[Matthew 13:18-23] Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands (meditates / imagines) it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

• Hearing God’s Word isn’t enough to effect the heart. Understanding is also required which comes through meditation and imagination.
• Satan can access the heart and make God’s Word void.
• A heart of stone or a hardened heart cannot receive God’s Word.
• Tribulation and focus on the circumstances of this world can uproot God’s Word that was recently planted in the heart.
• Greed, pride, and lust can cause God’s word to be unfruitful.
• The heart must be guarded day and night through meditation and constant focus to ensure that it is ready to receive and nurish God’s Word.
• The heart is to God’s Word as the earth is to a seed. Just as the earth provides the necessary nutrients to make a seed grow, the heart has what is necessary to make God’s Word to grow.
• Just as the earth must be cared for with the right nutrients and water to support seeds to grow, the heart must be cared for with a Godly environment including meditation and imagination allow God’s Word to grow and a trust in God that His Word is true.