David Diga Hernandez - How to Receive the Word of God

There are three keys to receiving the Word of God in a way that will transform who you are. When you read the Word, it is supposed to change your nature and make you more like Jesus. The Scripture says that we are changed as we behold Him. How do we behold Him? We behold Him in worship, we behold Him in prayer, and we behold the Lord in our devotion to the Word. As we look to the Word, we are looking to Jesus, and when we look to Jesus, His reflection coming back upon us transforms who we are. It changes our nature and our character traits. I want to be more like Jesus in this moment than I was in the last. Therefore, I want to share a parable that Jesus taught concerning the Word, followed by three keys to receiving the Word of God in a way that will positively impact your life.

So, go to Matthew chapter 13. I will begin reading at verse three, specifically the second half. This is what the Scripture says: «Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow, but the plants soon wilted under the hot sun; and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.»

Now, I want you to skip down to verse eighteen, where Jesus gives the explanation of the parable. Verse eighteen says, «Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long; they fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s Word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s Word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted.»

Now, let’s take a look first at the seed that Jesus mentions. This is the seed sown on the footpath; it never grew roots and never entered the soil. It was sown in the wrong place. The primary issue with the seed that was sown on the footpath instead of on the soil is this: there was no understanding. Why is that? The seed that was sown onto the footpath should have been sown into the soil. However, as we just heard, it was sown onto the footpath, where it could not even begin to take root. What does this mean? I believe this is talking about revelation and understanding.

So, number one: you need revelation. Why is that? Because the seed was sown in the wrong place. Some people receive the Word, the seed of the Word, as they hear it. They hear the information, but they don’t receive the revelation. What do they receive? They receive knowledge, facts, a history lesson, or moral lessons. The problem is that for many people, the seed only goes as far as the mind but never takes root in the spirit. In other words, the mind is the footpath, and the spirit is the soil. The mind is the wrong place to sow the seed. You cannot understand the Word without the Holy Spirit, and you cannot understand the Word if it is sown only into your mind.

You cannot receive the Word intellectually or mentally. You can receive it with certain benefits, but you can never receive the full benefits of the Word by only receiving it mentally. In fact, I’ve seen many people become undone and powerless because all they received was knowledge. They become puffed up, arrogant, prideful, judgmental, and critical. They become very cynical in their approach to life, the Word, and ministry, and they end up dried up. Why? Because there’s no actual fruit, as they received it in the mind without receiving it in the spirit.

So the seed sown on the footpath was indeed sown in the wrong place—into the mind instead of the spirit. I remember when I was trying to understand the Word. This was when I first committed to reading it—back in the fifth grade. I recall one of my friends at school, during lunch break, would read the Bible every single day. I watched them to see how consistent they were, and sure enough, they were reading the Word every day. I was inspired by my friend’s commitment to reading the Bible at school during lunch!