“Search me Lord and know my heart, try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting”. Psalm 139:23-24
We can determine the condition of our heart by observing the fruit of our life. To measure fruitfulness, you can look over the past season or over the past year and see what has been produced. In the fall a farmer looks over the previous growing season to determine the condition of the field. We can also look at the past year of our life and determine the condition of our heart by looking at the harvest.
Jesus taught His disciples that their life should produce fruit – from 60 to 100 per cent. A fruitful Christian is one that receives God’s Word and the Word that is planted in their heart produces a harvest even up to a 100 fold return. You may have a Word from God, but if it is not given to another in love, it will not produce a harvest. This is why the condition our heart is so important; it determines the fruit we produce. By observing the fruit our life has produced, we can tell what condition our heart is in. Many people, even those in full time ministry, who have unresolved issues in their life, lose their love, joy, and peace and as a result their heart begins to harden.
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus describes the various conditions of the heart and explains why each condition hinders a person from bearing fruit. Unhealed hurts and wounds of the past cause a stony heart to be formed. A stony heart blocks and hinders you from forming and maintaining relationships, in the present. It is through forgiving those who have hurt us that we are healed and the stones in the heart are removed. Forgiveness frees you from the offense, the pain, and all fear that come from a painful hurt or rejection. As a result your life will be more fruitful as you walk out your true identity in Christ.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I want my life to produce good fruit. Show me if I do indeed have a stony heart. I have been hurt in the past by___________. I ask You to cleanse my heart of all pain, resentments, and offenses I may have taken. Today, I choose to forgive_________ for ___________. I ask You to remove the stones and give me a new heart that can receive Your Word and become fruitful.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen