Now to answer the question posed in last weeks blog - Is it possible for a man to change from one type of heart soil to another? Thinking of my own heart, I desperately need to know! Can we switch from one of the first three to the fourth, the good heart, with good soil? Can we dramatically improve our heart's condition? I cried out to the Lord and He immediately answered me by reminding me of Jeremiah 4:3 - "Break up your fallow ground and sow not among thorns" sound familiar? So that we know he is speaking of our hearts, just like in the parable of the Sower, spoken centuries later, verse 4 says "circumcise yourselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your heart" - signifying that the law could only deal with the flesh - while all along God is wanting our hearts.
"Fallow" refers to "land plowed and left unseeded for a season or more; i.e. land not in use. This speaks of a heart that hasn't received seed, or His word, for awhile - a heart not in use by the Lord! He next spoke to me of "Hand to the plow" - "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God". What is being plowed? Our hearts! What does plowing do to a field of soil? It is used to "break up soil, to bury crop residues and to help control weeds". This refers to us allowing our hearts to become broken - in fact breaking our own hearts, that we become soft and pliable - our hearts become soil he can plant his seed in, and in which his fruit can grow to maturity - "And I will give them one heart (my own) and I will put a new spirit within you (my spirit) and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you a heart of flesh" (Ez:11:19). Indeed, our hearts become a home for Him to claim "I will come into him and I will sup with him and he with me". We must, (I must), like the farmer, continually allow our hearts to be plowed throughout our lives. Just as bad soil can be redeemed with enough care and attention, so can good soil turn bad with enough lack of care and attention. If not plowed enough, weeds and thorns can take root rather than getting uprooted by our heart's chief gardener - The Holy Spirit. Trust him with your heart, for he has nothing but love and concern in his heart for you. Good news, yes? We can change! It's never too late! Who knows what the condition of the thief's heart was before the fateful day he had the good fortune to be crucified with Christ but on that day his heart received the Word of the Lord  gladly - a word we all hope to hear on the day we die - "Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise". Selah.