Luke 8:5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, the one fell by the roadside and was trampled; and the birds of the air devoured it."

The first soil Jesus talks about, in the parable of the Sower and the Soils, is the packed soil. Jesus said the seed fell by the roadside. The Greek word used here means road, route, or highway. The dirt here would be trampled and packed down. Because it is so packed, the seed just lays on top and the birds, which represent the devil, swoop down and eat it up.

The packed soil represents the calloused heart. It is those who have never give God a chance and are not interested in God. It is also those who have grown up around God's word all their life and have tuned it out. They come to church, do all the right things, but they do everything just out of habit. The seed never penetrated the heart. The word of God just goes in one ear and out the other. Churches are full of these kinds of people. They just do what they were always taught to do, and they don't give it much thought. They don't act out of love for God. They only do what they think is expected of them and what makes them look good and will make them accepted.

These are people who think every sermon is for someone else. They don't see their own need for what is being taught in church. Their memory of the sermon is very short. As soon as the service is over, they're out in the foyer talking to other members about politics, the episode on their favorite TV show, or deciding where to go eat dinner. The devil has already taken the word out of their memory and it never has a chance to set roots in the heart. By the time they've gotten to the car they're already fighting with their kids or their spouse. God has been forgotten right there in the parking lot.

The devil doesn't want souls saved so he will do all he can to keep that from happening. He will throw all kinds of distractions at us to cause us to forget the things we read, study, or hear about Jesus, His love, and how to grow to be like him. These distractions cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus and stunts our spiritual maturity. The only way to fight off the devil's schemes is by having a day to day, minute by minute walk with God. It is by starting off the day in prayer, inviting God to be with us all day long, and by continuing to invite God and asking for His directions throughout the day. It is only through God that we can win the battle against the devil.

The next type of soil we will be looking at is the rocky soil.