TUESDAY, AUGUST 18
Scripture: Mark 4:13,14

Mark 4:13,14 say, “And He said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word.’” Once we sow the seed in our heart, then we have to recognize that there are different kinds of soil. We have to prepare the soil so that it will germinate the seed and produce the harvest. The problem with wayside soil is that it is the land at the end of each row where you have to pull the plow out in order to make the turn. The wayside soil was soil that had not been plowed. Do we all have wayside soil? Yes, there are certain promises, or seed, that are just too far out there for us to believe that we can actually obtain them. Those seeds will not go into the ground until we do some soil preparation. We have to plow the ground first before those seeds can be sown. When the soil is plowed and properly prepared then the enemy cannot steal the seed because it is not sitting up there on top. It is actually in the soil and ready for germination. Wayside soil is any attitude, any past hurt where the soil of our heart has hardened so that the seed cannot go on to germination. This applies to us whenever we read promises and find ourselves saying, that one is not for me. Probably the truth is that we have a wayside-soil issue and some plowing and ground preparation needs to be done. All four kinds of soil require different action. We can look at this parable in two different ways. We can look at it as a Pharisee and we can start judging and find somebody who fits wayside soil, or we can say, Jesus taught this so we must all have something to gain from each of the four types of soil in us. Therefore, Lord, show us our wayside soil so that we can plow it and prep it and actually get a harvest from it. I suspect that is far closer to the truth. Do every single one of us have wayside soil? I would bet on it. But every single one of us has good soil too. The key – recognize the kind of soil you are dealing with and prepare your heart accordingly. Walking in the Spirit demands that!