Are You Good Ground?

We are halfway through the month and our focus on THE WORD and I pray you have been strengthened and edified so far. In this blog post I will be answering some common questions and dilemmas that a lot of us will have as we journey with the Lord when it comes to the Word. So sis, grab a cup of tea and let's read these letters together. I pray that your heart will be open to what the Lord has to say to you in Jesus' name.

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Letter 1: The Road

Dear Pretty and Powered,

I am at a loss as to what to do. I'm that girl who's doing all of the right things but seeing no results. I pray, I attend church, I read my Bible, but nothing is changing. I see how other women are being changed, as in tangibly-tangibly changed, but it's almost as if the moment I leave the prayer room, or finish reading my Bible, or leave church, everything goes back to the same and nothing shifts. Help!

Yours truly,

Tired and Fed Up

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Dear Tired and Fed Up,

First of all, thank you for being honest. A lot of women feel exactly the way you do but are too discouraged or embarrassed to admit it. The fact that you're bothered by the lack of change is actually a good sign because it shows that your heart genuinely desires growth.

As I read your letter, I couldn't stop thinking about something Jesus said in the Parable of the Sower:

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside."(Matthew 13:19, NKJV)

Imagine a busy road after heavy rain. No matter how much water falls, the road can't absorb it. The rain lands on the surface and eventually runs off. This isn’t because there wasn’t enough rain, in fact it is nothing to do with the rain. It is because the ground is not in a condition to receive it.

This is what our hearts can be like sometimes. Yes we can pray, attend church and read our Bibles and the Word still can’t get beneath the surface because we have not taken the time to truly understand what God is saying. Understanding is what bridges knowledge and transformation if lasting change is what you are looking for.  Simply hearing Scripture isn't what transforms us.

That's why Proverbs tells us: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding." (Proverbs 4:7, NKJV)

Understanding goes beyond collecting information. It's when God's truth moves from your head into your heart which is key because our lives do not produce what we know mentally but what has captured our hearts. This is why I recommend the REAPS Method of Bible study. READ, EXAMINE, APPLY, PRAY and STILLNESS. (You can download a free REAPS PDF guide by clicking here). When you approach Scripture this way, you're doing more than reading words on a page you're hiding God's Word deeply in your heart.

Think about it this way: when something valuable is left exposed, it's easier to lose. Easier to forget. Easier for it to be taken but when something is stored safely, protected, and treasured, it's much harder to steal. The same is true of God's Word. The goal isn't simply to consume more Scripture. The goal is to allow Scripture to consume more of you. So don't lose heart.

Your answer is not that you necessarily need another sermon, another podcast or another Bible plan. You simply need to slow down and steward well what God has already spoken. Keep showing up with a goal to seek understanding. The transformation you're looking for will begin to happen quietly before it becomes visible and one day you'll look back and realise that God was changing you all along.

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Letter 2: The Rocky Ground

Dear Pretty and Powered, 

I LOVE the Word. Every time I hear it I get soo excited, because like WOW this is the literal Word of God being spoken. The times where I do (eventually) sit down with the Word are great and I feel like something truly changes in me…however, my issue is consistency. I’m the girl who will go hard in the Word for three days straight and then my Bible gathers dust for another three weeks after that. And in those three weeks I get so discouraged and it feels like my faith will be hanging on a thread. 

What should I do?

Yours truly, 

Discouraged and Inconsistent 

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Dear Discouraged and Inconsistent,

Girl… thank you for your honesty because I know exactly what it is to have a “new year, new me” relationship with my Bible – only that it’s not every year, it is every month…. Trust me a lot of people can relate with what you have shared.

The interesting thing is that Jesus actually described this exact situation in Scripture. He called it rocky ground:

"The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long..." (Matthew 13:20-21, NLT)

Notice that Jesus didn't say these people hated the Word. No. They loved it and received it with joy and got oh so excited. They probably highlighted everything too lol. However, the problem wasn't a lack of enthusiasm, the real issue was roots. And roots are painfully unexciting because they grow slowly, quietly and need consistency to become all they were created to be. You build roots through showing up again and again and again no matter the weather, your mood or the stress being caused by your boss at work. Even when the chapter feels boring. Even when you're tired. Even when you're not getting goosebumps. Even when you're reading Numbers and wondering why this one begat that one and that one and another one.

Roots can only grow in consistency and Paul tells Timothy: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God..." (2 Timothy 2:15, NKJV).

The word diligent doesn't sound very glamorous, to be honest. It means consistent, intentional and disciplined. Which is the very opposite of "I'll do it when I feel like it." And sis if we only did things when we felt like it, more than half of us would never answer emails, wash dishes or go to the gym. Consistency is not a feeling. It's a decision.

So, here's my advice for you: Don’t put your hope in your efforts or the image of a perfectly ticked habit tracker when it comes to you and the Lord. Small and steady beats dramatic and inconsistent every single time. Schedule your Bible time like it's an important meeting (because it is) Set reminders on your phone like you do for medical appointments. And stick to it. If you miss a day, don't turn it into a three-week self-imposed time out corner moment. Just continue the next day. No guilt or shame. Pick up your Bible and continue where you left off. In the same way you would not cancel your gym membership because you missed a day – don’t cancel on the Lover of your soul. God is growing roots and these will take time.

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Letter 3: The Thorny Ground

Dear Pretty and Powered,

I don't know when my life became so loud. I wake up thinking about work, go to work thinking about the children, come home from work thinking about my failing finances, and go to sleep replaying conversations in my head. I love God, but my mind is always somewhere else. I am constantly trying to improve, achieve, save, prepare, heal, fix and become. I don't think I've stopped to take a breath in months.

I’m on the verge of losing my mind. 

Yours truly,

Overwhelmed with Life

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Dear Overwhelmed with Life,

I see you sis , but more importantly Jesus sees you too. You're carrying work, family responsibilities, finances, future plans, healing from the past, trying to be a functioning adult, remembering passwords, drinking enough water, replying to messages and somewhere in the middle of all that you're also trying to follow Jesus with your whole heart.

The reality is that many of us are living with twenty-seven tabs open in our brains at all times. You wake up thinking about work. While you're at work, you're thinking about what needs doing at home. When you get home, you're thinking about money. Then at night, when your body finally lies down, your mind decides it's the perfect time to replay every awkward conversation you've had since 2014. It's exhausting.

And the scary thing is that after a while, this constant state of busyness starts to feel normal. But Jesus had something to say about this:

"The one on whom seed was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the worries and distractions of the world... choke the word, and it yields no fruit." (Matthew 13:22-23, AMP)

Notice that Jesus didn't say the thorns were evil things. He mentioned worries and distractions. The things that keep you and I saying, "I'll spend time with God after I finish this one thing." The problem is that there's always one more thing sis… and before we know it, we've accidentally built our entire lives around everything except the One who gives us life. The picture that comes to mind is of someone refusing to charge their phone which is on low battery because they’re too busy using it. Eventually, everything will shut down. That's why Jesus tells us:

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33, NLT)

Seek Him first. Not after the to-do list. Not after the promotion. Not after the children are older. Not after life settles down. First and Now sis, because if we're waiting for life to become quiet before we spend time with God, we may be waiting forever. Jesus says to you and I in John 15:5:

"I am the Vine; you are the branches... apart from Me you can do nothing."

Nothing. I don’t know about you but I am not interested in running around like a headless chicken only for it to amount to nothing because I was disconnected from my source the entire time.

Stop waiting for the perfect quiet moment. It isn't coming. Start your morning with the Word before the notifications start competing for your attention. Open your Bible during your lunch break instead of scrolling. End your day with Scripture instead of one more hour of worrying disguised as "thinking about solutions." How about daughters of God that “unwind” by opening their Bible instead of a 3hr movie marathon every night? Even five intentional minutes with God can do more for your soul than fifty minutes of “nothing.” The goal isn't to fit Jesus into your busy life. The goal is to build your life around Jesus. Fight not to have the Word choked out.

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Letter 4: The Good Soil

Dear Pretty and Powered,

I don't think I've had some dramatic transformation. I still struggle. I still have hard days. But lately I've noticed I apologise faster. I gossip less. I pray before I panic. The things that once entertained me grieve me now. I don't know if this is maturity or if I'm imagining it.

Yours truly,

Growing Slowly

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Dear Growing Slowly,

Reading your letter genuinely blessed me so deeply because what you've described sounds far more significant than you realise. Many of us are waiting for spiritual growth to look dramatic because we think maturity will arrive with a powerful encounter, a life-changing revelation or some dramatic before-and-after testimony. We expect fireworks.

Instead, what often happens is exactly what you've described: you apologise faster (humility), you gossip less (self-control), you pray before you panic (strong faith) and the things that once entertained you grieve you now (conviction of sin)…  

This is the greatest sign of fruit and of the Word of God taking root in you and allowing Christ being formed in you.  Jesus described this person as the seed that fell on good soil:

"And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands and grasps it; he indeed bears fruit and yields..." (Matthew 13:23, AMP)

The evidence of good ground was fruit. That's the goal. Fruit. Fruit. Fruit.

A healthy apple tree isn't judged by how quickly it grows, but by the quality of the fruit it produces and its ability to nourish those who benefit from it. In the same way, spiritual maturity isn't measured by how quickly you think you're changing but by whether the Word is producing Christ-like fruit in your life that blesses the Lord, and those around you. And from what you've shared, it sounds like it is.

Most people never notice when a tree is growing. I certainly never have. Nobody stands in front of a tree every morning and says, "Wow, it grew another centimetre overnight!" Growth is usually invisible in the moment and suddenly obvious in hindsight.

The same is true spiritually. I'm not much of a farmer, but from the little I know about soil, good soil is not perfect soil. Every patch of soil has deficiencies, weaknesses and imperfections. What makes soil good is not that it has no issues. What makes it good is that it remains receptive to the seed. Likewise, good Christians are not Christians who have no struggles. Good soil Christians still have weaknesses and bad days however they remain responsive to God's Word.

God is working sis and I am so so happy for you.

Keep going!

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Thank you for reading thus far. Perhaps you could resonate with some of the letters, perhaps you can relate to them all. Wherever you are, ask the Lord to show you what is currently happening in the soil of your heart. Then place that soil into His hands.

Roads can be broken up. Rocks can be removed. Thorns can be uprooted. Good soil can be cultivated.

In love, 

Dr. Gabriella Mwedzi