Digging Up the Past: Why Good Seed Isn’t Enough
Many of us who have walked with the Lord for years find ourselves asking questions, such as:
- Why, after diligently sowing the good seed of God’s Word, am I still eating the fruit of lies?
- Why can’t I seem to overcome the old habits of life and thought?
- Why do i keep going through the same things again and again?
- Are there thoughts and thought patterns that still abide in my heart and control my life, unconscious thoughts I am not even aware of?
- Instead of removing the old stuff, did I just plant the new on top of it?
- Rather than dealing with the heart issues behind my thoughts, emotions and actions, have I focused more on changing my outward behavior?
These are good questions that we have all asked at times. Is it possible you have sown among thorns? What does that mean. Keep reading to find out.
What are Thorns and How Do I Remove Them?
There are thoughts and strongholds deeply rooted in the hidden places of my life. These are thorns. They are what stops and hinders growth.
What can I do about them? As in gardening in the natural world, the weeds have to be removed from the root, or they will keep coming up and choking out the good harvest I want. No matter how diligent I am in planting good seed, I will continue to eat the fruit of the old seeds and weeds until their roots are removed from my life.
How do I get rid of the thorns growing from seeds planted so deep that I am not even aware of what lies or thoughts cause them?
“Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. You have plowed wickedness, you have reaped injustice, You have eaten the fruit of lies.”
Hosea 10:12-13 (NASB)
Circumcise yourselves to the Lord And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire and burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds. Wash your heart from evil, O Jerusalem, That you may be saved. How long will your wicked thoughts lodge within you?
Jeremiah 4:3-4, 14 (NASB)
What do these passages of Scripture say to do?
- Sow with a view to righteousness.
- Reap in accordance with kindness.
- Break up your fallow ground.
- Seek the Lord until He comes and rains on the hard places in your heart.
- No longer eat the fruit of lies.
- Circumcise yourself to the Lord.
- Remove the foreskin of your heart.
- Wash your heart from evil.
- No longer let the negative, destructive thoughts lodge deep within you.
The Problem of Fallow Ground and Thorns
Fallow ground is land that was once tilled but has been left alone, becoming hard, matted, and unproductive—in need of renewal.
If we simply scatter new seed (God’s Word) on top of this hard, untended ground, it won’t take root and grow effectively.
“Fallow ground is ground which has once been tilled, but which now lies waste, and needs to be broken up and mellowed before it is suited to receive grain.”
Charles Finney
Is the ground of your heart hardened because of hurt or disapintment? Or maybe it is filled with your own thoughts rather God’s thoughts. We all have unconscious thoughts, beliefs, and mindsets that are contrary to God’s thoughts and ways. When His rain comes, it will soften the ground of your heart so the thorns (lies) can be removed.
Break up your fallow ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourself to the Lord seek Him until He comes and rains righteousness upon you.
Forsake Your Old Thoughts and Ways
Isaiah speaks on the blessings of forsaking old thoughts and ways and replacing them with God’s.
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
“For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, And instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, And it will be a memorial to the Lord, For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”
Isaiah 55:6-13 (NASB)
Isaiah Summarized
- His Word will be effective in changing your old thoughts and ways to God’s.
- His Word will water and soften the earth of your heart and make it ready to bear and sprout for you and those around you.
- When your old thoughts and ways are replaced with God’s, your life will be filled with joy and peace, and you will be fruitful. You will no longer produce thorns and nettles.
It is a Process
- Exposing the Lies: Identifying and forsaking the untrue ane unrighteous thoughts that have lodged within us (Isaiah 55:7, Jeremiah 4:14).
- Removing the Roots: Digging up the thorns, not just trimming the leaves. This means actively dealing with the roots of fear, unbelief, and false beliefs about God and us.
- Seeking and Soaking: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near… Break up your uncultivated ground, For it is time to seek the Lord Until He comes and rains righteousness on you“ (Hosea 10:12, Isaiah 55:6).
What Would You Do in the Natural Realm?
If you have an area in your garden that continues to grow weeds that overcome and overshadow the good seed you plant, what do you do? You pull the weeds, plant the good seeds, and water the area. You continue to do this until the weed-permeated overgrown area starts to thrive with the new plants, beautiful, green and thriving.
It is a process. God purposely made life a process. You don’t get rid of weeds by casting them out. God doesn’t “zap” out the weeds instantly. There is a process of removing them from the roots, replacing them, and tending the new seed. Through time, things change. Jesus spoke of this process in a parable.
And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Mark 4:26-29 (NKJV)
How does the kingdom of God work? It is also a process.
- Scatter seed on the ground (in the human heart).
- Night and day go on with life, and the seed will sprout and grow – though you don’t know how.
- The earth (heart) yields crops by itself, first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain.
- Then it is harvest time.
A Glorious Harvest Awaits
We may have planted the good seed of healing or peace, but if the thorns of an evil heart of unbelief—lies about God’s will or our unworthiness—still abide, they will eventually choke out the harvest. No matter how diligently we plant, the old roots will keep coming up until they are removed.
When we commit to this deeper work—to break up the hard ground, pull out the thorns by the root, and let God’s Word truly water and soften the soil—the promise is breathtaking.
So, take heart! Don’t let the fruit of lies frustrate you any longer. Start digging. Pull up the thorns, break up the fallow ground, and dedicate your heart entirely to the Lord. The new seed will bring forth a harvest.
