Luke 8:15 (AMP)
15 But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience.
Hearing is a matter of the heart. While explaining the parable of the sower, Jesus says the good soil is the one who heard the word with a good and noble heart. As much as the ears hear, it is with the heart that one perceives. The individual with a good and noble heart considers what they hear and because of the nature of their heart they perceive and hold on tightly to what they heard and soon enough you will begin to see the fruit of that word in their life.
I am reminded of the Bereans in the book of Acts, they we also a people with a good and noble heart who embraced the word.
Acts 17:11 (AMP)
11 Now these people were more noble and open-minded than those in Thessalonica, so they received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
They were noble and open minded and even after they heard, they went back on their own to examine the scriptures daily to confirm if what they had heard was the truth. They loved the word and they took the time to study it daily and I am sure it bore great fruit in their life.
Fruit bearing is a byproduct of good hearing and for you to be a good hearer then you must have a good and noble heart one that is receptive to the things of God. Be deliberate in how you hear and do not allow the enemy to distract you because what he is really doing is stealing the fruit that the word is supposed to produce in your life.
Do not just hear with your ears but allow yourself to hear with your heart also for it is when you hear with your heart that you have the conviction to do something about what you have heard.
Ask God to change your heart that it may be receptive to his word because the danger for some of us who have been in church for a long time is that we get familiar to such an extent that we think we know or we think we have heard but our hearts are no longer convicted with the word and we wonder why we cannot see the fruit in our life.
