Life gets busy, of this we all know. Schedules must be kept and bills must be paid. Families are often bound by school routines and other events, all of which seemed baked-in or without reprieve. Personally, I enjoy the continuity. There is a safety in consistent living. However, the problem comes when our hunger for God is swallowed up by our routines. God never fits inside of our program. He made Himself to occupy the first.
God is calling us to be something new. There are new spiritual plateaus to find; new seeds to plant; new revelations to be seen. This endeavor demands our attention to the “soil of the heart.” Hardened ground cannot accept the seed and without the seed there is no harvest. The Bible calls this the “fallow ground.” Horticulturalists have warned the farmer not to allow the ground to lay dormant or unused too long due to the difficulty of replanting. Fallow ground is the untouched life. The unplanted “field” becomes compacted so the Word finds no place.
The Holy Spirit is speaking to the Church. Hosea wrote for our understanding: Hosea 10:12 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.
The elements of Hosea 10:12 are critical for this year. We can make this a year of harvest, but we must break up the soil of our own heart. This is called Breaking Ground! A harvest will come if the ground is broken up and the Word finds root. The rain of righteousness will fall if the ground is prepared.
Jeremiah gave a similar instruction to Judah. He said that there are places where seeds go to die. Jeremiah 4:3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
We will Break New Ground as we order our lives according to the Bible. Our time and money will find its worth as we sow into the Kingdom. Old, fleshly ways of speaking and thinking must be broken up and torn away. The Harvest depends on the soil of our hearts and we desperately need the Harvest!
Breaking Ground is taking new territory!
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole