God’s gift . . .

Digging in the Dirt: Preparing Your Heart

The Word of God cannot work in our lives unless we have receptive hearts.
(Greg Laurie)

Growing up, do you remember digging in the dirt?  . . . Climbing, digging, balancing, and running across uneven ground . . .  squishing mud between your fingers, picking up pebbles, or building with rocks, sticks, leaves and anything else found in nature . . . When we were younger, we didn’t think about much beyond what fun we were having in the fresh air, rain, or sun . . . As adults, time spent in fresh air, rain, or sun is good for our physical health, but it is even better for our heart and soul—our spiritual health. 

In farming, gardening, or any other kind of planting, the most important preparation involves digging in the dirt—digging and preparing the soil . . . It’s the foundation of success or the means of failure . . . and if any part of the soil isn’t healthy, the plants won’t be either . . . it is the same in preparing our own hearts, to listen to and grow with God. 

Preparing your heart for God—digging deep within yourself—means taking time to honestly recognize and clear away habits, anxieties, or distractions that pull you away from God, and away from a deeper relationship with Him . . . We need to let go of selfish desires, remove idols and emotional clutter that hold our minds captive to worldly standards, and instead focus on a mindset that is dedicated to aligning our lives with His will—not ours or the world’s. 

Spiritually in the Bible, soil symbolizes the human heart and whether or not it is willing to hear the Word of God . . . The concept of the heart as "soil" comes directly from Jesus's teachings . . . He explains that the quality of the soil determines how well the "seed"—God's Word—produces a spiritual harvest  . . .  The heart’s good soil represents fertile ground that receives spiritual "seeds," such as wisdom, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and God’s love.  

Preparing the soil of your heart for God means a continuous nurturing of humility, self-reflection, and openness to God’s voice, which allows each of us to clearly hear, worship, and respond to God’s call . . . Through intentional prayer and self-examination, we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal and soften our rigid areas—breaking up hardened ground, pulling out worldly distractions, and creating space to listen, reflect, and grow—and to help us cultivate a receptive, soft, and teachable spirit so God’s Word can take root. 

INSIGHT . . .

The Bible speaks a lot about the human heart . . . Jeremiah 17:9 says it’s “the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked” . . . Mark 12:30 says the heart is part of the whole self with which people must love God . . . Proverbs 27:19 says, “the heart reflects the real person”. 

In Mark 4, Jesus compares the heart to soil and says that it is the basis to nurturing the seed of God’s Word in our lives . . . In the parable of the Sower, Jesus describes seeds falling on four different types of soil that represent four different types of hearts of those who are hearing His words—that is, four different reactions to the Word of God . . . the hard heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart, and the fruitful heart. 

First, the hard heart—the seed that falls along the roadside . . . Jesus says that the hard path is a faithless heart, a heart that hears but does not listen or follow God’s Word . . . people who hear the Word of God but never really believe. 

Next, the shallow heart—the seed that falls on rough, rock-strewn ground . . . The rocky ground is a heart that originally receives God’s Word but can’t or won’t follow through when trials and temptation come . . . people who hear the Word of God and receive it with joy, but there is no root to support them, so they wither away. 

Then, the crowded heart—the seed that falls where weeds choke it out . . . The soil with weeds is a heart filled with worldly cares and distractions that seem to swallow up God’s Word . . . Lack of faith, lack of endurance, and lack of spiritual focus cancels out the miracle of the Seed . . . (We know about these elements because we face them every day) . . . people, busy with the cares and riches of the world, simply lose interest in the things of God. 

If the soil is not favorable to growth, the seed of the Word of God remains inactive and powerless . . . Seeds cannot take root on the hard path . . . Seeds cannot last in rocky ground lacking adequate moisture . . . Seeds cannot flourish among weeds. 

Lastly, Jesus talks about the fruitful heart that receives God’s Word . . . The seed falls on good ground, and the plants produce a rich harvest . . . These are people who see God’s Word for what it is and allow it into their hearts and souls, and let it change them for the better, forever.

Do you have any one of these foundational heart issues with your own faith? 

Do you lack understanding that makes you vulnerable to the enemy’s lies? 

Are your roots shallow, making you vulnerable
                   to the heat of life’s problems that may scorch and wither your faith? 

Do you have any distractions or thorny pursuits in life that could choke out your faith?

“Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23 

Remember, we can always adjust, change, correct, and improve the soil . . . Strive to gain more understanding of God, grow our spiritual roots, remove distractions, add some spiritual disciplines to our lives, pray, serve, fellowship, worship . . . and pray some more to develop and deepen your relationship with God . . . This will provide a fighting chance to weather spiritual storms as our roots go deep with God. 

The seed is always perfect—representing the Word of God—but its success depends entirely on the condition of the soil (the heart) receiving it . . . We are the ones who determine what kind of soil our hearts will be . . . We decide whether we will have a hard heart, a shallow heart, a crowded heart, or a receptive heart. 

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and evil that is so prevalent.
Put out of your life all that is unclean and wrong.
Instead, humbly welcome the word of truth
that will blossom like the seed of salvation planted in your souls.”
James 1:21

INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . .

“Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! 
Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven.”
Lamentations 3:40-41

Just as a farmer prepares soil for planting, we must prepare our hearts to receive and respond to God’s Word . . . Without that preparation, the message can be stolen, wither away, or be choked out.

Jesus often told parables using agricultural life . . . Parables were stories Jesus told to help us imagine life in the kingdom of God . . . Each parable generally had one big point . . . Jesus would say, “Ye that have ears to hear, hear!”. . . Jesus was saying that you’ve got to bring your real, vulnerable, honest-to-God life to the hearing of this parable or it won’t do its holy work in you . . . We have to listen to what He is teaching us! 

In Mark 4, the parable is about seeds, soil and spirituality . . . Dirt and divinity go together  . . . The major point of the parable is that God calls us to work the soil of our spiritual life, to turn more and more of the garden of our hearts and souls into good, deep, rich soil. 

Now, about the hardened path of your soul . . . Sometimes we are all foot-path, always on the go, moving fast . . . The seed has no chance to take root . . . Place God first—pause and let Him speak—then take time to listen and hear . . . take time to work the soil. 

Where do you need to slow down? 

Then there is the rocky soil of the soul . . . take time to work the soil, dig out the rocks, pebbles, and stones . . . then haul them away for good . . . This allows the healthy soil to breathe and deepen . . . It takes work—we often don’t like the work—but look at the results when you’re done. 

Can you think of rocks that need digging out? . . .
                      They are not bad; they just hinder growth.

              Are there some old habits that need to go? . . .
                                   Old patterns that no longer serve you?

Now, the soil full of thorns, old roots, and weeds . . . They choke the spiritual life  . . . Jesus warned of three persistent thorns—daily worries that replace trust, false-hearted riches that mess with your mind, and passing pleasures that are quickly gone—and each strangles and suffocates the deeper joy of knowing God personally. 

How is your trust in God holding up?
            What “things” are choking out your relationship with God?
                      Ask God to help you renew and realign your spiritual focus.

Soil can’t become good on its own . . . The Gardener has to work with it, break it apart, soften it . . . the rocks and weeds have to be pulled . . . and nutrients have to be added . . . So, if Jesus is telling us to be “good soil” so that our hearts can be fertile ground for His Word, we need to be open God working on our hearts and souls—submit to Him, allow Him to break apart our hard parts, let Him pull the weeds of materialism and worry . . . and perhaps even “fertilize” us with what feels like dying to self.

What is the condition of your heart?
          Are you open and ready for growth?
                   How is Jesus trying to work the soil of your heart? 

Are you resisting Him because it feels difficult?
                      Ask Him to help you see the purpose of the struggles in your life.

‍ILLUMINATION . . .

“As a deer thirsts for streams of water,
my soul is dry and desires You, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”
Psalm 42:1-2a

Pause, ponder, and reflect on this picture for a moment . . . Can you hear the gentle water? . . . Can you sense the silence of the deep forest, broken only by the soothing sounds of nature? . . . Can you feel the desire in your heart and soul to go deep within yourself to find the same calm and peace?

The world is so noisy . . . And how about the constant distractions of social media, media, television, and the chaotic world around us?  . . . Our minds jump from one thing to the next with no thought or understanding—just feeding off the adrenaline rush to the detriment of our bodies and souls . . . It makes me tired just thinking about it.

The word of God is always near, but we often can’t hear through the deafening noise . . . We have to ask ourselves, “How can we quiet our minds long enough for the seed to grow, the Word to speak, the spirit deepen?”

When Jesus called His first disciples who were fishing, He told them to cast their nets into the deep . . . The spiritual life is not lived in the shallows . . . we have to go deep.

How do you access the deepest parts of yourself?

Think about it for a moment . . . On a walk in the woods, or on the seashore? . . . In worship? . . . Writing alone at home? . . . Listening to music? . . . Studying scripture or other spiritual writings? . . . What quiets your soul? . . . Can you come up with a plan to start reaching deep within yourself?

It's okay to slow down, to pause, to rest . . . God isn't measuring our worth by how busy we are . . . Sometimes the most faithful step forward is simply resting in His presence and remembering that we are never alone . . .  Times of solitude, silence and listening to God will help you slow down and enabled you to focus your attention more and more on Jesus.

As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after Thee
You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship Thee
You alone are my Strength, my Shield  . . . To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire and I long to worship Thee.
(As the Deer / Martin J. Nystrom)

INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . .

Music bypasses the mind and speaks directly to the deep, hidden parts of the heart.
It provides a unique kind of comfort and expression,
acting as an emotional anchor when mere words fall short.
(Kait Hanson)

I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.

♪♬♪ Current . . .  Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAjmd-IZA4s&list=RDFAjmd-IZA4s&start_radio=1

♪♬♪ Praise & Worship . . . Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4xXuofBLlg&list=RDU4xXuofBLlg&start_radio=1

♪♬♪ Traditional . . . Open My Eyes that I May See

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDJaE1o5CUk&list=RDvDJaE1o5CUk&start_radio=1

‍ ‍

INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . .

As we dig in the dirt around us, the intention is to tend the garden of our souls so that more and more of our hearts are made up of good, deep soil . . . The work may be demanding, difficult, and taxing at times, but it is full of pleasure because it is soul-work, and worth developing good soil within . . . remember that Jesus tells us that soul-work requires patience and perseverance . . . None of us are instant saints, and there always will be stones to dig up and weeds to pull . . . But the Sower (God) is good, the seed (The Word) is good, the soil (the heart) is good, and you are worth it!

We truly need to fill our lives so full of the goodness of God that there is hardly any space for the bad stuff to creep in . . . Ultimately, spiritual soil reminds us that our inner landscape must be cared for, nurtured, and cleared of negative distractions (like weeds) if we hope to "bear fruit" in our lives.

 And this is very important . . . Just like in life, fill your bare spots with God’s goodness, so there is no room for weeds and no need to have that painful weeding later . . . Nature will cover your soil with something if it’s bare, so put something good there instead.

It’s all about the relationship with God . . . Tend the soil of your heart and soul, intentionally filling your life with all that honors God . . . it is so worth it!

Father, we want to thrive and grow stronger in our faith.
Lead us in preparing rich soil for Your work in our lives
and protect us from busyness or temptations that distract us from You.
Keep us open and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit
as You protect and prepare our hearts for Your purposes.—Amen!‍ ‍

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