Late one night, the Lord woke me up saying “It’s time to break up the fallow ground.”

“Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness upon you.” (Hosea 10:12b)

I expect you are asking “now what is fallow ground.” Well, my Daddy would have told us that they were unplowed fields where the soil had not been cultivated for a season or so. The ground would have grown hard and all kinds of weeds, briers, and thorns would have invaded and taken over the field.

To break up the fallow ground, Daddy would have taken the turning plow to turn under the soil. The purpose for this was to kill anything growing there that would choke out and hinder the seeds that he would plant later. The plowing allowed the soil to be enriched and make it soft and ready for him to plant with cotton, corn, peanuts, peas, or whatever he chose.

Now, our hearts are the fallow ground that the Lord is talking about. What are some things that we allow to grow as weeds, briers, and thorns in our lives and make us hard and unyielded to the Lord?

Not letting God have first place,

Not loving Him with all our being,

Not having a grateful heart,

Not feeding on His Word and allowing it to guide us

Not loving others into eternity.

(Our list could go on for awhile, couldn’t it?)

The Holy Spirit takes the “Turning Plow” of God’s Words and begins to turn under the fallow ground of our hearts. He lights up areas where we have given in to sin and allowed it to grow all kinds of things, like jealousy, bitterness, anger, selfishness, gossiping and etc.

As you and I confess our sin and “turn” from them and to Him, our “fallow ground hearts” become soft, pliable, and able to receive the seeds of his Word. Then, He is able to come and rain His righteousness, His pureness, His holiness upon us, His children.

My prayer: Oh, Father, here is my heart; reveal anything that keeps You from raining your righteousness down on me.

Love Your daughter,

Tricia