An investment in a relationship with God remains key. A relationship with God empowers Christians to be active in the word. A person deep rooted in the word of God will know and recognize that the battles they may face are not theirs to bare, but the Lords. Therefore the word of God is not to be listened to passively.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23. The parable of the sower pertains to all of us. Everyone has a category that they fall under. Ask yourself this, how much of the word of God have you retained over the past few weeks? Evaluate then, which category you fall under!

Understand that the sower did not harvest what he expected to, in relation to what he sowed. The type of soil is what makes the difference. The seed is the same, the sower is the same so the variable is the ground. Therefore you hold the keys as to what type of person or soil you are. There are 4 different categories that have been identified in the scriptures.
1. Those who receive the word, but it does not stay with them. It is snatched away due to lack of understanding.
2. Those that lack depth in Christ. They are shallow and easily discouraged by troubles and hardships.
3. Those that lack focus. They are consumed by the worries of life and give priority to chasing the world. This chokes their faith.
4. Those that have an active relationship with God. They know their Father and understand Him and His expectations of them.

What you spend your time doing is that which you become. You therefore cannot expect to connect with God at the end of the week if you have spent that time invested in other things that do not concern Him.
Colossians 1:9. When the Spirit of God is in us, we get understanding. Your recognition and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit only comes from having a relationship with God.
Analogy – At a job interview, all employers are interested in 3 main things, knowledge, attitude and the skills. Knowledge alone does not make you competent, neither does attitude or skills on their own. Likewise spiritually, one must possess all the above to be competent as an effective christian. You need to understand what is “understanding ” in order to fully have a relationship with God.