{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"4044 Ready Your Heart for What God Plants","description":"In our faith journey, success is not measured by what we try to sow but by our willingness to prepare the soil of our hearts. Consider the Parable of the Seeds in Mark 4: it\u2019s not about our effort or control. It\u2019s about readiness, trust, and surrender to God\u2019s timing and purpose; ready your heart for what God plants. If we want to see true growth, we must start by clearing the ground within us, making space for His Word to take root and flourish beyond anything we can imagine. Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the Kairos FREE Online Community. https:\/\/createyournow.com What Are You Planting? The Parable of the Seeds and Readying Your Heart In Mark 4:1-20, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower. Here\u2019s the core of what He said (MSG): \u201cA farmer went out to scatter seed. As he scattered seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it sprouted, it dried up because it had no moisture. Some seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked the plants, so they produced no grain. But some seed fell on good soil, and it grew up and produced a crop \u2014 some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.\u201d Jesus explains: the seed is God\u2019s Word. The type of soil is the condition of the hearer\u2019s heart. The productivity depends entirely on the heart\u2019s readiness, not the seed. The Real Issue: We Plant What We Want, Not What God Wants This parable slaps us with one brutal truth: too often, we are preoccupied with what we want to plant. Our plans, our desires, our pet projects\u2014our \u201cseeds.\u201d We invest time, energy, finances, and often our identity into them. But God is the farmer, and He decides what grows\u2014and how. We aren\u2019t called to just scatter our own stuff and cross our fingers. We are called to ready our hearts for what God is planting. That means: getting rid of the rocky places where faith is shallow, pulling out those choking worries and distractions, clearing the hardened paths of cynicism or fear that block the gospel. Until we cultivate good soil, our efforts won\u2019t bear fruit, not because the seed is weak but because our hearts aren\u2019t ready. The K.I.S.S. ~ Ready your heart for what God plants! Hope in What God Grows, Not What We Plant Mark 4:30-32 throws down an unforgettable image: \u201cThe kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth; yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.\u201d This mustard seed isn\u2019t about the size or appearance of our \u201cplanting.\u201d It\u2019s about God\u2019s power to grow what seems insignificant into something immeasurable. The seed itself is tiny\u2014but God makes it grow beyond what the human eye can imagine. If we focus instead on big, flashy seeds\u2014our grand plans or visions\u2014we miss the wonder of God\u2019s work. The smallest seeds, meekest faith, or simplest obedience, ready to obey often grow beyond anything we dreamed possible. What Are You Planting so God Can Grow and Stretch You? Here\u2019s the question no one wants to skip: What are you planting so God can grow and stretch you? Are you focused on control\u2014trying to plant what feels safe or comfortable? Or are you ready to clear your heart\u2019s soil and let God plant His Word, even if it means growth feels slow, uncomfortable, or stretches you beyond your limits? What doubts, distractions, or fears do you need to pluck out so God\u2019s seed can thrive? Your growth isn\u2019t about what you can hustle up. It\u2019s about being ready, willing soil for God\u2019s Word, trusting Him to do the impossible. Final Thought Psalm 127:1 says: \u201cUnless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.\u201d Your effort matters\u2014but only if it\u2019s working with God\u2019s hand, not against it. Clear your heart. Trust God to plant what He chooses. Water it with patience. And watch Him grow something beyond your wildest expectations. "Be present. Be incredible. Be YOU!!!"   #SweetSpirit #CreateYourNow #SoulfulSunday \ud83d\udd14 Desire to be supported and encouraged by other like-minded women? Join us at the Kairos FREE Online Community. https:\/\/createyournow.com TAKE A.I.M. ~ Action Ignites Motivation  - This is a complimentary (FREE) coaching call with me. You will discuss your specific situation while gaining tools and strategies to move you forward. (https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/62988215824163) \ud83d\ude4f  Create Your Now TV on Pray.com (https:\/\/pray.com) \ud83c\udfa5  Create Your Now on YouTube (https:\/\/youtube.com\/createyournow) \ud83c\udfa7 Create Your Now on Spotify, Pandora, and Audible. \ud83c\udfb6  Create Your Now on iHeart Radio (http:\/\/www.iheart.com\/show\/263-Create-Your-Now-Your-Best\/) \u270d\ufe0f  YourBestSelfie@CreateYourNow.com  Instagram @CreateYourNow @KristianneWargo Twitter @KristianneWargo @CreateYourNow Facebook www.facebook.com\/TheKISSCoach www.facebook.com\/CreateYourNow   Cover Art by Jenny Hamson Photo by Canva.com   Music by Mandisa - Overcomer http:\/\/www.mandisaofficial.com Song ID: 68209 Song Title: Overcomer Writer(s): Ben Glover, Chris Stevens, David Garcia Copyright \u00a9 2013 Meaux Mercy (BMI) Moody Producer Music (BMI) One Songs (ASCAP) Ariose Music (ASCAP) Universal Music -  Brentwood Benson Publ. (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission. ","author_name":"Create Your Now with Kristianne Wargo","author_url":"http:\/\/createyournow.com","html":"