Breaking Up Fallow Ground – What needs to changed in life – for God to be able to move.

Breaking Up Fallow Ground –
Pastor Calvin Cook
September 19, 2025
Scripture focus – Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

I was having a conversation with a trusted friend recently in regard to revival, renewal, revitalization of the church, our communities, business, our lives, our families and so many other areas that seems where many peoples prayers and energy is now being focused on. The friend made a couple of points that have been resonating with me, that have caused some additional prayer and thinking through.
It comes down to a resounding confirmation that all that we do is to be kingdom building, and certainly for God’s glory. We then experience that in a blessed life as an overflow of everything that God is doing.

While traveling more than normal in recent days, I have had an opportunity to think and focus on these things. Yesterday some ideas and thoughts were made clear to me, just through observation. So here they go —-

First observation – Yesterday, Gail had an appointment at the Eye Institute in Pittsburgh. It was just a normal routine check up for her eye situation. The report and visit were good, for which I give thanks. But while waiting for Gail in the waiting room for a couple of hours, I couldn’t help but see and hear the many eye ailments that various people are experiencing. While trying to pray for each person, I couldn’t help but think and hear the Holy Spirit speak and ask : Are we seeing clearly God’s vision and plan for us because our spiritual vision is being blocked by some ailment in our life. These ailments could be called sin, distraction, complacency, and so many other things which distort our view of God and what God wants to do.

Second observation – My thoughts continue to focus on this as I observe people, their opinions, attitudes, a spirit of disunity that exist and how all of this has affected our lives whether we want to admit it or not – it has caused me to ask – what have we become, even us who claim God’s power and love.

In my nighttime prayer and scripture reading, last evening I was drawn to book of Hosea in the Old Testament. The verses from Hosea 10:12-15 really spoke to my heart and I am thankful for my eyes and heart to have received these very special words as a reminder —
Hosea 10:12-15 Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love,and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.13 But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,14 the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated— as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children. 15 So will it happen to you, Bethel, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed. (NIV)

The Holy Spirit is speaking something into my life here and hopefully into yours. One thing is that our lives always produce fruit. The question is: what kind? If I sow according to my own ways, I will reap from the same kinds of seeds I have sown. So, if I reap emptiness, injustice, anger, self conceitedness, I will reap the same things. I have been around the farm (metaphorically speaking) that I know you can’t change the product of the seed.

Here in Hosea, Israel was planning in their own strength, their own ways, developing their own plans and focusing on their own “fortresses”. In our life we have become much the same way in our actions. We develop our own plans, our own actions, our own schemes, and so the seeds planted, have produced more of the same, and we are not experiencing the change we are praying for. Is this why we are in the shape we are in?

I confess that this has happened in my own life more than once. There are certain areas where I am now seeking to pull out the weeds and failures that have sprung up and replace it with new seed, for transformation not only for myself but for others.
God’s call through Hosea is clear yet today: it is time to seek Him. Not later. Not when life is easier. Not when I feel more spiritual. Now! Today ! He wants to shower righteousness on me, but first, I must let Him plow deep into the hardened, fallow places of my heart and plant something new !

The warnings in verses 13-15 remind me that ignoring God’s call has consequences. We don’t like that word do we? But the truth is if we ( all of us) continue sowing to sin or self-centeredness, we shouldn’t be surprised when the harvest is brokenness. But the invitation of verse 12 is still open – there is another way.

To sow righteousness is to let God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit shape my choices. To reap love will be to understand God’s mercy. To break up the fallow ground in our life is to break up and stop resisting Him and allow His Spirit to till, break up, plow through the hidden places in our lives.

The question for today is: Am I sowing for myself, or am I surrendering to God’s planting? Am I trusting in my own “warriors” or am I seeking the Lord so that I fully understand His plan and His will and what His Kingdom must be like and all about.

I look forward to your response.