Many people want to know the truth, but not every heart is ready to receive it. Even when the truth comes gently, a hard heart will reject it. The problem is not with the truth itself, but with the condition of our heart when receiving it.
Jesus once told the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3-9. In that story, the same seed was sown on various types of soil. But only one type of soil produced fruit: fertile soil, which symbolizes a heart ready to receive God’s word. Matthew 13:23 explains, “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Truth will not grow in a heart that is hard, closed, or filled with worldly things. Even if we have followed the Lord for a long time, it does not guarantee that our hearts are always ready to receive correction or new teaching. Often, those who feel they “know enough” actually refuse to learn more deeply.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” The human heart can deceive, making us feel right even when we are moving away from the truth. This is why humility and the courage to be examined by the word are so important.
Psalm 139:23-24 is a prayer we should offer every day: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
When our hearts are soft, ready to be corrected, ready to be shaped, then the truth will take root and bear fruit. Do not fear the truth, because the truth sets us free (John 8:32). But make sure our hearts are open enough to receive it, not only when it is comfortable but also when it is challenging.
