Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

condition of your heart . Look closely at the parable and see that the emphasis is not on the seed (as the seed itself holds the life) or the amount of seed, but upon the condition of the ground upon which the seed falls. If the ground (heart) is not properly prepared, there will be no fruit from the seed! Satan attacks the soil, not the seed (except when the birds [spirits] attempt to remove the truth that has been planted in a person’s heart). This significant parable reveals the four main conditions of the human heart that are encountered when the Word of God is preached, or when the seed of God’s Word is planted into the minds of the audience:

The Ground The wayside ground The stony ground The thorny ground

The Condition of the Heart The hardened heart

The Result to the Person

No spiritual life

The rootless heart

A superficial life

The worldly heart A strangled life

The fruitful The righteous

A successful,