The hard heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart - each prevents the seed from burrowing down into a place in the heart where it is protected and it can thrive.
Psalm 1:1-6
1 Blessed is the man Who walks
not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the
path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the
scornful;
2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law
he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That
brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also
shall not wither; And whatever he does shall
prosper.
4
The ungodly are not so, But are
like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly
shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the
congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
My part is to be sure there's nothing blocking and that I allow the words of God's truths to sink deep by meditating on them and by walking in them. I think that meditation and application make pathways for the seed to go deeper and bear more fruit. Otherwise, I will walk away personally unaffected and unfruitful for His kingdom.
When we plant by the rivers of water, we will bear fruit, we won't whither and we will prosper. What a powerful seed It is!
