In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 4, the Lord speaks to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, who are known to be praisers of God. Verse 3 says, “For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.”
Why is God saying this? Let us look at the context starting from verse 1. God began to speak, saying, “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.” Then verse 3 repeats, “For thus saith the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.”
Let us also look at the book of Hosea, chapter 10, verse 12: “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
Reading this in context from verse 9, the scripture says, “O Israel, thou hast sinned from the days of Gibeah: there they stood: the battle in Gibeah against the children of iniquity did not overtake them. It is in my desire that I should chastise them; and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrows.
And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”
May the Lord bless the reading of his word.
Just as the Lord spoke to the people of Israel, he is speaking to us today because God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is telling us to break up our fallow ground. God is using farming and soil to represent our lives and our hearts. He is saying, “I am not satisfied with your service. I am not satisfied with your sacrifices. I am not pleased with your operations.”
God wants you to sow in righteousness. You have previously sown among thorns, on unfruitful, hardened, and unproductive grounds. Today, he is telling you to stop sowing among thorns and unrighteousness. Instead, sow into a ground that is already prepared.
What is a fallow ground? A fallow ground is land that was previously used to plant and harvest good crops, but has now been left unused, neglected, and abandoned. It is no longer productive. God is saying that our hearts are often just like that. If you continue to sow in this state, the seed will not produce anything good. We must change.
Look at your life. Have you become hardened in your heart? People still go to church, but just like the ancient nation of Israel, many do whatever they like, choosing their own laws and abandoning the laws of God. God sent a forerunner, John the Baptist, to prepare the people so that the promised blessings could come down. John preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” We must repent today.
The problem with the modern church is that we gather crowds, but we lack character. God is tired of it. On Friday nights, the prayer mountains are full of people praying as if prayer is the only thing that matters.
Prayer is good, but it is not the only requirement. People pray and fast, then on Sunday morning they lift their hands in church and sing about how much they love God. Yet on Monday, the very same people who went to the vigil and attended Sunday service are stealing.
They commit immorality on Tuesday, falsify records on Wednesday, cheat on Thursday, and then head right back to the prayer mountain on Friday.
God says, “No, that is not the pattern. My standard is righteousness, and it is not going to change.” Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity. If we do not depart from iniquity, we cannot represent Jesus correctly.
Look at your home. Can your children truly say you are born again? Can your wife testify that her husband is a man of God? Can your husband say his wife is a true child of God? In your workplace, are you the one leading rebellions, causing chaos in your neighborhood, or creating confusion? God is asking if you are going to continue living with an unproductive heart and a soil that cannot bring forth results.
Jesus mentioned four types of soil in scripture, and only one brought forth fruit. It does not matter what kind of soil you brought here today; God wants you to shift to the ground that yields results. Move forward, because he wants to rain righteousness, release his anointing, bring healing, and grant deliverance. He wants to change your story, give you a new song, and cause you to expand, but you must change.
Say, “Father, I am ready to change. Whatever I have done that is contrary to your righteousness, I repent this morning. Lord, have mercy on me.”
Take a moment to pray: “Father, whatever I have done that is contrary to your will, or any way I have left my relationship with you abandoned and uncared for, I repent. Lord, I repent of every unrighteousness, sin, iniquity, and transgression. In the mighty name of Jesus, I am going to break up my fallow ground.”
“I expose my heart to supernatural work. I receive repentance into my heart. O Lord God, help me this morning. In Jesus’ name we pray.”
There are people who used to be vibrant intercessors, vibrant follow-up officers, and vibrant soul winners in the church, but now they are as cold as ice. They have lost their relevance, power, results, and productivity. God is saying, “I want you to be productive again. I want you to change and embrace my fire once more.” God will do it for us in the mighty name of Jesus.
There are specific areas we must examine to break up our fallow ground. The first place is our heart, because the heart represents our spirit. Man is essentially a spirit; he has a soul, and he lives in a body. Everything God does begins in your spirit. Those who worship God must worship in spirit and in truth, because God is a spirit. When God made you in the beginning, he made you as a spirit. In Genesis chapter two, he formed the physical body, placed the spirit inside, and breathed into that body, and man became a living soul. The spirit, soul, and body became one.
Anytime God wants to work, he begins in the spiritual realm. He starts working from your spirit. If God wants to heal, the healing is done in the spirit first, and then it manifests in the physical. Anytime God wants to change a situation, he does it in the spiritual realm, and it becomes a reality in the physical world. Therefore, our hearts must be reached today. Our hearts must be open to receive the fullness of what God has for us.
Your heart must be correct. If your heart is not correct, everything you do will be wrong, no matter how hard you try.
What does it mean for your heart to be correct? It means your heart, intentions, plans, and activities must return to Jesus. Your life must be entirely rooted in him. Jesus must become the center of your life. If anything else has taken his place, it is wrong and must be destroyed. We dethrone every altar in our hearts that is contrary to Jesus Christ. They will no longer stand, in the mighty name of Jesus. Once we do this, the breakthroughs you have been praying for will become a reality.
How many of us here are angry or unhappy with God because it seems he has refused to answer your prayers? Some hearts have become bitter, and un-forgiveness has taken over. Some have unconfessed sin, while others are simply tired of serving God. A speaker at a conference recently noted that many people are tired of going to church because they feel it constantly takes from them without giving anything back.
This happens because they do not understand why they are saved, causing them to lose touch with God. That will not be our portion, in the name of Jesus. We must break up our fallow ground today so that God can have his way in our lives.
Before I continue with the next part, is there anyone here who knows they need a special touch from God? Do you need a supernatural operation in your heart, your spiritual life, your prayer life, your fasting life, or your study of the Word?
If you know you need God to work in you again, please walk up to the altar and kneel down. Come to the altar and say, “Father, do your work in my heart again. I do not want to leave the way I came. Something new must happen in my life this morning. Lord, touch my heart again. I have lost the fire, and my prayer life is full of ashes. Lord, touch my heart this morning.”
obedience is the key, he was promoted to fish for men. Originally, his heart was positioned more toward his business than toward Jesus. He might have thought about his responsibilities, like his mother-in-law, but Jesus showed him his sovereign hand.
Everything you want to become is found in Christ. If you give him the totality of your life, you will become what you were meant to be. You cannot make yourself; you do not have the capacity, competence, or ability to do it. Christ says, “I will make you.”
Lift up your hands and say, “Father, please have mercy on me. I have come to the end of myself. Now I want to follow you with the whole of my heart. Lord, I see that there is nothing I am looking for that is not found in you. A single word from you will take care of it.” Thank you, Jesus.
If you are sick in your body, come forward to the altar and receive your healing. If you are going through any form of oppression, Jesus is here to set you free.
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