Bonus Episode - Soils of Our Heart
[00:00:00] Sebra: Welcome. Welcome. Welcome to this bonus episode of the Raising Godly Women podcast. If this is your first episode, I'd like to welcome you to our journey through the Parable of the Sower and the Seed. If you want to get to know more about our podcast, check out our trailer, which is usually at the beginning of an episode, but today I wanted to get right down to business, so I put the link in the Show Notes.
[00:00:28] Sebra: For those who have been following our journey, you've been hearing about the various soils of our heart found in the Parable of the Sower and the Seed and the women we've been discussing to bring these soils to life.
[00:00:41] Sebra: Well, today's episode is bringing all those soils into one place to make them easier for our listeners to find. And if truth be told, I wanted to make them easier for me to find as well. And on that note, let's dive right in and allow me to, once again, introduce you to Wayside Wendy, Rocky Raquel, Thorny Theresa, and Good Ground Gabrielle, affectionately known as GiGi.
[00:01:11] Sebra: First up, we have Wayside Wendy. Her nickname is actually Path Patty, because in some versions, the translation actually says this soil is where the seed fell along the path. However, our translation said wayside, so that's how we refer to her.
[00:01:32] Sebra: The woman represented by this soil lacks understanding. So, when she hears the Word, the devil immediately comes and snatches the Word right out of her heart. Even if Wendy takes notes, her lack of understanding will keep her from being able to put into practice the things that she writes down. Been there. Done that. In other words, Wendy gains a lot of knowledge, but she doesn't know how to apply what she learns to her daily life. So understanding is one of the words that describes what Wendy needs in order to mature in her walk with God.
[00:02:14] Sebra: Unlike Wendy, there are times when Rocky Raquel can understand Scripture. She may not understand everything, but she does get excited about what makes sense to her. However, because the soil of her heart contains "stones," the Word can't take root. These stones are things that Raquel holds near and dear to her heart, such as unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, anything along those lines.
[00:02:47] Sebra: Raquel may not know she's holding onto these things. However, these are things ""that she's not ready, or she's not willing to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, which causes her heart to get hard towards any Scriptures that challenge her. Therefore, Raquel can receive the Word with joy and she can even obey what she likes, but without a root system that stabilizes her, when what she heard results in tribulation, and all that means is a trial, persecution, and all that means is being mistreated for what she believes, or temptation, which I think we all know what that means, she rejects the Scripture. Her rejection causes her to immediately stumble, meaning she no longer obeys what she understands.
[00:03:42] Sebra: What Raquel might not know is what she's facing is actually a test of her faith, because every time, and I mean, every time, we hear the Word, the devil, the enemy of our soul, will come to steal that Word. Period. If he's unable to steal it, he will bring a challenge in the hopes that she will doubt it. Therefore, Rocky, she has to be willing to surrender her entire life to Christ. That means her thoughts, her plans, her emotions and yes, even her "stones:" the unforgiveness, the bitterness, the pride, anything that's sitting in her heart that keeps her from obeying God. So, obedience and submission are two words that describe what Raquel needs in order to mature in her walk with Christ.
[00:04:51] Sebra: Next up is Thorny Theresa. Ooh wee. Theresa, she understands a good bit of Scripture and she can obey things that might cause Raquel to stumble. Overall, Theresa, she's your more mature believer. Since she has a relatively good understanding of Scripture, she can obey God, for a season, and in her own strength. As a result, she's actually able to withstand a few of life storms. She even begins to produce fruit on the seeds of God's Word that have been planted in her heart. But that fruit, it never reaches maturity.
[00:05:34] Sebra: Others can generally tell that Theresa believes in Jesus. She may be successful in her marriage, in her career, and even in other areas of her life. So to others, she seems like she has it all together, but inside Theresa may be feeling overwhelmed. As a matter of fact, Theresa actually knows how to wear a beautiful mask, but time can wear her down.
[00:06:01] Sebra: Because she hasn't dealt with all the deep issues in her heart, such as childhood trauma, disappointments, hurts, rejections, you name it, she finds herself going around mountains she thought she'd conquered again, and again, and again. Over time, Theresa gets what we call "faith weary." That's when the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches and or the pleasures of life that are at the root of what's weighing on Theresa's heart will choke out the Word that she heard. So, trust in the Lord is one phrase that describes what Theresa needs in order to fully mature in her faith.
[00:06:44] Sebra: Last, but not least, we have GiGi, Good Ground Gabrielle. Gigi has an honest and a good heart. So, she's able to accept even the hard truth of God's Word. Because she is patient, Gigi keeps the Word in her heart. She not only understands the Word, but she is also able to produce mature fruit on it. As a matter of fact, the impact of God's Word in her life is exponential. Her harvest can be 100, 60, or 30 times more than what when in. Practically speaking, what this means is that over time, it's hard for people to believe GiGi when she shares her testimony, because she literally no longer looks like the person she used to be.
[00:07:41] Sebra: Yes. Gigi has challenges like everybody else. But because she is rooted and grounded in Christ, she faces those difficulties with grace, learning the lesson from each trial. Moreover, Gigi is also aware that the fruit she produces, it's not just about her. Ultimately, what God does in her life should flow through her to save souls, transform lives, and benefit God's kingdom.
[00:08:16] Sebra: And there you have it. That's our rendition of the soils of the heart Jesus described in Matthew chapter 13, Mark chapter 4, and Luke chapter 8. Our naming each soil helped bring them to life in a way that has made this parable, not only more relatable, but also more impactful in our everyday life.
[00:08:42] Sebra: And we're hoping that it does the same for you. However, please, please, please keep in mind that these women are how we envision each of the soils. We hope that you'll study this parable for yourself, so God can help you bring the soils of your heart to life in a way that is meaningful to you. And that is my pearl of wisdom for today: we are each fearfully and wonderfully made. So how God brings the soils to life for you might be different. Embrace it. And we encourage you to share it.
[00:09:25] Khara: Thank you for listening to the Raising Godly Women podcast and taking this journey with us to be the Titus 2 women. We pray that the seeds of God's Word shared today fell on great soil and that soil is in your heart. Now we hope that through these pearls of wisdom that you have gained the tools to help you become stronger to help you become more confident in your everyday life.
[00:09:49] Khara: Mostly, especially as it relates to your walk with the Lord, we also hope that you will share your tools with those who are younger in age, or even maybe younger in faith to help them become stronger and confident as well, so that they can help share with other women passing the baton to the generation behind them.
[00:10:05] Khara: Just imagine the ripple effect, our sharing can have not only in our generation, but also the generations to come to build and strengthen the body of Christ as we all come together to empower each other. So, until we meet again, feel free to join the Raising Godly Women community. Let's talk about your connection with this episode on social media in the comment section. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram at Raising Godly Women. Be sure to tag us, because we love to have you connect and be a part of the family. And on that note, may the Lord hear from you and keep you, may He make His face shine upon you and be gracious onto you. May the Lord shine His face towards you and give you peace. Shalom daughters of God. Shalom.
