A Heart in the Rocks

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Published: Wednesday, 20 March 2019 08:44

Written by Bethany Looyenga

Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.

Matthew 13:5

The heart that lives in rocky soil is cluttered.  Have you ever painted rocks?  I have.  Actually, I like to paint words on rocks, mostly because I love words.  Hearts that live in rocky soil have words painted all over their rocks, words such as: worry, anger, bitterness, fear, offense, pain, unbelief, and victim.  As time goes on, this heart continues to collect more word rocks and the soil becomes more and more cluttered making it very hard for anything to deeply set its roots into the soil. When a fresh Word of life is laid on the pile it is happily recieved, but before long, the Word if covered with lies as it becomes buried under the cluttered rocks that gather around it.

When a seed is planted in rocky soil the roots are very shallow and they cannot hold up under pressure. When hardship comes, and they do come, they are ripped up out of the ground and blown to and fro by the wind.

So, what are the words that you have on the rocks in your soil?  Does offense take up your energy and your space?  If so, ask God to rewrite that word.  What about unbelief?

If your heart is in rocky soil you may be

---having a difficult time with forgivness on a regular basis

---feeling weary from disappointment, pain, and offense

---you've been following Jesus for a long time but unable to experience him deeply.  

Jesus wants to have a deeply rooted relationship with you, and he is the Master Gardener.  Ask him today to help you clear away the old rocks, and write new words on the rocks that need to stay.

Source: Radical Growth/Havilah Cunnington

A Heart by the Side of the Road

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Published: Thursday, 14 March 2019 10:12

Written by Bethany Looyenga

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Proverbs 4:23

In the Bible Jesus tells a story about a gardener planting seeds in different kinds of soil.  There is the soil by the side of road, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.  If you know anything at all about gardening, then you know that the soil you plant seed in needs to be well toiled with good fertilizer so it is rich and nourishing to the seeds.  This rich soil is also nourishing to weeds, and it takes a lot of work to keep the garden maintained. In our lives, the soil represents our hearts.  Just as the gardener is responsible for keeping up with her garden, we too are respondible for our hearts.

So,  what do each of these soils look like you may be asking?  Lets take a look at the soil by the side of the road.  This soil is hard and packed down; it has a crusty surface with weeds popping up all about. When our hearts have by the side of the road soil, we too have become packed down with the busyness of life.  We may quickly pour in God's Word in the morning, but by the time we have walked out the door for work, we have forgotton all that we read. The seeds we continually plant inside our heart have nowhere to root because the soil is too hard due to the continual stimulation.  When the seeds we try to plant do not have a deep root system; it is easier for the enemy to steal them away from us.  He will tempt you with lies in hopes of replacing the truth of God's Word.

If you find that you are immersed with God's Word, yet nothing is rooted, you may have a heart with soil by the side of the road.

If you find that you forget what you read in God's Word as soon as you closed the Good Book, then you may have a heart with soil by the side of the road.

If you find that it is a challenge to hold on to love, peace, hope, self control, etc then you may have a heart with soil by the side of the road.

If these things are true for you, ask your Father to cultivate the soil of your heart. He will help you. Your heart does not have to stay on the side of the road, for Jesus is here to lead you elsewhere.

Next week, we will discuss the soil with rocks.

Sources: Havilah Cunnington/Radical Growth

When God Gives You a Dream

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Published: Friday, 08 March 2019 06:50

Written by Bethany Looyenga

Has God put a dream inside your heart?  Something that you just know you have to do, but it feels out of reach, like a dream?  Is he calling you to do something that looks or feels impossible for the current situation that you are in?  When God gives a dream, he continues to bring it to our minds over and over again. He is relentless in pursueing our potential! 

When I first heard God whisper dreams about me, I didn't really believe them. He continually put the thought in my mind that I would speak, yet being a speaker has never been my top gift. The thought of speaking has been a daily thought for over 20 years, and now it is a dream God has developed within me. He has patiently walked with me through all the side-trips and distractions, gently reminding me of the dream. The impossible dream.  It's not the only dream God has presented me with, there are others, and I've danced around those as well.  Sometimes I've run ahead, lagged behind, avoided, interceded, or revised. Always, God brings me back to the original dream, his dream meant for my life.

Has God given you a dream for your life?  Have you told anyone about it?  Does it feel like an impossibility? Let me encourage you and remind you that God will not let his dreams go to waste.  He has perfect timing and he steps in to nurture his dreams at the right time and bring them to fruition.  His relentless love for you carries every dream into possible.  

When You Desire Purpose

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Published: Thursday, 28 February 2019 05:36

Written by Bethany Looyenga

And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.

John 17: 3

Do you know why you are here? I looked up the word purpose and the first definition is: the reason for which something exists. So, why do you exist? What's the real purpose of your life day after day? Do you think about it as you go about your routine? The daily chores? The play, kids, work, friends, etc?
In John 17, I'm reading that eternal life is to know God. He did create us, afterall, so it does make sense to me that he would want us to know him. But, it's not just because God wants us to know how great he is. God wants us to know him, so we can know ourselves and when we know ourselves, we know our purpose.
You see, there's a lot of issues that come with not knowing God, which in turn means we don't know ourselves. Issues like, self-rejection, bitterness, jealousy, and criticism. Pretty tough issues, all of which drive us away from our purpose and build walls between us, God, and others.
God created us to experience his love, to be fully accepted and known by him. Not perfect, because no one is perfect. But safe in him. When we experience God there is nothing between us, he is our Person, our Go-To. He is our Safety net, and we just know he will be there, because he always is. When this happens, we begin to experience purpose in life, and love for the person God made us to be. We learn to love the beautiful, unique, creative creature he molded, and we are able to see the purpose of our time here on earth in knowing and loving him and sharing him with others.
Do you know him? Are you living your purpose today?