For the next couple of days, I am going to be asking the question above.

The seed of God’s Word is always productive, continually at work.
The only variable is the depth and capacity of our hearts – the state of the “soil.” In the parable of the sower Jesus discusses different kinds of ground. Today, I am thinking about compacted hard soil and how we become similarly tough.

In Bible times, as still today, hard footpaths ran alongside a farmer’s land. Any seed falling there would just shrivel and die. There was no softness for the seed to take root. It could not penetrate the hardened sun-baked earth.

We need to be careful! If we’ve been walked on, hurt or disappointed, we can become like this. We can develop a tough, impenetrable shield that makes it easy for the enemy to come along and snatch the seed of God’s Word before it even has the chance to grow.

So what if you have been hurt? How do you avoid becoming hard?
One of the most powerful weapons is that of forgiveness.
If you choose not to let what someone has done to you ruin your life, that not only frees them, but also you.
Forgiveness is not cheap. It is hard work and sometimes needs to be revisited if old resentments rise up again.

In my own life with things that hurt me, I have had to choose again and again the path of forgiveness. Each time I feel sadness, self-pity or resentment building I confess it and ask God to remove it. I experience instant spiritual relief!

Secondly, prayer will keep hardness from building up, so ‘…break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord…’ (Hosea 10:12 NIV).
If you know there are weaknesses in you, seek the Lord. You don’t always need to do this with others (although that can help) You need to turn your face to Him and seek His ways and wisdom. Like descaling your kettle to prevent the build-up of limescale, prayer softens the water of your heart and takes away your unhelpful, ungodly attitudes and mindsets.

Thirdly, guard your heart. This does not mean stop yourself from being vulnerable but to take care of your emotions. When you guard something, you value it and treasure it. You don’t allow it out of your sight. Like I said a few months back, we are meant to love as though we won’t get hurt.

Fourthly, do not rehearse the past. Do not allow yourself to dwell on what has happened or ESPECIALLY what might have been. This is not just a waste of time, it is a direct ploy of the enemy to stop you focussing on the saving magnificent grace of God who has a perfect plan for your heart and your life.

Examine your heart today and ask God what kind of soil you are.

Father, today I want to be soft towards You. I want You to be able to plant Your good seed in me and let it flourish and grow. May everything that could block or stop that be removed from my spirit and may I be a safe place for Your ideas to germinate and develop. For Your glory.
Amen