Don’t Be a “Have-Hearder”

Behold, there went out a sower to sow.

And it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it up.

And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. -Mark 4:3-4, 15

Jesus is teaching the foundation on which the entire kingdom of God operates; sowing and reaping. This spiritual principle applies to every part of life. If you sow the seed, you reap the harvest. If you don’t sow the seed, you don’t reap the harvest.

The seed here is the Word of God. Jesus begins to explain the parable to them. “The sower sows the word.” (v.14) The Word of God is the subject. “These are they by the wayside, where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

How was Satan able to do that? Why could he just come in and steal the Word away so easily? Look at the phrasing: “…but when they have heard…” Jesus says they are “have-hearders.” He doesn’t say, “They’re hearing it”, He says, “They have heard it.” The reason that Satan could steal it away so easily is that they quit hearing God’s Word and started hearing something else.

I remember when I thought I knew everything there was to know about Mark 11:24. I’d heard hundreds of different messages about that one verse. At one meeting, the minister said, “Open to Mark 11:24,” and I just shut off my mind.

About six weeks later, I couldn’t figure out why that verse wasn’t working for me! The reason was that I'd turned into a “have-hearder,” and the thief started stealing away what I’d already planted in my heart.

People often say, “I’ve already heard that. I don’t need to hear it again.” But we must hear every part of God’s Word continually. What we’re hearing today will bear fruit in our lives tomorrow.

CONFESSION:

I am a hearer, not a “have-hearder.” I continually hear the Word. I keep it before my eyes; I incline my ears to its truth. And as I act on God’s Word in faith, it bears much rich fruit in my life.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999