In Matthew 13, I can find a way to match every parable according to what is going on in my life. Like the parable of the seeds and which ground they were sowed into. When it says that the Word was sown in the stony place, I think of a “hard heart” in which your heart can’t receive the Word, when you hear the Word and it convicts you, it causes offense. This parable reminds me of how I used to be, I thought I was always right and whenever someone would “throw” the Word at me, I got resentful towards the Word.

Now, the ground that had thorns in it, ended up choking the Word out. This convicts me of when I let something slip out of my mouth that’s not from the Word of God. I get convicted when I act in the flesh, I can completely relate to this seed. But it has been getting better as I get the Word inside of me. Most of the time, I end up catching myself before I let the thorns choke the Word out of me.

Just by working on adjusting my actions and attitude by the Word, I can see some fruit starting to come up. I notice that I am starting to love people like I need to, and look past their flesh and see their great future through Christ. Another great fruit I can see is gentleness, because I used to be a rowdy person, always getting uptight and wanting to physically release anger by using a punching bag or listening to crazy worldly music. Now I find myself calm, gentle, and soaking in godly anointed music now that the Word has taken root over the months.

–Taylor