Growing our relationship with God is obviously crucial. So why do we so many times fail to grow up in all things that pertain to Him? In Luke 8 and Mark 4, Jesus gives us an example of why we see unfaithfulness.

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

– Luke 8:11-15

What is interesting in this passage is that Jesus lays out these heart conditions as an example to us. He shows that problem of the matter is not in the actions, but in the heart. Our actions are a product of our heart. If our heart has “thorns” we receive the Word only to a certain extent. Thus, we never bear fruit to completeness because it is choked out by the cares and riches of this life.

Does this sound familiar? “I was doing good for a while, but I can see that I have not been consistent with my relationship with God.” I think we can find ourselves in that position all too often. We hear the Word, and for a while it’s awesome, and we are all excited and pumped. Then as time goes on our affection towards God cools. We are not as excited and not as dedicated to the hearing of the Word. Then we see the Bible come alive in our life, and not in a good way!

The first heart condition deals with unbelief. We hear the Word, but don’t believe it. That is where satan comes and takes what we have heard. The second is a heart that loves sin and deception more than the Truth. When the Word was heard (Perceived and understood), temptation came, and they yielded.

What does that look like now? I hear and understand that God has not given me a spirit of fear. Then I face a situation like losing my job, or not being able to pay my bills. Instead of going to God first, I act in fear by immediately letting my mind wander into all the bad things that can happen. Or by trying to fix things myself.

When times of temptation come, God always provides a way out (Hebrews 4:15-16). His Holy Spirit not only convicts us of our sin but takes a proactive role in our life by leading us away from it (Romans 8:13-14). So when temptation comes, our response is to listen to the Holy Spirit and not our flesh. Too many times we yield to the flesh because it’s easy or enjoyable (or both) at the moment. That is where our heart must be changed to love the Truth more than anything else.

The Third heart condition is based off an idolatress and adulteress heart. We hear the Word, but there are other things in our life that we prioritize more. Like family, spouses, hobbies, our job, school, and so on and so forth. The biggest lie the enemy will tell you is “I am really busy, but after this is done, I will have more time to spend with God.” Every stage in life will always have something to use as an excuse as to why we did not spend time with God.

What we prioritize is what we will try to find our joy, security, and peace in. When we prioritize God and His word, we find those things in Him. If I am an emotional slinky, I am not hid in Christ. I am not prioritizing Him first above all else.

So, if we Identify with any of these three symptoms of bad ground, how do we fix our heart? Well, we can’t (DUN DUN DUN). We don’t have to either. God is our gardener. We have to seek Him on what to do and how to do it. He is the only one who can create in us a clean heart (Psalm 51:10-13).

Action Step:
Start by repenting for allowing the soil of your heart to become infertile by not listening to Him. Then simply ask Him to create in you a clean heart. He may give you steps on what to do. As an example, the Holy Spirit may tell you to stop watching a certain tv show or quit browsing certain websites. Just be open AND OBEDIENT to what He is leading you to do. It may even seem silly, but the foolish things of God are far greater than our wisdom.
Example Prayer:
God stir my soul to long for all of who You are. Show me areas in my life that I have been disobedient to you. Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. Teach me your ways that I may walk in them all the days of my life. Help me be faithful to you. Thank you for leading and guiding me into all truth. Thank you for love and grace.

Scripture to meditate on:

Psalm:51:10-13
Romans 8:13-14
Luke 8:11-15
John 15:1-8