BREAKING THE BARRENNES

Dr Ron Wesson "Break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12 KJV). During a general election in Australia, the whole country was swamped with posters reading, "IT IS TIME" (for a change in government). Hosea, from a weeping heart also says, "It is Time" - time for a change in the heart of Israel. In verse 1 he makes the statement: "Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself." There was a hard, selfish, stony heart at the centre of God's people. The same nation that had been delivered from Egypt and had possessed Canaan, had now lost its fruitfulness and was lying fallow. Outwardly Israel was in possession of Canaan, but inwardly "Canaan" was in possession of Israel. THE CONDITION OF THE HARD HEART Fallow ground is ground that has been overworked. It has lost its fertility through too much giving out and too little taking in. The weeds and grass had taken over and two things resulted: 1. Nothing could be received any longer Good seed falling onto unprepared soil would be either choked by weeds, or be unable to pene-trate the surface of the soil. Today too, many of those who were once God's choice servants, find they can no longer take in God's Word; can no longer sit with pencil in hand eager for some word from the Lord; can no longer remain attentive to a preacher, can no longer meditate in the very presence and in harmony with the Lord. The preaching and working goes on, but there is a rest-lessness in the soul. The heart is becoming fallow, and fallow ground is hard ground! 2. Nothing could be reaped any longer The fruit of the harvest was weeds, thorns, thistles and the dust of barrenness. The few stray ears of wheat hidden among the tangle of desolation, drop their seeds to rot in the wilderness. Once a fruitful land, but now fallow. Many Christians too become prickly and choked up with cares and idols - the fruit is gone (Galatians 5:22,23) and the harvest is missing (John 4:35-38). What must God do with such a heart? Paul's great fear was, "Lest… when I have preached to others, I myself should be cast away" (1 Corinthians 9:27). Jesus said: "Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away" (John 15:2). When the fruit of the Spirit is gone and the ground produces no longer, it must be disposed of. THE CAUSE OF THE HARD HEART The question of the fallow heart is vital. A "fallow heart" does not usually display "great" sins. The "boulders" of drunkenness, open adultery, murder, etc. were removed when the land was cleared. Fallowness creeps in slowly and evidences itself in three areas: 1. Hardness in the Area of the Heart Symptoms of hardness are not always seen outwardly. The first love is gone (Revelation 2:4): revealing itself in ingratitude for God's abounding mercies, and a complaining in the face of difficulties. The Spirit of God may have been grieved (Ephesians 4:30-32) by envy towards another; by bitterness towards a brother or sister; by evil talking through criticism (what we call "sharing"!); by continually joking and clamouring for attention; by an evil spirit of temper and malice. The world may also have crept in until you find yourself spending more time with the TV than in prayer (1 John 2:15-17). 2. Hardness in the Area of the Home Hardness in things involving our family life. When Daniel knew king Darius had signed the decree against prayer, Daniel still "went into his house…and kneeled upon his knees…and prayed" (Daniel 6:10). Do you still pray in the secret closet, in the home, and at the table? Do your children know you as a kneeling parent? Jesus said of the Church: "While the Bridegroom tarried they all slumbered and slept" (Matthew 25:5). Linked with prayer is the feeding on the Word. Murray McCheyne used to spend his whole morning alone with God. Many may have called him idle at first, but the land bore abundant fruit. So many of the Lord's workers need more of the fertilizer of God's Word and their family need it also. Without prayer and the Word, hardness comes into the home between husband and wife, brother and sister, children and parents, ser-vants and masters (Ephesians 5:18; 6:4). Is your home a battle-ground or fertile soil? 3. Hardness in the House of God Paul says: "Bear ye one another's burdens" (Galatians 6:2), and "weep with them that weep" (Romans 12:15). We need to go further than a courtesy card or a casual visit in our churches today. We need to LOVE! Love for the house of God and regular, faithful attendance are missing, so too is confessing of our faults to each other (James 5:16). Fasting and tithing have somehow become associated with the fanatical, but praise God for the blessings they bring to those who practice them (Malachi 3:10). Have you noticed any of these signs of fallowness in your life? Then it is time for: THE CONSECRATION OF THE HARD HEART! Now is the time to get back to the Lord. Years of service will not give you a soft heart, neither will many religious works. Jesus said to the churches in Revelation 2:3, "Repent!" Get back to the Cross; begin again - forget all your achievements, all your spiritual background, all your failures that have hardened your heart. Let the Blood flow again for you. Say, "Lord, have mercy on me. Give me a heart that can bleed again." A heart takes time to get hard and it takes time to be broken. Just as the farmer needs time to plough, set yourself time to bring your heart under the plough. 1. Repent deeply Go over the ground of your life, remove the weeds and stones and then let the plough go deep. Dwell on the hardness of your heart until you are broken down to the depths of your being. The text says, "Break up" - this is an instruction, a command, for you. Many people ask me to pray that God will deliver them from certain sins but God wants them to "break up" the fallow ground. Take time to discover what is wrong in your life. Don't expect God to break up your ground - you must do it! Take a good look at the fallowness of your life and do not stop seeking until you are under deep con-viction of sin (1 John 1:8). 2. Confess fully The text says: "Seek the Lord." It is not enough just to respond at a meeting. In prayer, confess your sins by name, going over them one by one (1 John 1:9). Open your life fully to the cleansing of His Blood and the sweet influence of His Holy Spirit. If you are thorough, the ground will become soft, receptive and productive; and the promise at the end of the text will apply to you. Don't stop seeking until you find! "Break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord till He come and rain righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12).