Turn over to Matthew 13.  This great teaching, of course, is in all three of the synoptics.  That indicates an importance in and of itself.  But in Matthew 13 there’s a little truth that comes forth that we don’t pick up in Mark’s rendition.  In Chapter 13, verse 19, it says “when any one hears the word and understandeth it not, then comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart.”  This is he that received seed by the wayside.  That word understand is very interesting.  It doesn’t have anything to do with comprehension.  It doesn’t have to do with, “Man, I don’t think I understood that.”  The word understand in the Greek is very clear.  It means “to come together with” or “to be united with.”  The Word comes, it comes into our hearts, we understand it.  We understand it.  We know what it’s going to cost us to do that Word, we’ve just visited with God.

He said if any man comes after me let him deny himself, take up this cross and follow Me.  That’s what they just heard.  Now, what is the wayside heart?  The wayside heart is the one that doesn’t become one with that, is not choosing to deny himself, not choosing to daily die to self, to take up that cross.  Our refusal to immediately obey gives access for Satan to take that anointed Word out of our heart and leave us stagnant, leave us dead, leave us ignorant of all that God has for us.  The smallest babe, the person that has heard the gospel for the very first time, has the capacity, through the grace of God giving him revelation of the truth of the gospel, to make that decision to die to self and choose the lordship of Jesus Christ.

I didn’t know anything about God when I made Him my Lord and Savior.  All I knew was from that visitation, I heard that message of the grace of God, of Jesus being made sin with my sin, that He might make me righteous with His righteousness.  I knew how wicked I was!  I knew how desperate I was, in need of a savior.  I said, “I choose You, Jesus.  I don’t know where this journey is going, but I sense Your love for me and I understand the truth of the benefit of redemption and the newness of life.”  I didn’t have any idea of the magnitude of what was going to take place.  I was one of those people, and you don’t have to have this experience.  But I was one of those people that the next day the birds sang better, the sky was bluer, the burden of personal lordship was lifted off of me.  I truly became a new creation in Jesus Christ!  Oh, I still sinned after that, the flesh is weak, but that was my choice.  These wayside people are given this opportunity to finally be delivered from self and choose self.

Satan knows that the sooner he can come to get you to doubt one thing, the sooner he can come to make you one more promise of how he can make life easy and comfortable for you and you take that lie, the greater opportunity he has of defeating you.  When God gives you these revelations, at whatever stage of growth you’re in, do it immediately, because Satan is coming immediately.  Remember, we said this isn’t any one person, we are all experiencing these times.  When do I experience it?  When does the wayside factor become a part of my life?  At the moment God’s giving me new revelation.  Do you unite with it?  Do you do it then, or do you have to go ask your accountant?  Do you have to go ask whoever else it might be?  Or do you, when God tells you to do something, do it?

Over the years, I know in my own personal life, there are a lot of people that think I’m rash in the things that I do.  I am not rash in decision‑making.  I am rash after I’ve made the decision to do it.  I do it quickly.  Once I know what God’s wanting me to do, I don’t just see a situation and jump on it, I’ve got to hear from God.  But once I’ve heard from God what to do, I’m going to do it, bless God!  “If you do that, this is going to happen and this is going to happen!”  Quick to do it.  That understanding, it’s very interesting.  Psalm 18, verse 44 says, “As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.”  I just like that one comment, it’s so vital a principle to me.  As soon as they hear, they obey.  Is that a description of our lives?  So, they hear and they understand not.  They choose not to be united with this.  Satan will come and will remove that Word, that seed, out of their hearts.  Don’t allow Satan, or yourself, to be the source, the cause, of that removal.  Jesus, in His temptation, met the temptation with, “It is written,” amen?