Your Heart Is The Garden

“Then he said to them, “If you don’t understand this parable, how will you understand any parable? Let me explain: The farmer sows the Word as seed, and what falls on the beaten path represents those who hear the Word, but immediately Satan appears and snatches it from their hearts. The seed sown on gravel represents those who hear the Word and receive it joyfully, but because their hearts fail to sink a deep root into the Word, they don’t endure for long. For when trouble or persecution comes on account of the Word, they immediately wilt and fall away. And the seed sown among thorns represents those who hear the Word, but they allow the cares of this life and the seduction of wealth and the desires for other things to crowd out and choke the Word so that it produces nothing. “But the seed sown on good soil represents those who open their hearts to receive the Word and their lives bear good fruit—some yield a harvest of thirty, sixty, even one hundred times more than was sown!” (Mark 4:13–20, TPT)

Your heart receives the word of God when you hear it. It is the garden that the eternal seed of the word of God is sown into.

We are responsible for tending and caring for our heart.

Maintaining a heart that is "good soil" is key to the word of God producing fruit in our lives.

There are four types of soil that we see in the parable of sower in Mark 4. These different types of soil represent four different states that we can allow ourselves to get it.

Beaten path: Half hearted. We could really care less about the word. We are hearing it because we know it is the right thing to do but we don't expect much.

Gravel: Excited to hear the word but impatient. We want it to produce right away and we get frustrated because it takes longer than we expected.

Thorns: We hear the word but are so busy with everything else we don't nourish and care for it after we hear. We don't water it and keep the weeds out. We become more interested in all the other responsibilities of life.

Good ground: Ready to hear. Excited to receive it. Watch over it and care for it after it is sown. Keep the weeds out and give it more and more attention to watch it grow. Water it daily. Being patient to not harvest before the fruit is ripe. Not allowing anything to take priority over the word in our lives. We put the word first place!

Say this:
My heart is garden that the word of God is planted into. I prepare my heart to receive the word. I give the word of God first place in my life.

Pray this:
Lord, I am hungry to hear Your word today. I prepare my heart by submitting my life to You. I will put Your word first place in my life and watch over it patiently as it grows in me and produces fruit. I tune my ears to hear Your voice and meditate on Your word. My faith is growing each day and I trust You more and more. In Jesus Name!