Have you ever noticed that your heart is feeling dry, lifeless, and lacking in vitality? In our chaotic world these feelings are considered normal. But this is not God’s best for you. When you deepen your relationship with the Holy Spirit He will turn your lifeless heart garden into something rare and beautiful.

To cultivate your heart garden, Gold will first prepare the soil. \

He will clear away rocks and debris from the soil of your heart. To do this we must allow God to sift through our anxious cares and hidden fears. As Psalm 139:23-24 in the Passion Translation says, "God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me..."

I think this is what was happening to Martha when Jesus came to visit their home in Luke 10:38-42. Martha stayed busy in the kitchen preparing food for the guests. She was caught up in the anxiety of trying to be a good hostess. She had a heart for serving, but in this situation, her priorities were messed up. She let her “to-do list” govern her choices rather than seeing the amazing opportunity to learn at the feet of her Master, Jesus.

Instead of making her time with Jesus a priority like Mary did, Martha wasted that precious time in the kitchen.

Are You Spending Time With the Holy Spirit?

If your heart is feeling dry or empty, maybe you are making the same choice Martha made. Are you spending time with Jesus? Are you offering your worries and to him so that He can cleanse your heart and refresh your spirit? Or are you dealing with life’s challenges in your own strength?

When I write about your heart garden, your seeds represent the thoughts and beliefs that you plant inside yourself. If you spend time with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to do so, He will plant His Kingdom seeds in your heart.

Believe me, His seeds are better! His seeds establish your identity in Christ. This will free you from the enslavement of the world. His seeds will grow your purpose and allow the gifts He placed in you before you were born to flourish. His seeds will grow your faith. His seeds will establish the fruit of the spirit within you. Galatians 5:22-23 in the Passion Translation says, "But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions.” Doesn’t that sound good?

What Kind of Soil Is the Soil In Your Heart Garden?

In Matthew 13:3-9, the sower represents God, who scatters His seeds (the Word of God) on different types of soil. This soil represents our hearts. If the seeds fall on good soil, which means faithful hearts, the seeds will produce a great harvest. If the seed falls on rocky soil or thorns, people who don’t spend time with the Lord, the seeds can’t flourish.  When the seeds don’t flourish, the heart becomes dry and withered.

Believe me, friends, you don’t want that under any circumstances. But if you find your heart dry today, don’t worry. It is never too late to turn toward the Holy Spirit and invite Him in. There will never be any condemnation in God. He loves you so much! He is thrilled when you turn your face toward Him, acknowledge your mistake, and ask for a fresh start. Ask and you will receive! God’s answer to the question, “Can I be with you for a while” is always, “Yes, little one, come to Me and I will give you rest.”

If you are tired, overwhelmed, burned out, and stressed out, this is an offer you would be foolish to refuse! It feels so good to rest in God. Believe me, I’ve experienced this! When you are self-employed, as I am, it is easy to slip into the mode of working on the “to-do list” in my own strength. It doesn’t take long for me to wear myself out. When that happens, I know I have gone off the path the Lord has set before me and started trying to hack my way through the jungle of life on my own! Maybe you’ve done that too?

Are You Giving Your Heart Garden Tender Care and Attention?

But asking the Holy Spirit to plant Kingdom seeds in your heart garden is only the beginning. To truly flourish, your heart garden needs tender loving care and gentle attention. In Jeremiah 17:7-8, we read:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.” (NIV version)

When we turn toward God and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives on a regular basis we build our trust and faith in God. We become like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers. We are sustained by God’s mercy and grace no matter what challenges have crossed our paths.

In John 4:1-42, Jesus befriends the woman at the well. He asks her for a drink of water, but then He offers her a drink of living water. Jesus was offering the woman eternal life. This is what He offers you too, every time you turn toward Him and invite Him into your heart garden. When you allow God to fill your heart with His divine love you will never be thirsty again. Isn’t that an amazing promise 

At my house, the water that comes through the pipes doesn’t taste good at all. So every week I take empty glass one-gallon jars to a water filtering station in my town and fill these jars up with filtered water. You can sure taste the difference! The tap water tastes so bad you don’t want to drink enough to quench your thirst.

But the filtered water is delicious. You can drink and drink it. And the living water that comes from Jesus is even better than that! Imagine a water that is so powerful one drink and you will never be thirsty again! But any fool would continue to drink the living water, thirsty or not, because it tastes good!

Drink Deeply of the Pleasures of God

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8 (NIV). I invite you to discover how to drink deeply of the pleasures of God. God will not fail you. He will never leave you or forsake you. You can trust Him way beyond the level of trust you extend to any human, no matter how much this human loves you.

My work is all about helping people who can see the clear benefit of cultivating a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. Contact me today and let’s discuss what might be possible for you as you learn to hear God’s still small voice. Let Him plant His seeds in your heart and watch your heart garden bear beautiful fruit.