“A farmer planted seed… Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly.” Mark 4:3, 5–6 (MSG)
Satan knows that meditating in God’s Word is crucial for believers to grow. It’s why he invests so much effort trying to keep believers out of it!
One technique he uses is bringing trouble and persecution against you to get you offended and angry. Jesus explained that this tactic works well because many immature believers “fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word” (Mark 4:16–17, NLT).
You see, the more you grow in the Word, the greater threat you become to the enemy. So, Satan will try to use problems or harassment against you. It won’t necessarily be big issues; it could be simple annoyances.
For example, maybe on the Sunday the pastor talks about patience, you lose yours on the drive home. Or perhaps you hear some teaching on love, and suddenly you’re the office bully’s new target. What is happening?
Satan is trying to steal the Word out of your life. His goal is to steal, kill and destroy any seed from God’s Word that might penetrate your heart and begin to produce a harvest. Don’t let that scare or stop you from meditating in the Word, though. Satan is a defeated foe. When you resist him, he has to flee! (See James 4:7, 1 John 4:4 and Colossians 2:15.)
If you haven’t already, determine to arm yourself by spending time in God’s Word, even if it’s five or ten minutes every day. Putting down roots will hold you steadfast when trouble comes.