Exodus 6:9 “So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.” The people of Israel were so beaten up that they were black and blue. They were traumitized. Their state was so bad that they didn’t listen to God’s word. Many of the people we come across are also beaten up and have a difficult time hearing God’s word. Just as God is persistant in delivering the people of Israel, He will also work to get the attention of those in our lives. Our task is to pray for them and speak when opportunity rises. I want to go deeper as to what inhibits them from hearing God’s word. Jesus told a parable which addressed this. He compared the condition of the heart to soils: rocky, thorny, pathway and healthy. 75% of the hearts in the story had problems that filtered out God’s word. These soils are representative of God’s word being removed from our hearts or causes of it’s death before it can mature. The rocky soil represensts no foundation. So, when difficulties arrise, it dies off because of the limited understanding. That’s partially why it’s good to be in a church with good bible teaching. 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;” Exposure to good teaching will nurture God’s word in our lives. The heart with the thorns that is full of the cares of the world, riches and pleasures. This person is so preoccupied that the message is crowded out. By inattention it dies. Partially because we are making space in our lives for God. Ponder over the message and pray for deeper understanding. The heart that represents the pathway is the message that’s taken away intentionally by the evil one, the devil. This is a shock to some that evil is plotted against us by one that seeks our harm. Like in war the opposition wants casualties. The devil doesn’t want you close to God. He will go to great lengths to keep you away. C.S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters to illustrate this. It’s a very curious book as it show a senior devil instructing a junior one in the art of distraction. As with the Jews God persisted with His message. So He will be with us. God’s messages are coming our way often. May we receive these with a healthy heart.