Inner garden

In the beginning God created the Garden of Eden.  He placed man and woman in the garden and in the cool of the day He moved among the trees of the garden (Genesis 3:8).  Our inner life with God is like the Garden of Eden.  It is our inner garden.  A place where the Spirit of the God lives and we can ‘meet’ continually.

Although every garden is unique, the principles of gardening remain the same.  We need to plan our garden, then prepare the soil before we plant.  Similarly, when it comes to gardening our hearts, we need to plan and look after our gardens.  We need to plant, maintain, feed the soil, remove weeds, prune branches, protect it from pests and provide support.  At the appointed seasonal time, the garden will produce a harvest of fruit or flowers.  Gardening is an ongoing process.

Let’s take a walk through our inner garden and discover how we can create and maintain a thriving and delightful garden.

Plan the garden

Developing a garden plan gives us the opportunity to identify what we want from our garden.  We create a planting list and review the conditions to ensure our plants thrive.

  • Find your purpose in life. You were made by God for a purpose.  Proverbs 19:21 (NLT) “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”
  • Have a dream or vision for your life. Proverbs 29:18 (AMPC) “Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man] – blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.”
  • Live your life with an expectation that God wants to bless you and give you a hope for the future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.  “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Prepare the soil

Soil preparation is one of the most important steps for a successful garden.  It will keep plants strong, healthy and thriving.

  • Remove a heart of stone. Matthew 13:15 (NLT) “For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’”  Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT) “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you.  I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”
  • Test the soil and adjust the pH if needed. Psalm 139:23 (GNT) “Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts.”
  • Get rid of weeds, rocks, roots and trash to prepare the soil for planting. Job 11:13-14 (NLT) “If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer!  Get rid of your sins, and leave all iniquity behind you.”
  • Do away with unwanted roots from the soil. Inner healing is an important part of a healthy inner garden.  When we deal with the hurts and issues of the past, we’re better able to live life as God designed it.  We need to deal, for example, with roots of bitterness and self-righteous.  Psalm 147:3 (AMPC) “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows].”
  • Uproot the weeds of sin. Repentance is a heartfelt conviction of sin.  Acts 3:19-20 (GNT) “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins.  If you do, times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord, and he will send Jesus, who is the Messiah he has already chosen for you.”
  • Till the soil to break the hard layer. Unforgiveness hardens the soil of our heart.  Mark 11:25 (NLT) “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
  • Make ready your mind. Philippians 4:8 (GNT) “In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honourable.”

Jesus tells the story of a sower who scattered seeds on four different soil types.  Jesus used this parable to explain to his followers and the disciples how there are different responses to hearing and obeying the Word of God.  Do we hear and obey what God asks of us?  Matthew 13:18-23 (NLT):

  • “19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.”
  • “20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long.  They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.”
  • “22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.”
  • “23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Feed the soil and plants

Treat the soil.  Soil degrades over time and needs to be refreshed every so often.  Add mulch to retain soil moisture.  Fertilizing your garden is another method to keep it healthy.  Add compost and nutrients in order for seed to sprout and plants to flourish.  Matthew 13:8 (NLT) “Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”  How do we feed the soil of our inner garden?

  • Be saturated in Scripture. Desire it.  Meditate over it.  Take delight in it.  Joshua 1:8 (NLT) “Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
  • Be led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 (NLT) “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”
  • Ask God and not rely on own opinion. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”  Lamentations 3:25 (NLT) “The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.”
  • Be part of God’s family. Have fellowship with other believers.  Matthew 18:20 (NLT) “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”  Hebrews 10:25 (NLT) “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

Plant seeds

What do you want to harvest in your garden?  What do you want to reap in your life?

  • We reap what we sow. What you plant is what you get.  Galatians 6:7 (NLT) “Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God.  You will always harvest what you plant.”  Luke 6:43-44 (NLT) “A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.  A tree is identified by its fruit.  Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes.”
  • Mind your words. Proverbs 18:21 (AMPC) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].”

Do we have an abundance mindset?

  • 2 Corinthians 9:6-10 (NLT) “Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.  You must each decide in your heart how much to give.  And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure.  “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”  And God will generously provide all you need.  Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.  As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor.  Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”  For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat.  In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”
  • Isaiah 58:10 (NLT) “Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.”

Water the roots and take care of the garden

We need to water our garden properly.  Proper garden care can increase the quality and longevity of our plants, fruits, and veggies.  Practice spiritual disciplines.  Take care of your garden – keep it neat, tidy, organized – otherwise it will become empty, wild, overgrown, weeds and unwanted plants will take root.  It may become desolate.

  • Thirst for God. Psalm 42:2 (NIV) “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?”  Psalm 63:1 (NIV) “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”
  • Worship God. Exodus 23:25 (GNT) “If you worship me, the Lord your God, I will bless you with food and water and take away all your sicknesses.”
  • Spend time in the presence of God. Psalm 16:11 (NLT) “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”  Isaiah 58:11 (GNT) “And I will always guide you and satisfy you with good things.  I will keep you strong and well.  You will be like a garden that has plenty of water, like a spring of water that never goes dry.”
  • Take delight in God. Psalm 37:4 (NIV) “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
  • Spend time in the Word of God. Matthew 4:4 (NIV) “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
  • Get to know God. Hosea 6:3,5-6 (GNT) “3 Let us try to know the Lord.  He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth.” 5 … What I want from you is plain and clear: 6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices.  I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.”

Support the stems and protect the plants from pests

Staking plants reinforces the stems and keeps them from bending or breaking.  It keeps them upright and healthy.

  • Guard your heart. Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
  • Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power and every day put on the full amour of God. Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT) “A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
  • Grow in inner strength. Ephesians 3:16 (NLT) “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.”
  • Pray and stay alert. Ephesians 6:18 (NLT) “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.  Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

Remove the weeds and cull unwanted plants

Weeds are garden killers.  They can suffocate the roots of healthy plants, harbour pests, and become an unsightly nuisance.  Weeds take up space and resources that our plants could be using, so weeding your garden keeps it healthy and growing.  Thinning out plants will clean up the unhealthy bits and also create more space to flourish.  Sin and unbelief are the weeds of our inner garden.

  • Prevent sin from taking root in your life. Romans 6:12 (NIV) “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.”
  • Ongoing repent of sin. Psalm 26:2 (AMPC) “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; test my heart and my mind.”
  • Focus your mind on what is fitting. Philippians 4:8 (NIV) “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”
  • Spend your time appropriately. Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT) “So be careful how you live.  Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”  1 Chronicles 16:11 (NLT) “Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.”

Prune the branches

Perform plant maintenance. Pruning is a planned action to:

  • Maintain plant health: This involves the removal of dead, diseased, or injured plant parts.  Removal of these weak parts helps to minimize the potential for secondary or opportunistic pest infestations and improve the overall vigour of the shrub or tree.
  • Encourage flower and fruit production: Deadheading removes old flower blooms to encourage new growth.  Pruning opens up the canopy in order to allow more sunlight to penetrate.  This stimulates the formation of flower buds.  It improves both the quality and quantity of the harvest.
  • Rejuvenate old or overgrown plants: Pruning is helpful for shrubs that have become overgrown, sparse, or leggy.  It helps to stimulate the formation of new, more productive, vigorous wood.
  • Protect people and property: This involves pruning of branches and limbs that are hazardous, weak, or rotted posing a potential hazard to people or property.

John 15:1-8 (NLT) “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.  You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.  “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.  Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.  Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.  But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!  When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples.  This brings great glory to my Father.”

How do we respond to God’s pruning?  Proverbs 3:11 (NLT) “My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.”  Hebrews 12:6, 10-11 (NLT) “For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.  For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how.”  But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.  No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it’s painful!  But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”

Seasons and growth

The growing season is the period when crops and other plants grow successfully.

  • Discipleship is to grow into the image of Christ. That is, maturing to bear fruit of righteousness.  Ephesians 4:15 (NLT) “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”
  • Remember there are different seasons, and individuals may be in different ones. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
  • There are no shortcuts in growth. It takes a full season to produce a harvest.  Genesis 8:22 (NLT) “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”  Habakkuk 2:3 (NLT) “This vision is for a future time.  It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.  If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place.  It will not be delayed.”
  • Some growth seasons are short (e.g., beetroot) and some longer (e.g., olives). The same applies to life.  Acts 1:7 (ESV) “He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”
  • Flourish, grow, thrive. Psalm 92:12-14 (NLT) “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.  For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.  They flourish in the courts of our God.  Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.”

Produce a harvest

The ultimate goal of any garden is to yield produce.

  • Yield good and lasting fruit. John 15:16 (NLT) “You didn’t choose me. I chose you.  I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.”  Matthew 3:10 (NLT) “Even now the axe of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees.  Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
  • Produce the fruit of the Spirit and not fruit of the flesh. Galatians 5:19-23 (NLT) “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these.  Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…”
  • Produce in abundance. John 15:5 (AMPC) “I am the Vine; you are the branches.  Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”

Gathering the harvest

Harvesting is the season for gathering the crop.

  • We need to be Kingdom harvesters. John 4:34-38 (NLT) “Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.  You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around.  The fields are already ripe for harvest.  The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life.  What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike!  You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’  And it’s true.  I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
  • You are blessed so that you can bless others. 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 (NLT) “And God will generously provide all you need.  Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.  As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor.  Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”  For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat.  In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.  Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.  And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.”
  • Remember, it is God that blesses you. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (MSG) “If you start thinking to yourselves, “I did all this. And all by myself. I’m rich.  It’s all mine!” – well, think again.  Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth so as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors – as it is today.”
  • Give your tithe. Malachi 3:10 (NLT) “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple.  If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you.  I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!  Try it!  Put me to the test!”

Continuous maintenance

Good gardening means continuous maintenance.

  • Persist, persevere, sustain. James 1:4 (NLT) “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
  • Remember to rest. Exodus 34:21 (ESV) “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest.  In ploughing time and in harvest you shall rest.”
  • Be a good steward. Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Prayer:  Father, as Adam in Eve spend time in Your presence in the Garden, I desire to spend time in Your presence.  Please help and guide me to take good care of my inner garden so that it may be a pleasing place for Your Spirit to dwell.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.