In the previous issue we talked how our minds can be seen as the garden of our hearts. We also saw that every word that comes from God is like a seed we plant in this garden, and how the measure of attention we give to the Word of God, will be proportional to the amount of virtue it produces in our lives.
So how do we grow the garden of our heart? Let us answer by asking you another question: What do you want your garden to look like? Do you like a full, fresh, burst of colour and life? Do you want to walk through it being drawn to its loveliness and beautiful fragrance? Would you like to sit down in its lush green grass and take it all in, enjoying every detail, eating its ripe fruit while wave after wave of peace and fulfilment washes over you?
That's because your thoughts are constantly influenced by the promises of God, and you know you have been filled with new hope and strength to cope and face whatever comes your way in the day. Or are you happy with a quick, low maintenance, semi desert experience? Where you can take a brisk walk through, sense a whiff of a distant fragrance of hope, maybe spot a tiny blossom of peace shooting off the side of a cactus somewhere, and be satisfied with that. Then, off you go, hoping you have what you need to handle your day. You see, what you are going to receive from your time in the Word of God, depends entirely on what you expect to receive. The measure of quality you receive is measured by your own measuring stick.
Kenneth Copeland once wrote about two kinds of people and their expectations concerning the Word. They can both be believing for a particular breakthrough. One will read the Word and say, "Praise God, I believe this promise with all my heart! I'm going to keep on believing it, no matter what, and constantly remind myself of it until I receive it in totality!" The other person will say, "well, I certainly hope this promise works. I'm not really sure if it will, I'll give this faith thing a try, but I doubt very much if any thing is actually going to come of it."
Let me tell you, both people will receive exactly what they expect. They will receive the same measure of the reality of the promise as they measured their attitude towards God's Word! Or in gardening terms, the seeds of God's Word they choose to believe and hold onto in their hearts, will become the beautiful hedges of protection that grow in their minds, influence their reasoning, control their emotions and dominate their wills. This is how the BLESSING influences our souls - the garden of our hearts.
