Satan - The Sower Of Evil
In the first 23 verses of Matthew 13, we read of the parable of the sower. The parable deals with how different people respond to the message of the kingdom of heaven.
When some hear the great gospel, they don’t understand the word and are snatched away by the devil. Others are delighted by the message and the hope that is provided, but only remain faithful for a short while, stumbling when things get difficult. Some who receive that seed - the gospel message - hear the word, but treasure the things of this world too much and drift away. And of course, some receive the seed and feed off of the message, studying God’s word and being fruitful.
The seed in the parable is the word of God and the sowers are those who teach the gospel message; not just teachers and preachers, but all who live according to the Bible and lead lives that others can look on as examples.
However, we must beware of a different seed that is sown. There is an evil seed, that wars against the good gospel seed. Satan, and all that are his, sow this disastrous seed, meant to grow enemies and draw away those who follow Christ.
In Matthew 13:24-30, we read of another parable where the enemy sows tares in with the wheat. The enemy places his seeds of destruction in with the seeds of righteousness, hoping to choke out the good.
The devil is walking about “like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8). He is always ready to strike, looking for another place to sow his seed. He is always hoping for an unprotected heart that would help him in growing weeds instead of fruit.
We need to make sure that our hearts for sin are the opposite of our hearts for God’s word as described in the parable of the sower. When we come across a seed sown by Satan we need to immediately cast it away. If it begins to grow, we need to stop it from taking root and allow the joys of heaven, our Father, and Christ to dissuade us from producing fruit for the enemy.
Our hearts need to be fertile for the seed sown by Christ, allowing the word of God to grow within us and produce fruit for the Lord. But we must make sure our hearts are hardened to Satan’s seed, not allowing his weeds to grow within us.
-- John Thrower Jr.