Here are two more tell tale signs of fallow ground in our heart. These are areas that are not submitted to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Pride
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” The higher we lift ourselves up in pride, the harder we will fall from God’s grace in our lives.

James 4:6 says, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Pride deceives us into thinking that we are something that we aren’t. Pride leads us into hypocrisy.

Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.”

The opposite of pride is humility. If you have fallen because of pride, take heed to James 4:10. It says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

A proud person lives in a dry desert of their own making. It is fallow ground that will only produce the weed seeds of self-effort.

Judgmental Or Critical Spirit
Matthew 7:1-2 says, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

It is foolish for us to critically assess another by what we think they are thinking or feeling. Only the Lord knows the thoughts and intentions of our heart. 2 Corinthians 5:16 says, “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh…” Why? Our flesh opposes God’s way, neither can it rightly discern.

Here is another chapter in my book from Matthew. Fallow ground, or ground that has not been cultivated still bears fruit. I once had a back field that was very prolific in weeds. One weed produced countless weed seeds. I could mow down the weeds and all looked fine in the dormant season. Once the rains came, it was a veritable plethora of weeds. Not only that, the flower beds close to my house were contaminated with weeds!

Our heart can be filled with weed-seeds-thoughts, and yet we may live as though we have it altogether. However, when we are stressed, our goals our blocked, or we face the impossible, the fruit of our weed seeds surfaces as fleshly reactions. Let’s identify some of the weeds growing in the fallow ground of our heart.

Unforgiveness
Unforgiveness affects every aspect of our lives. It is a hidden sin that leads us into hardness of heart and self-deception. Until it is confessed and repented of, it will continue to be a sterile, non fruit-bearing ground in our heart that propagates sinful thoughts.

Hidden Sin
Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Psalm 66:18 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.”

Hidden sin can affect us physically. David expressed that in Psalm 31. Verse 9-10 says, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief, yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.”

I like to think of the word ‘verdant’ as something that is lush, rich, flourishing, green, fruitful, and thriving. Is that how your heart is in your relationship with the Lord?

Psalm 92:12-15 is how I want my life to be. It says, “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, To declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

Our trials hone our heart. They remove the superfluous so that we can thrive. I want to say with the writer of Psalm 119:10, “With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.”

Verdant verses uncultivated and barren. What a contrast! As we walk in His promises and apply His truths, we are walking through verdant fields, singing praises to Him who alone is worthy!

Father, I thank You for choosing each one of us. Thank You for Your unconditional love that will never be removed no matter what our situation is.

Thank You for each one who has read this blog. May their lives be a verdant field that bears You much fruit. May You be continually glorified through their lives. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Yesterday I had this question come into my mind. ‘Lord, are You ever disgusted?’ I was surprised. I looked up the word. It means revolting and nauseating. It’s an emotional feeling of an aversion towards something offensive.

Immediately two verses came to mind. Revelation 3:16 says, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.”

Jesus rebuked Peter. Matthew 16:23 says, “…You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of men.”

Selah. Pause and think about what I just wrote.

Here is the last chapter, in two parts, of my current book. Writing “Cultivating Our Heart: repurposing fallow ground” has been an amazing journey.

As we read His word and faithfully apply His truths to our heart we will spiritually thrive. Our spirit man grows in strength and fortitude when we conform our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will. It also helps us to increase our knowledge of God and partake deeply of His nature.

As you read these verses, think of them as your walk with the Lord. Psalm 65:9-11. It says, “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.

You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.

You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.”

Note: Verdant is such a contrast to fallow and barren. We are called to live as a representative of Jesus. Emulating His character is a high honor. There is no other creation that has this opportunity.

There is another part to life-giving actions. Reading God’s word daily will influence our thought processes. As we read for understanding, the Holy Spirit will highlight phrases or words that He wants us to consider.

Let me give you an example. As a child and young adult I struggled with heart condemnation. I believed many lies that the enemy planted in my heart. Once I understood this ground that was given to satan because I believed his lies, I renounced them.

The next step was to embed God’s truth. I intentionally planted new seeds of truth in that fallow ground. 1 John 3:2-22 says, “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.”

As I began to implant these verses, the Holy Spirit helped me understand something very essential. The enemy plants lies in our heart that enter and drop seed when we do not resist his fiery darts. Do you lack confidence in the Lord? Do you have a hard time believing His word because the lies of the enemy seem more real? I did.

Let me start at the end of these three verses and move upwards. When we read His word and apply it to our lives, our confidence in Him increases. The lies that have condemned our hearts surface. 

What please the Lord? Faith! What does satan seek to destroy? Our faith! Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

2 Corinthians 4:2 says, “But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Renounce means to disown. I believed so many of satan’s lies as a child and into my adulthood. In 1993 I learned that not every thought was of my own origin. 

From then on, as would I read through my Bible, the dross-lies surfaced because they were no match for God’s truth! His light exposed their hidden darkness. Psalm 119:130 says, “The entrance of Your word gives light, it gives understanding to the simple.”

Psalm 19:7 says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”Life-giving actions will follow our life-giving thoughts when the ground of our heart is flourishing and verdant with truth.

Life-giving thoughts become life-giving actions. Jesus is our example. He was singular focused. Luke 9:51 says, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Verse 53 says, “But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.”

Jesus was born to die. All of His actions were life-giving, because they were first life-giving thoughts. He committed Himself to the Father’s plan. John 5:19 says, “…the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.”

Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

The good works that are prepared for us will be life-giving. When we commit our way to the Lord, He will lead us into His way. Have you ever felt frustrated? It may be that you are trying to do something in your own way. The Lord is blocking you to redirect you into His way.

There is a great story in 1 Samuel 9. I encourage you to read the whole chapter. God intercepted young Saul’s way to redirect him into Samuel’s path. He had to receive the ‘set apart portion’ so he could be anointed king over Israel.

What we feed on affects every aspect of our lives. What would happen if we ate tainted meat? We would get physically sick. What happens when we ‘eat’ tainted thoughts? They would make our hearts weak and sick. Ugh!

That is exactly what we do when we dwell in negativity, critical assessment of ourselves, others, or circumstances, rehearse traumatic past events, etc. I think you get the picture.

I love to think about Psalm 37:3. It says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and FEED on His faithfulness. Jeremiah did this. How many times have you eaten the fruit of his words?

Lamentations 3:1-20 recorded his negative thoughts that kept spiraling down. Verse 21 changed the course of his thoughts. How? It says, “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.”

These powerful, sustaining words have been some of my anchor verses over the years. Verse 22-24 says, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I hope in Him!”

When we begin feeding on the weeds of despair, like Jeremiah, we can change in an instant. Let us feed on the Lord and His faithfulness through life-giving thoughts. Psalm 104:34 says, “May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.”

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Our tongue is the verbal expression of our thoughts.

David wisely prayed in Psalm 141:3-4. It says, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

The book of Proverbs has many things to say about the connection of our heart and lips. Proverbs 19:1 says, “Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.”

Here is one we ought to incorporate into our lives. Proverbs 31:26 says, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.”

Words that give life come from a heart-reservoir filled with God’s living word. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of God dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many…” Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”

I used to have a saying in my kitchen. It was about two flies. They were sitting on the handle of a knife that had shards of bologna on it. They got into an argument. One flew off. The caption: don’t fly off the handle when you are full of bologna.

Life-giving words are the opposite of words that are derogatory, caustic, negative, or spoken in anger or rage. They impart truth that comes from a heart filled with truth. Whatever we feed on in our thoughts, that is what will come out of our mouth.

Matthew 18:7 says, “…For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”

To be offended is a temptation to sin. However, just like all of satan’s temptations, we can choose to NOT take the bait and get hooked.

James gives us a very clear understanding of a temptation’s progression. James 1:14-15 says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

Then, when the desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

At any point of the temptation we can choose to resist. If we don’t resist, that offense will grow in our heart and become FLAK to keep us from seeing, perceiving, hearing, and acting through the leading of the Holy Spirit.

When the temptation comes, He, the Holy Spirit, will alert us to follow Him out of the temptation through truth. John 14:17 says, “The Spirit of truth…you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

1 Peter 5:8 says that the devil seeks those he can devour. Verse 9 says, “Resist him steadfast in the faith…” The Holy Spirit will lead us out of the temptation and help us to stand against the wiles of the devil. He is our Defense.

Psalm 71:2-3 says, “Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, to which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.”

Praise is our weapon to defeat anything that the enemy throws at us. I love the word picture of Psalm 68:1-3. It says, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before Him.

As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.”

The Lord Presents Himself in our praise. Psalm 22:3 says, “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” Now watch this connection. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” When we are in trouble we PRAISE Him who inhabits our praises. Praise gives us enduring-strength.

Remember, the enemy seeks entrance in our troubles. He wants to use our trials to defeat our faith. The Lord, however, is there with us IN our trials to strengthen us.

Isaiah 59:19 says, “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against Him.”

Remember that the enemy was defeated at the cross. His only weapon is through deception. John 8:44 says that he is a liar and the father of it. James 1:16 says, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

When the invasion of thoughts come, our defense is praise. We have so much to praise the Lord for! He is worthy of all our praise. Let us STOP each thought that does not line up with God’s truth. How will we know the lie? It violates God’s character which is untainted. He cannot lie. His word is our template of truth.