Breaking the Fallow Ground by Brother Duke Hansen

         There are a couple of places we will be reading from this morning. The first scripture will be in the book of Micah chapter 2 and verse 12. Micah is known as one of the minor prophets in the Old Testament. In the second chapter, Micah was writing about judgement in the first 11 verses. Starting in verse 12, the scriptures are about restoration. In the work of farming, there are grounds which you till, plant and harvest. There are other portions of grounds which are laid out and left alone. These grounds are known as fallow. In our relationship and walk with Jesus, he is not content for a small portion of your life to bear fruit. He wants you to use all the ground to till, plant, and harvest.

        12 I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Boz-rah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make a great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

        When Micah is writing O Jacob, it is reference to Israel. The phrase remnant of Israel is speaking of the Israelites in the end times.

        13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.

        The breaker is alluding to the coming of Jesus. In the flock being broken up and passing through the gate, Jesus speaks about this on his sermon on the mount. You can read that in Matthew chapter 7:12-14. Micah is saying that Jesus is going to provide a way. There's prophecy for Israel, the coming of Jesus, and a message for you and I.

        There are many people who boast about the amount of time they pray in the spirit to God. That's all well and good, but how well can you talk to him in English? You lay out land in farming to rest. Our lives have areas which are fallow. Some of you this morning may be completely unaware of this.

        We are going to the book of Hosea now. We will be reading from chapter 10 at verse 11.

        11 And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loves 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.

        Ephraim and Manasseh were two sons of Joseph whom Jacob had blessed before passing. Why is Ephraim getting the ride? It was carry over of blessings from his father. The phrase Judah shall plow is about the line of the tribe of Judah. In that bloodline you have men like King David all the way up to Jesus. To repeat from earlier, you have places in your life which are fallow. You have to work in breaking that ground up. There is room for growth in breaking up that ground.

        12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is the time to see the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

        The term sow to yourselves is being repented, being within the five fold ministry, and you have 2 or 3 confidants. When Jesus entered Jerusalem during the passover, it was upon a donkey. The Pharisees and Sadducees of his day were the church. They were so far to the right they didn't recognize the messiah who had been prophesied about. Once again, verse 12;

         12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is the time to see the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

        Who is the breaker? Jesus is the breaker, but we are to break up our fallow ground. When you get serious about your relationship with Jesus and seek his face, you are breaking fallow ground. If you sow in the flesh, you reap in the flesh. If you sow in righteousness, you reap in mercy.

        If you don't break up new ground from the fallow, you will only till the grounds you have already worked on. There is no set portion of your life to work upon. You can be limited in growth and you sometimes diminish your growth. God will use your job, your relationships, and your families among other things to facilitate growth. If you stand in him when you are in your trial, you will receive  the victory.

        What does it mean to reap in mercy? One way is in finding forgiveness. You forgive those who have hurt you. Is it easy to break fallow ground? No. It is really hard. Breaking fallow ground takes time, effort, and patience. God wants you to sow into yourself. Sow the word to your children. You cannot reap high strung. You cannot force a reaping before its time. Sow unto yourself. You sow into yourself and often times you are unaware of it.

        When do I stop seeking the Lord? You could ask. Is there a time of rest? You stop when he returns. Hurting for yourself isn't spiritual growth. It's often a selfish move of your flesh. When you hurt for others? That is a sign of true spiritual growth.

        Ask yourself, can I accept a victory? Small moves that run counter and overcoming your flesh is a victory. For example, when you exit a situation that's toxic or you bridle your tongue around others. We are naturally more concerned about ourself and our life rather than concerned for our neighbor. Focusing on individualism as opposed to the community has been baked in to a lot of platforms and theology of churches. This mindset is a hard truth which few of us want to admit let alone act upon. People in church are still too full of the world. You can have been repented and spirit filled, but, if you don't strive to sanctify your life, you are still operating with a carnal mindset. There is no scripture to justify your behavior. God cares about what you care about. We take too much time in prayers for ourself and well being than for others.

        Can you picture in your mind what heaven sees? We all have sown enough through life to reap a whirlwind. Pause to realize the moments where you have grown. See where you had a weakness, and like the apostle Paul, God made that weakness a strength. the Bible states we are to be vessels of unlimited amount of forgiveness, joy, love, and mercy. Tap into that amount and affect change from the inside out. Study more this coming week about fallow ground. Read the book of Hosea. You have the potential to grow and change in your walk. You just need to tap into it.