Day 4: The Crowded Soul

Observation:
Thorny soil isn’t hard or shallow; it’s crowded. There’s potential for growth, but the space is already taken. The Word is planted, but it gets choked out by life. Jesus names them: worries, wealth, and wants. I know this soil well. After prison, I was trying to rebuild. I worried about everything. Then, when the money came, I chased success, attention, and validation. I had Jesus in my life—but I also had everything else. My life was full, but my soul was empty.

The truth is, you can be busy and barren. Fruitless and frantic. Weeds don’t need permission to grow; they thrive in neglect. You don’t accidentally produce fruit; you choose to remove what competes with Christ. You have to cut back the clutter if you want space for the Word.

Application:
What’s crowding your life? What needs to be pruned, simplified, or surrendered? You can’t chase Jesus and chase everything else, too.

Prayer:
Father, show me what’s choking Your Word in my life. Help me to trust You enough to let go of everything competing with You.