Is Your Heart Prepped?
After a season of being dormant, we come to a warming season of planting. A time when we can till the ground and break up the hard soil. Winter is a time of rest. A time when the ground rests and holds the nutrients it has consumed prior to the cold weather. We can be like the ground in the winter. Cold and frozen with the nutrients from the previous season of harvest. We need to find that rest that lets us remain in our faith as we “chew” on the Word of God that we received in the season of harvest.
But, then we find ourselves in the season of spring. When everything is warming up and coming to life. We find that it’s time to till the ground and let some fresh air get in to revive the “breathing” of the ground. The ground is like the heartbeat of the garden. It has to be in the right condition to receive the seeds and grow the fruit that is planted.
If our soil has not been tilled and tended, then it may remain too hard to effectively grow anything. It could also lack a nutrient that was depleted during the resting season. This is the same way with our hearts. If we are not careful, our hearts can become cold and calloused. Once this happens, there is difficulty in receiving love from God. Not only do we struggle with receiving that love, but we also find that without a warm and nutrient-rich heart, but we also cannot love others as we should.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10, NET
God wants us to abide in the branches of Jesus and become those who bear the fruit that others need. But if we aren’t prepping our garden.. spirit man… then we are not going to be able to grow those fruits that will show others the love and goodness of God.
The garden season starts with prepping the soil. So much like adding nutrients and allowing the ground to aerate, we must also add to our hearts and allow Jesus to create a clean and refreshed heart within us.
Here are some great ways to break up the dormant ground and cause it to be ready for planting:
1. Remove the rocks and weeds — start getting the weeds and rocks out of the garden by seeking His truth in the Bible. Let the truth throw out the lies that the enemy has tried to plant while you were resting. Throw out the lie of not being worthy. Pull up the lie of unloved by the roots and throw it on the burn pile. Remove the rocks of doubt and fear and throw them in the rock pit.
2. Till the ground — open up the ground with prayer and gratitude. Begin by giving thanks for the opportunity to rest and remain in His love and goodness. Then begin to seek His will.
3. Add organic matter — by adding organic matter you can increase the nutrients in the soil. This can be done by choosing carefully what you allow to enter your heart through various media outlets. Social media, movies, and music can influence us or even add unknown weeds to our thoughts. We have to keep it organic and wholesome without the man-made chemicals of lies and strife.
4. Make sure your fence is sturdy – we have to have a fence to keep out the enemy. This can be done by daily meditation on the Word of God that will keep your mind focused on Him. We have to take control of our thoughts and not allow the deceptive thoughts of the enemy to get into our minds.
Prepping the ground is such an important part of gardening. If there are too many rocks there is no way we can get the seeds deep enough to take root. This is something we have heard many times as we listened to the parable of the sower. We also learned that too many weeds will choke good plants.
“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it. Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it. But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he said this, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” Luke 8:5-8, NET
Our hearts are the same. We can’t allow the rocks of doubt and fear to take up precious room in our garden. This will cause our soil to be shallow and unable to hold the roots of the seeds that will be planted. We must also remove the weeds of greed, envy, strife, and contention so that these will not choke the roots of the good seed.
Yes, the Lord has this to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: “Like a farmer breaking up hard unplowed ground, you must break your rebellious will and make a new beginning; just as a farmer must clear away thorns lest the seed is wasted, you must get rid of the sin that is ruining your lives. Jeremiah 4:3, NET
When we take time to prep our hearts for the upcoming planting season, we are allowing ourselves to give way to the garden that God has designed for us to produce. Some of us will produce the eggplant and avocado while others will produce the squash and peppers. Sometimes, we may all produce tomatoes that we can give to different people. The value is not in what we produce, but in that, we produce something usable.
We have to produce love and grace for those who are lost and need to know what it is to have the hope of Jesus. We can’t get lost in trying to produce a grace that is prettier than someone else’s. We have to remember that grace is grace… and we should all be able to share that with those who feel like they will never measure up.
But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9, NET
Have you prepped your heart to receive the seeds that will be planted in you during this season?
Is your heart tilled and aerated in preparation for being able to allow your garden to have a good root system?
Do you have your fence in place and is it sturdy?
Friend, we all need daily reminders of these things that will help us become a garden of good fruit that will fortify others with the nutrients they need to grow in their faith.
The one who works his land will be satisfied with food, but whoever chases daydreams will have his fill of poverty. Proverbs 28:19, NET
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