insight
The parable begins with the totally resistant
heart and leads us to the place of zero resistance
to God’s desired work in our lives.
OPEN UP TO GOD
One of the most notable aspects of this
current move of God is our corporate openness
to God. I have noticed a fresh hunger in myself
and in others. People’s hearts are melting in
God’s felt presence and we are becoming
hungry for more of him.
In the January Vision Week, we laid aside our
usual beginning-of-the-year church agenda,
simply to seek God’s face. At several points it was
almost impossible to move on from worship. The
congregation repeated the lines from one of our
key worship songs, “Open up the heavens; pouring
out a blessing till we overflow”.
We have also felt God’s response to our cry for
an “open heaven”. He is opening heaven to us, but
how ready are we to open our hearts fully to him?
One of the biggest hindrances to the move of
God is the areas of our heart that are hardened
and resistant to him. But there’s good news. God
is softening our hearts. It is like the gentle rain
that falls on the soil, parched hard and dry after
a drought. The rain slowly seeps into the ground
making it soft and fertile again.
The Parable begins with the pathway, made hard
by constant use. Many people feel just like that.
8 Revival Times March 2018
Life has trampled them underfoot. They feel
the pain of past hurt, the agony of rejection. Life
appears to have dealt them one hard blow after
another, and it has left them isolated by their own
self-centredness and holds them captive to their
self-protective loneliness. It is as if they have shut
down on the inside and cannot imagine opening
up to anybody, least of all to God. Many openly
or privately blame God for their condition.
Whatever has led to any hardness of heart
in you – whether past suffering, rejection,
failure, guilt or deep disappointment –
whatever it is, allow the Holy Spirit to soften
your heart as you open up to him once more.
GO DEEPER
The rocky ground is characterised by the lack
of soil. There was not enough depth for the seed
to take root and grow. This is God’s invitation
for us to go deeper with him. Whatever level
of spiritual maturity we currently enjoy, we
can all go deeper with God.
There is always a temptation to give the
Holy Spirit a superficial response. Resist
that temptation. God is wanting to take you
deeper than you have ever gone before.
A deeper response to the Spirit’s move in
our hearts means we are willing for God to
change us, significantly. We must remove the
rocks of rebellion to his will, our indifference
to him or our marginalisation of his purposes in
our life. The Spirit is working a new and deeper
repentance in all of us. He wants us to make God
the central and constant focus of our lives.