“5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” -1st John 1:5-7 (NKJV). Notice if we have fellowship with God, we do not walk in darkness (continually practicing lawlessness).

When we walk with the Lord, we produce good fruits. Our thoughts, speech, and actions submit to Him because our minds are being transformed by His Words. Romans 12:1-2 says “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Everything about God’s Word is meant to show us Who God is. When we behold our Creator, we get a clearer picture of Who we are, because we were made in the image and likeness of God.

I want to make it clear. We are not supposed to check off a list of good things. Going to church, praying, reading the Bible, etc. does not mean you love God. Yes, someone who loves God does these things, but it is not out of a moral obligation, or religious duty. Those things come from a heart to know and serve God. Matthew 7:21-23 says this:

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

These people were doing good works and even miracles! They obviously had faith that could believe God, but they did not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. I have heard a lot of teaching on this, which focuses on the last part of the verse. But it is interesting that Jesus said He never knew them. They were not properly connected to the Father. God isn’t looking for your good works, He is looking for obedience. Good works follow those who obey the voice of the Lord.

When we don’t follow after a relationship with God, our life will always produce lawlessness. When we act on what we think is right and acceptable without hearing from God, we practice lawlessness. Just as it is unnatural for a body to be moving without a head, we as the body of Christ (1st Corinthians 12) were never designed to operate independently from the head which is Christ (Colossians 1:18).

If our works stem from anything other than a heart that is connected with the Father, it is our own righteousness. When we step out from that place of relationship, we step into works, and it becomes what I am doing for God rather than what God is doing through me. John 15:5 (AMP) puts it this way. “I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.” Now people do things apart from Christ all the time. What Jesus was saying is that without Him we can do nothing of eternal value.

So our relationship with God is not based off what we do, no matter how “good” it is. It is based off our heart toward our King. If we say our heart is set on God, but our priorities and thoughts do not line up with the Word, we are lying. Proper relationship produces proper fruit.

Practical Application:

• Thank God for the Work of the Holy Spirit in your life.
• Apply your faith to the Word. Psalm 37:23 says that the Lord directs our steps
• Ask God to help you walk in His plan and will. Listen to what the Holy Spirit speaks to you

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