Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need to check the soil of our hearts

Check Your Soil
A devotional by Patricia Russell

“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”—Matthew 13:23 (NIV)

Ontario is the name of the province I’ve lived in for many years.

Growing up, I remember the jingle for a popular commercial went like this: “Good things grow in Ontario”. Grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and small posters on popsicle sticks bore these words.

Jesus Christ often used the illustrations of farmers, fields, and soil to convey the importance of growth. This message wasn’t difficult for His audience to comprehend because agriculture and farming were staples in the Middle East in that era. The industrial revolution had not arrived, so the people would understand well the process of planting seed and reaping in harvest time.

In chapter 13 of the Bible book of Matthew, Jesus told the parable of the sower who went out to plant seed. It was important to note that the quality of the soil determined the growing results of the seed. Some soil had stones, some fell by the wayside, while others took root and grew bountifully. Everyone hearing this parable would be challenged to consider the soil of their heart and decide for themselves if it was ripe for receiving seed and growing.

Personally, I know there have been times when my heart was hard, critical and religious. Just like a gardener who rakes up the soil and sees stones, one has to remove those stones from the soil before planting anything. If you plant a seed amongst stones, you soon notice that the plant is struggling to show any signs of growth. There is an obstruction to its growth. You have to take the stones out of that garden. Likewise, individually, we have to check the soil of our hearts.

Matthew 12:34 states out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. When we speak, it is a reflection of what is happening in our hearts. There is an old saying: “You cannot pour clean water from a dirty vessel.” We have to clean up the inside. We have to see the not so nice areas in our lives that are affecting our growth. We can do this by humbling ourselves and asking the Lord to show us and help us to acknowledge our areas of weakness. Confess our faults. God can handle it. As a matter of fact, He is patiently waiting for us to give our concerns to Him. When we read the Word of God (The Holy Bible) and we are convicted, this might mean there is a stone, an area in our life, God wants us to acknowledge. This is an area that needs to be, shall I say, “weeded out” so that we can grow and mature.

Self-examine your heart. Is there anything that is hindering growth in the Lord? Are there attitudes, mindsets or behaviors that other people have noticed and maybe brought to your attention? Ask the Lord to guide you. You don’t have to struggle alone. Ask a friend who is also following Jesus Christ to pray with you.

Let’s check the soil of our hearts and do some internal weeding so that with the grace of the Holy Spirit we can be a fruitful plant that brings glory to God.

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father, I want to grow strong in you. Show me where my heart needs to be tender and help me to respond to your Holy Spirit when you alert me to something that is not right in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “A Heart Like Yours” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Patricia is a worship leader, songwriter, speaker and compiler of her 2020 best-seller anthology Stronger Resilience: Stories to Empower the Mind, Body and Spirit, as well as Lord I Trust You: Words of Encouragement to encourage readers and share life lessons during her cancer journey. 

Patricia writes, speaks, and teaches on the power of God’s Word to heal and empower you to become all that you are purposed for. She has traveled internationally and shared her gifts with audiences to encourage, empower and share life lessons through word and song. Patricia has sung on national television broadcasts and shared the stage with several respected speakers including Anne Graham Lotz and Rev. E.V. Hill.

Her greatest joy is being married to her husband, Wayne, for 34 years. Together they serve the community through their local congregation as well as providing premarital and marriage coaching. They have two adult children, Raquel and Benjamin. As a two-time breast cancer overcomer, Patricia coaches’ others to develop resilience and live life to their fullest.

Patricia has released two gospel music recordings: “Draw Me Nearer” and “Lord, I Trust You”. In March 2022, she launched her podcast “Becoming Resilient” which can be downloaded wherever you get your podcasts and also seen on YouTube.

When not reading or studying, Patricia loves to eat Thai food and spend time with “Lucy” – her daughter’s Yorkie-poo who has taken up room in her heart.

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Connect with Patricia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrussellsings/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pat.russell.98877/
Email Patricia: patrussellsings@gmail.com