Summary:

To receive a harvest from God's Word, you must become like a sower and plant the Word of God in your heart, or spirit. You do this by reading and
meditating the Word on a constant basis. You must keep it before your
eyes, in your ears and coming out of your mouth. By planting the Word
in your heart, it will produce roots and make you a person of depth who
can withstand the storms of life.

1. The "ground" of your heart will determine whether you receive a harvest from the seed of God's Word that you sow (Mark 4:1-20).
   1. There are four types of soil:
      1. Wayside soil
         1. The Word says that the fowls of the air devoured the seed sown on wayside ground.
         2. This type of soil represents the person who hears the Word, but Satan immediately comes and steals what was sown in their heart.
      2. Stony soil
         1. The harvest did not come because this soil had no depth, and the seed could not take root. As a result, the sun scorched the seed and it withered
            away.
         2. This type of soil represents the person who hears the Word and immediately receives it with gladness, but because they have no spiritual depth, they are offended when persecution or affliction
            comes.
      3. Thorny soil
         1. The seed sown on this soil was choked by the thorns that grew up.
         2. This type of soil represents the person who hears the Word, but the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust for other things
            enters in, chokes the Word and causes it to become unfruitful in their
            lives.
      4. Good ground
         1. The seed sown here yielded a thirty, sixty and an hundredfold harvest.
         2. This soil represents the person who hears the Word, receives it and holds on to it, causing it to yield a great harvest.
            
            
2. You fail to receive when you do not sow in good ground.
   1. It is important to sow the Word of God in good ground to get the maximum return.
   2. Prepare your heart to hear the Word of God.
      1. It is not only important to hear the Word of God, but to apply it in your life.
      2. Only when you apply the Word that you hear will you receive a harvest from it.
   3. An effective sower determines exactly where the seed should be planted.
   4. Satan comes immediately to snatch God's Word from you, so it will not be able to take root in your heart.
      
      
3. You fail to receive when you have no spiritual depth
   (Colossians 2: 6, 7).
   1. You must be rooted and built up in the Word of God.
   2. Having depth and having roots in the Word of God is important to receiving your harvest.
   3. The enemy will orchestrate situations and circumstances to cause you to struggle, but that is when you must dig deep in the Word.
      1. The Word must be planted in the soil of your heart and take root.
      2. The Word of God will produce results in your life when it is planted in your heart.
   4. When you are rooted in the Word of God, you will not be controlled by your emotions (Colossians 2:7-10).
      
      
4. You fail to receive your harvest because you give other things precedence over God's Word (Mark 4:17-19).
   1. You cannot allow the cares of the world, anxieties and deceitfulness of riches to choke the Word of God.
   2. You must be consistent in your life by becoming grounded in the Word.
      1. When you are grounded in the Word, you will endure trouble and persecution without wavering.
      2. Guard your heart against what is contrary to the Word.
   3. Keep the Word in the center of your heart (Proverbs 4:20-27).
      1. The Word of God will produce healing.
   4. You must stay focused on the things of God and not allow Satan to distract you (Mark 4:20).

Scripture References:

• Mark 4:1-20
• Colossians 2: 6, 7
• Colossians 2:7-10
• Mark 4:17-19
• Proverbs 4:20-27
• Mark 4:20