How can I know if my heart is good soil?

from the old testament

• When the prophet Samuel was young, he encountered God in the temple. Samuel's mentor told him how to answer God, and it was a simple response of openness and humility: 'Speak, for your servant is listening'. This showed his willingness for God to teach and use him (1 Samuel 3:10).
• The writer of this psalm asks God to give him a pure and steadfast heart that is willing and joyful to sustain him (Psalm 51:10-12).
• The majority of Psalm 119 consists of the writer requesting that God teach His decrees and ways, and praising Him for the goodness of His laws. Some specific verses directly ask for the psalmist's eyes to be opened (v.18), to be able to understand God's ways (v. 27; 33-36), to gain knowledge and good judgment (v. 66), and to keep a soft heart to delight in God's law (v. 70) (Psalm 119).
• To have a soft heart open to learning from God, we need to guard our hearts against things that would cause us to drift from God. Everything we do comes from our hearts, and what we fill them with will be what comes from them, whether knowledge of God or sinful choices (Proverbs 4:23).

from the new testament

• John the Baptist, who made the way for Jesus, interacted with the religious leaders of the day. These religious leaders appeared to be righteous but really were not, and John exposed the condition of their hardened hearts by calling them a 'brood of vipers'. He accused them of lacking in repentance and refusing to truly grow in God (Matthew 3:7-8).
• In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, He teaches what are known as the Beatitudes. Included in these attributes for believers and the blessings resulting from them are people who Jesus refers to as 'pure in heart'. These people keep themselves from being polluted by sin and desire to learn from God; in return, they receive the reward of knowing God and seeing Him (Matthew 5:8).
• The parable of the sower, told by Jesus, is where the term 'good soil' is found. Jesus teaches about four 'soils' that illustrate people's responses when they are presented with the Word of God. The heart with good soil receives the Word with joy and retains it, yielding a harvest of godly fruit far beyond the small seed of Scripture originally planted (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23; Mark 4:2-9, 13-20; Luke 8:4-8, 11-15).
• Jesus tells us that those who hear God's Word and put it into practice in their lives will be blessed. Putting God's Word into action demonstrates a heart willing to learn from God (Luke 11:28).
• Early believers in the town of Berea learned from Paul's teaching. They are a model for us today as they craved Scriptural knowledge and were eager to learn from Paul. They not only listened to him but also tested everything he said against Scripture to ensure his accuracy. Their attitude toward learning from God is an example of hearts of good soil (Acts 17:11).
• The writer of Hebrews references Psalm 95:7-8 in telling his readers not to harden their hearts as they did in their time of rebellion when they heard God's voice. Before we know Christ, our hearts do not desire to be good soil; after we are made new in Him, the attitude of our hearts changes to desiring godly teaching and instruction (Hebrews 3:15).
• James urges his readers to rid themselves of all immorality and filth in order that they may humbly accept God's Word and allow it to grow within them. Removing evil influences from our lives makes room for Scripture to change and teach us (James 1:21).

implications for today

A first step we can take as believers to ensure our hearts are good soil is to evaluate the kinds of influences we allow into our lives. Evil, immoral influences will not draw us closer to God or keep our hearts soft (James 1:21); godly, pure influences will turn us toward God and direct our thoughts to His instruction. We can also model ourselves after the writer of Psalm 119, who pleaded with God to teach him and to give him a heart that loved Scripture. Praying for a soft heart that craves Scripture is something that God will be pleased by and will answer. He desires nothing more than for us to get to know Him and His Word better. Soft hearts require humility and a readiness to put God's Word into practice (Luke 11:28). The more we read Scripture and apply it to our lives, the more we will desire it. Our ultimate reward for a pure heart seeking learning and a deeper connection with God is God Himself—not only here on earth, but for eternity, face to face in Heaven, as Jesus promises to all who follow Him (Matthew 5:8).