Tilling the Soil of the Heart..Craig Denison Ministries

 Tilling the Soil of the Heart

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

This week we'll look at a vital spiritual practice to all those seeking to grow in God:tilling the soil of the heart. Jesus spoke in Matthew 13 of two different types of soil—hard and soft. God longs for us to till the soil of our hearts that we might be receptive to the seed of his word and bear fruit. May your heart become more responsive to the presence, will, and love of God this week as you cultivate good soil with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture:“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” - Matthew 13:23

Devotional:

Matthew 13:22-23 says,

As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

The concept of good and bad soil is something Jesus’s listeners would have understood well. Planting in good or bad soil meant having food or going hungry. It meant having money or not. For their agrarian culture it was a matter of survival.

While Jesus’s parable might not have as direct a correlation to us, its principle remains just as relevant. We all have spiritual soil. Through our mindsets and postures of the heart we can receive the seed of God's word which will in turn yield life-giving fruit. Or, we can allow the soil of our hearts to make us unreceptive to the powerful work God in our lives.

It's incredibly important for us to understand that God never forces his desires on us. He waits patiently—beckoning us to open our hearts fully to him. He gently shows us his love, whispers his perfect plans to us, and waits for us to trust and surrender. With the grace of God, we can till the soil of our hearts, living receptively and surrendered to his loving kindness and perfect will. If we will cultivate a willing heart, God will mold and shape us into children free from the cares of the world and empowered to live Christ-like, fruitful lives.

Take time today to assess your own life. What parts of your heart are hard to God? Where do you feel unreceptive to his goodness? Where do you need to say yes to God today in a fresh, transformative way? God is calling you to a lifestyle of trust and surrender that he might lead you to green pastures and still waters. There is abundant life for you in store this week as you cultivate good soil. May the Holy Spirit help you look honestly at the posture of your heart today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Take some time to receive God's presence.Open your heart to feel the peace and rest that comes from encountering him.

“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

2. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you ways in which you aren't fully open to God.How are you not fully saying yes to God? In what ways are you living your life apart from the leadership and presence of God? Where don’t you fully trust him? Where aren’t you bearing the fruit of the Spirit?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

3. Confess those things to God. Receive his love and forgiveness as you repent and turn away from hardness of heart. Spend time resting in God’s presence and experiencing the new found peace that comes from having your heart more surrendered and receptive to God.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Tilling our hearts into good soil is an important daily exercise. The more often you do it, the more you’ll realize the need to have good soil. Having our hearts fully open to God takes the mundane and makes it wonderful. It takes sunsets, conversations, prayers, work, and church and fills them with life, value, beauty, and joy. Take what you've learned today and continue to put it into practice. Choose to live a life positioned to receive all that God has in store for you. May your day be marked by the fruit of the Spirit.

Extended Reading: Matthew 13

How to Cast Your Cares Upon the Lord..Courtnaye Richard

 How to Cast Your Cares Upon the Lord

By Courtnaye Richard

“Cast your cares upon the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” – Psalm 55:22

I want God to speak to you with the verse above, and I want you to apply it to your life today. In other words, as hard as it may be or seem right now, cast your cares upon the Lord and stand your ground. Keep the faith no matter what and believe in His keeping and strengthening power.

I know when life gets heavy or negative or fearful thoughts invade your mind, it’s normal to run away with your emotions for a bit. But I beckon you, try to rise above it. Now, don’t get me wrong. If you’re dealing with something really heavy such as loss, it is completely normal to cry, grieve, curl up in a ball for a moment, because when things like that happen, God knows exactly where you are in that moment. But I also want to encourage you to rest in the comfort of others as well as in His BIG supernatural arms. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Now, since I mentioned God’s Word, let’s talk more about those loaded Scriptures relating to casting your cares upon the Lord regarding…

Fear - If you have negative or fearful thoughts weighing you down, speak these verses:

Psalm 56:3, “But when I am afraid. I will put my trust in you.”

Psalm 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Philippians 4:8, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Worry - Here are a few great verses to remember and obey to experience peace of mind…

Philippians 4:6-7, “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ.”

Matthew 6:31-33, “Don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”

Discouragement - Feeling downcast, defeated, low, sad, or discouraged, grab these nuggets…

Psalm 43:5, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again-my Savior and my God!”

Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

Adversity –As you’re doing what God has called you to do, expect opposition and adversity…

Nehemiah 4:14, “…Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!”

Proverbs 24:10, “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.” Stay strong under pressure!

If you are in any of these places or beyond, this is how you cast your cares upon the Lord, literally. It really all boils down to trust and obeying, sis. That’s where the power, peace, and deliverance are obtained. So fight to trust Him…in spite of what you’re feeling, thinking, or encountering. Isaiah 26:4 says, “Trust in the Lord always for the Lord is the eternal Rock.” He’s pretty strong and solid! But not only that, He can be trusted. ;-)

Remember, Jesus is coming back soon! And those who endure unto the end shall be saved. So let’s be ready from the Inside Out!

Life Under Pressure..Meg Bucher

 Life Under Pressure

By Meg Bucher

“I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.” Psalm 34:1 NLT

Crisis puts a pinch on our conscience. Things we may not normally consider appropriate reactions come streaming out of our pores. Pressure is to force (someone) toward a particular end; influence. We feel pressure at every age and stage of life. Sometimes it's self-inflicted; other times a by-product of a world in constant comparison. Pressure from others to achieve and be something they have pictured for us can stir a fear of failure and anxiety, which can freeze forward progress. 

Psalm 34 was written by King David. “Fleeing from Saul, David sought refuge with the Philistine king of Gath,” New Bible Commentary explains, “Soon, however, safety changed to detention for they recognized David and realized what a valuable hostage they had. By pretending madness, David secured his release and escaped.” David was fleeing from a crazy king who wanted to kill him! Under pressure, he acted insane to escape! Eventually, he gave all the glory to God for getting him out of that situation, and much of Psalm 34 captures David’s appreciation for the Lord’s hand on and in his life.  He wrote: 

“Then I will rejoice in the LORD.
I will be glad because he rescues me.
With every bone in my body I will praise him:
‘LORD, who can compare with you?
Who else rescues the helpless from the strong?
Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?’” - Psalm 34:9-10 NLT

The pressure David had been put under wasn’t just or fair. God rescued Him out of His love for Him. Much of the Psalm speaks of the unfairness David endured and tracks his process of handing justice over to God and forgiving his enemies. All of the glory went to God for David’s rescue. It’s a silly story, really, of the way David acted to escape trouble. But it shows us God’s ways are not our ways. When we think the solution is complicated, it may, if fact, be simple. Under pressure, we learn from this psalm to stand expectantly before our mighty God, knowing He is faithful to rescue us.

Intersecting Faith and Life:

“O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent.
Do not abandon me now, O Lord. Wake up! Rise to my defense!
Take up my case, my God and my Lord. Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice.
Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles. Don’t let them say, ‘Look, we got what we wanted!
Now we will eat him alive!’” Psalm 34:22-25 NLT

This portion of David’s psalm sounds a lot like us. Life is full of pressure. Yet, God is bigger than all of it. We can come to God just like David did here and cry out to Him about the truth of what’s going on in our lives and how it’s making us feel. Pressure loses its power when we say it out loud and allow God’s truth to reign over it.

Pressure is necessary, to a certain degree, to force us to a particular end, as the definition of the word states. We are all put on earth for a specific purpose by God, who uniquely equipped us for His will for our lives. But the difference between godly pressure and worldly pressure of sin is the compassion through which God guides. He encourages and disciplines us with compassion, mercy, and love. He wants the best for us.

Jesus reassures us, His yoke is easy and his burden is light. Following Jesus isn’t light and easy, but He is able to carry us through it all. Under pressure, we are to come to the foot of the cross and unload what is weighing us down. Whether it be thoughts spinning in a repetitive loop, the fear of failing, or the anxious weight and wonder of if we have what it takes to walk out what God is leading us to do. He is there to walk through it all with us. Life under pressure leads us to the foot of the cross, where Jesus carries us and our burdens and worries. David concludes his psalm:

“Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.”

Further Reading: 
Psalm 34

 

A Prayer to Love Others Well..Ashley Moore

 A Prayer to Love Others Well 

By Ashley Moore

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.” - 1 John 4:7, NLT

I snarled under my breath at his curt response to my email. This wasn’t our first less-than-pleasant interaction; we often struggled to get on the same page when working together. 

Have you ever found yourself at odds with someone? Maybe you complain to your spouse or a friend about how this person grates on your last nerve. Or perhaps you found yourself unable to see the good in this person, overly criticizing their every word and action in your mind. 

Does anyone else out there overreact like me, going as far as considering ways you might avoid interacting with this person altogether? The truth is the more we engage with others, the more inevitable conflict becomes. But we have two options when approaching difficult interactions: we can harbor bitterness or show the love of God.

When John wrote his letter to the church there were people who claimed to be prophets and shared false messages in an attempt to turn people against those who preached the good news of Jesus Christ. These people were not only offensive and disruptive but also wrongly teaching the Scriptures. But John did not tell the church to slander these people, criticize them, or avoid them. He simply reminded the church that they already had victory over those people. And he reminded them that the evidence that the church belonged to God would come from how they loved one another (1 John 4:7).

Oof. Is anyone else’s toes hurting? While our squabbles with others may not be as serious as what this church was dealing with, John’s charge still applies to us. Our annoyances with people may not be because they’ve done something as offensive as falsely prophesying, but if John’s instruction to the church for that infraction was to love others, then I imagine his exhortation to us would be similar. Every time we work closely with someone, send email correspondence, or comment on social media is a chance to prove we belong to God because these are opportunities to love others with the same love God has shown us.  

So when we find ourselves struggling to relate to someone, huffing in annoyance with another person, or downright avoiding that individual who gets on our nerves, maybe we can pause to consider two things: whose we are and who we are. We are children of God. A God who went to great lengths to love us even though we were unlovable. So, how would a child of God respond victoriously? We show love!

Let’s pray: 

Lord, 
Thank you for loving us when we were very unlovable! While we were sinners you died for us (Romans 5:8). We have offended you deeply, yet you loved us still. So much so, that you gave your life in our place and defeated death so that we could live with you forever in eternity. 

Lord, I admit that type of love doesn’t come naturally to me. The last thing I want to do when someone offends me or upsets me is to love them, much less invite them to join my family forever. But that’s exactly what you did. Lord, forgive me for not loving others the way you showed us to love. God, would you help us to love you and grow in the knowledge of you and your Word? Would you help us to relate to others in a way that shows them that we belong to you? Lord, would you make your people grow in love for you and others so that onlookers would know that you exist and that you love them too? 

God, would you forgive us when we allow petty annoyances to distract us and make us forget the good news of the gospel and our roles as your ambassadors? Holy Spirit, would you convict us when we overreact to the shortcomings of others? Would you strengthen and equip us to love others well? Thank you that this is possible because you loved us and love comes from you.
In Jesus’ name, amen.