuning your heart? Are you saying, "Lord, here I am, speak to me"? Listening is an act of the heart—an attitude of openness and surrender.
Honor Opens the Floodgates
Honor is the key that opens your heart and the floodgates to His communication. Honoring what He has already said opens the floodgates to more communication. It's required for His word to even bear fruit in your life.
This still amazes me. I used to think if it's God's word, it should just magically bear fruit. But He wants to partner with you.
So how's the soil of your heart today? Are there hard places that need tilling? Thorns of worry that need pulling? Shallow areas that need to go deeper?
The beautiful truth is we can ask God to prepare our hearts to be good soil. That's exactly what I did that day lying on my bed, and it changed everything.
He's speaking. The question is: are we listening?
For those wanting to go deeper into cultivating good soil and recognizing God's voice more clearly, my course "Honoring God's Voice" provides practical tools and deeper teaching on these principles.
Blessings,
Susan Dewbrew