Do you have a WILD heart?
Matthew 13:22, "He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful."
To plant a garden, the ground not only has to be cleared of rocks, but of weeds, thorns, and roots. If these are allowed to grow and flourish, the good plants are robbed of their nourishment and cannot develop properly. A wild heart is careless, unkept, and worldly. It is full of weeds, thorns, and roots. This type of Christian will not have much to show at the Judgement Seat of Christ. Hebrews 6:8, "But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. " (Wood, hay, and stubble at the Judgement Seat of Christ.)
King Solomon had a wild heart. Ecclesiastes 2:5 "I made me gardens" Solomon had all the world could offer - he tried it all - but found no joy or satisfaction. Let's examine some of the weeds, thorns, and roots that should be eradicated fiom our Christian life.
Weeds:
(1) Worry--
Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? " I Peter 5:7 "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." Psalms 37: 1 "Fret not.. " Worry is simply a lack of trust in God. It's like a rocking chair; it keeps you busy but doesn't get you anywhere.
(2) Worldly pleasure and Prestiege--
I John 2:15"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. " Solomon said,"I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity." Ecclesiastes 2:1
3) Wealth--
1 Timothy 6:9 "But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. .">Hear the words of Solomon from his own experience - Ecclesiastes 6:2 "A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease." Ecclesiaties 5:10 "He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity."
The lure of riches is strong in this present, evil world, but there is no satisfaction once riches are obtained when God is left out of the picture.
In my gardening experience I have found that the best and easiest time to pull weeds is after a good, hard rain. The rain softens the ground and the weeds can be pulled much easier. If you find your heart full of weeds, perhaps you should get in the Word (water) more often, or find a good watering hole such as a revival or camp meeting. When there are a lot of weeds, the thought of pulling them all can be overwhelming. It's best to concentrate on one area at a time.
Another good method for controlling weeds is to put down a mulch around the plants. The mulch covers up space where weeds can germinate and grow. In Philipians 4:7-8 we find some good heart-mulch. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." And finally in 1 Peter 4:8 we read: "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins."
THORNS--
Thorns in our life me bad habits and being unequally yoked with unbelievers. In 2 Corinthians 6:14 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? " God warns us not to mix with the world. In Judges 2:2-3 He warns: "And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you." Proverbs 22:5 says "thorns and snares are in the way of the forward: (one not easily controlled; stubbornly willful) he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them" Thorns are sharp and painfil. They hurt us and those around us. Bad habits will cause us physical pain, and bad relationships will cause us mental and spiritual pain. Do you have signs of a wild heart? Matthew 7:16 says, "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
ROOTS--
There are 3 roots mentioned in the Bible:
(1) The root of evil-
the love of money-I Tim 6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
(2) The root of bitterness-
Hebrews 12: 15 "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;"
(3) The root that beareth gall and wormwood-
Deuteronomy 29: 18 "Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;"
Fellowship with unbelievers can cause this root to grow. Gall is a bitter, greenish fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. It is something that is hitter or distasteful a bitter feeling. Wormwood is a strong smelling plant that yields a bitter tasting dark green oil. It also means any bitter, unpleasant or mortifying experience. The root of bitterness and the root that beareth gall and wormwood are connected. In Acts 8:23 Peter told Simon the Sorcerer that he was in the gall of bitterness.
The problem with bitterness is that instead of hurting the one whom you are bitter against, you are the one that suffers, Bitterness will literally make you sick in body, much less in spirit. Perhaps the experience that has made us so very bitter is one that God allowed in our life to make us tender. God cannot plant in hard, dry ground. Some folks never get over a bitter experience. Lamentations 3:19 "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall." They relive it over and over in their minds instead of letting the Lord give them peace and being broken.
If you find yourself bitter and wallowing in your misery, read Lamentations 3:19-26. Jeremiah says, " Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him."
When the Lord plants His seed in our hearts, it's His desire for us to be fruitfull. I'm sure it is a great sorrow to His heart to see our hearts choked with the weeds of the world, the thorns of bad relationships and the roots of bitterness. In Jeremiah 2:21 we read, "Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?"
Let's clear our ground for the Lord's sake!
Taken from a small pamphlet written by: Dee Dee Hall
DeeDee lives in Tenn. Her Husband Danny is an evangelist and they travel and sing together.
This is only a small portion of what she has written, believe me, this is a work that could change your whole life and is a must have for anyone seeking to improve on your prayer life and walk with God.
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