Cultivation

Once the soil has been prepared and the seeds have been planted, the cultivation phase begins. Cultivation is the process of helping plants to grow. It includes giving them adequate sunlight and water and proper nutrients, removing weeds that would choke out their growth, and protecting them from the elements. In some respects the cultivation phase is the most vital part of the entire growth process because it requires more time and labor than any other phase. While it takes only a few days to prepare the soil, plant the seeds, or harvest the crop, the cultivation of new plants takes several months.

Once the heart has been softened through soil preparation and interest has been generated by planting seeds of truth, the next step is to cultivate the interest by engaging the person in regular Bible studies. Here is where the one for whom you are laboring grows in his or her understanding and application of the Word. The truth of God’s Word provides the “nutrients” needed to grow, and it gives light and power to remove the “weeds” of false doctrines and sinful habits.