Pastor's Blog
The battle is in the mind. If the devil can gain access to our minds, the battle is lost. Question every thought and evaluate whether that thought is in line with the Word of God or not. If it is not then take control of your thoughts and cast it down in the mighty name of Jesus!
This parable is Jesus' teaching about how we receive His Word. It is of the utmost importance that we make our minds fertile to that when we do this His Word will take root in us and allow God to change us from the inside out. If we pray for salvation but there is no change in our lives then there is a good possibility that we never really accepted God's forgiveness and are still in our sins and subject to God's judgement.
When we find ourselves in the storms of life, Jesus is here with us to give us faith that this storm will pass.
This is an article that I found while doing research on the subject of "The Dark Night of the Soul." It is a study of the poem written by St John of the Cross at around 1585. I highly recommend that you read it. It is a very good article.