*The Garden of Your Heart by Jason Peebles
For a moment, let’s look at a secret that Jesus taught in the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:13-20). Jesus used a simple agricultural illustration to teach a
profound truth. And what is the secret? The secret is that your heart and mind function much like the soil in a garden. Whatever “seeds” you plant there will begin an immediate process of germinating, growing, and producing results. Thus, you must protect the garden of your heart by planting good seeds. If you allow the wrong kind of seeds (thoughts) to grow in your heart, then you will be headed for trouble. On the other hand, if you plant good seeds, then you will get a good crop. Your thoughts, desires, and plans are the “seeds” that produce your future. What takes place on the “inside” eventually determines what you get on the “outside.”
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus emphasized the need to plant the seed of God’s Word in our hearts. Mark 4:14 clearly says, “The sower sows the Word.” More than any other type of seed, God’s Word has supernatural power to produce wonderful benefits and blessings in your life. There are many benefits that God’s Word has (which would be a wonderful study of its own) – and one of them is to help align your heart’s desires with God’s will. Another benefit is that God’s Word has a healing and therapeutic effect in your mind and emotions. Ephesians 5:26-27 says that God’s Word will wash (cleanse and heal) every spot and wrinkle (in other words, those areas that are damaged or stained in your emotions). God wants you to be free to pursue His plan without being hindered by past wounds, hurts, and painful memories.
The secret described in the Parable of the Sower has profound implications when you really understand it. Jesus taught relatively uneducated people by today’s standards by using the “seed principle” in relation to our thought life. For one thing, it means that if someone is not happy with their life right now, then they can use this secret to their advantage. Anyone can radically improve their future expectations by changing the kind of seeds they start planting now. If they will start planting God’s Word now, then a future crop of God’s
blessings will eventually overtake their current problems. God’s Word is the most powerful type of seed that you can plant. Unfortunately, the secret that
Jesus taught in the Parable of the Sower is something that most people never seem to really grasp. Even Jesus said that this “mystery” required the inspiration of God to fully grasp (Mk 4:11-13). Most people go through life assuming that they can watch any movie, listen to any music, entertain any thought, and then somehow get a good crop in the future. That’s just as ridiculous as a farmer who thinks that he can plant weeds and get a harvest of delicious apples! It doesn’t work that way in the natural realm and it doesn’t work that way in the spiritual realm either.
Throughout the Bible you will find this “inside/outside” connection. The seeds on the “inside” will determine the results you get on the “outside.” You can see the same idea when Jesus taught on abiding in the vine. John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you.” As we pointed out earlier, Jesus promises
amazing results (answered prayers on the “outside”) when we truly abide in Him (on the “inside”). Wouldn’t you like to experience more of “whatever you ask shall be done unto you?” Wouldn’t you like to have the desires of your heart more aligned with the Father’s will? The invitation of John 15:7 is still open to us today.
*This article is from a study guide written by Jason Peebles. The Garden of Your Heart
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