Now that spring is in the air,my family and I have been happily digging in a small plot in our backyard. We are motivated by visions of red,juicy tomatoes and strawberries and other fresh green things. However,my enthusiasm was somewhat bridled by the memory of a previous failed agricultural project–planting California grapevines,which yielded a cupful of "instant" raisins. As a novice farmer,this "city slicker" had much to learn about cultivating soil for a fruitful harvest.

Many of these same principles can be applied also to our spiritual lives. Of the different types of soil Jesus described in Mark 4,the "thorny soil" is one of the most treacherous: "These are the ones who heard the Word,but the worries of the world,and the deceitfulness of riches,and the desires for other things enter in and choke the Word,and it becomes unfruitful" (Mark 4:18,19). This is Satan 's "three-pronged" weapon,which he gleefully uses against the unsuspecting Christian. Because internal issues are often hidden from public scrutiny initially,they are easy to ignore. Unless we ruthlessly dig them out,these weeds will overrun our lives, choke the Word, and render us unfruitful.

Worries of the World. What one worry is choking the Word of God in your heart at this very moment? Is it the constant pre-occupation with uncompleted tasks, with what others think of you,or on a nagging anxiety about the future? Too often we care more about the things that the world cares about rather than about the things that are on God's heart. These worries have tremendous power to distract us spiritually.

After Jesus calmed the sea,He inquired of His disciples (Mark 4:40), "How is it that you have no faith?" Crises reveal the quality of our faith and the reality of our creed. When buffeted by the storms of life,do we get frantic and paddle harder? If so,we are practical atheists. Our faith is of no value,and our confidence in the flesh and in human is what rules our lives.

Deceitfulness of Riches. "Ah," you might say,"this is not my problem. I don ' make enough money!" What is it about riches that makes them so deceitful? Wealth offers a false sense of security,misguided self-confidence,and an inflated view of our own importance. But so can other things: a relationship,a successful clinical practice,a title or position,power and authority,a hard-earned reputation. We must be on guard against anything that can shift the focus of our faith.

Desire for Other Things. Cravings have the power to enslave us. The dark side of uncontrolled desires (lusts)is the attempt to satisfy God-given desires by taking things into our own hands: The unspoken assumption is that there is something we need or deserve,but which God has not taken into account. Therefore,it is up to us to find a way to satisfy these "desires for other things." Thus,we subtly question God's goodness and His willingness and ability to meet our needs.

Unfulfilled desires remind us of our need for and dependence upon God. How can we tell if something we want is a godly desire? One helpful question is: Does this desire draw me toward God or away from Him? Even if your need is legitimate,you must still decide where and how you will go about fulfilling that desire.

The Portal of Entry. The worries of this world,the deceitfulness of riches,the desire for other things—these thorny weeds have no ability to take root and flourish in the garden of our hearts unless we unwittingly or deliberately allow them to "enter in."

Our hearts are naturally drawn to wherever we invest significant capital, whether it is material, emotional, mental or physical, "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). As surely as night follows day, our affections will follow our investments. This is a basic law of human nature. God will not protect us from this,and there is no use fighting it. But what we can do is choose where to direct our affections.

The psalmist writes, "Do not fret because of evil doers,be not envious toward wrongdoers. Trust in the Lord,and do good. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord,and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord,trust also in Him,and He will do it" (Psalm 37:1-5).

Contact Dr. Chen at:  ychen@GoMETS.org.