Hosea declares to us that it’s time to break up our fallow ground. What is fallow ground? It’s ground that has been plowed, but left unseeded during the growing season. It’s ground that is unfruitful and unproductive. It’s not producing anything. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? When we compare the fallow ground principle to the spiritual condition of the church today, it’s very easy for us to see a similarity in the lives of many Christians. How sad to think that many of us are unfruitful and not producing the fruit of righteousness that Jesus requires of us.

Hosea also mentions the fact that it is time (right now) to seek the Lord. He is speaking of a present tense situation. Right now is the time for us to seek the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. Today is the day for a spiritual breakthrough, not tomorrow or next year. Today the Lord is calling us to seek Him. He is calling us to break up our fallow ground and begin to sow the seeds of righteousness in our lives.

How long should we seek the Lord? Is five minutes good enough? What about ten minutes? The Scripture specifically tells us to seek the Lord “till He comes!” We can’t afford to draw back from seeking the Lord just because our flesh gets tired or because we have become despondent and discouraged. We can’t afford to stop pressing in to the fullness of what the Lord has for us. Christianity is a lifetime commitment to fulfill the call of God that is upon our lives. We can no longer allow ourselves to press in only when it feels good to us. We must rebuke that mentality of thinking and press in for all that God has for us.

Many of us fall short of breaking through tough situations and circumstances, because we stop short of the breakthrough. The harder it gets, the more we have a tendency to get discouraged and give up on the whole thing. We cannot allow our flesh to dictate to us any longer. Our spirit man should be dictating to our flesh! Glory to God! It’s our duty to follow the Lord and do His will no matter what it may cost us. As many of us have found out through the years, there is a great price to pay when it comes to following Jesus. Christianity is not all fun and games, but it’s worth every second of labor and travail that we go through.

Isaiah 64:6-7 – “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities.”

Isaiah makes a very strong statement in this Scripture. He is basically saying that sin separates us from God. At this particular time in Isaiah’s writing, he was declaring that no one had been calling upon the name of the Lord. No one had been stirring himself or herself up to take hold of the one who had the power to both deliver and save them. Sounds like a complacent dead church to me. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing, living unrighteous before their Maker.

If we want to see renewal and revival, we must understand that God demands holiness, obedience, and repentance from His people. The righteous are the ones who will receive the blessings of God upon their lives.

We are not always going to be blessed with wonderful church services and powerful preachers. As a matter of fact, we can be sure that there will come a time in all of our lives when Brother Joe will not be available to saturate us with the anointing oil that he just purchased in Jerusalem. I’m sure that we will also find out that Sister Suzy Q will not always be available to pray with us when we call her on the telephone.

The Lord is declaring to us in His word that it’s time for us to stir ourselves up in the things of God. It’s time for us to seek the Lord on our own and press in to all that He has awaiting us. We can’t always depend upon others to give us a quick fix and help us out of difficult situations. Let’s face reality and get a grip on our Christianity. It’s time for us to shake off complacency, pick up the ball, and start running with it.

II Timothy 4:16-18 – “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.”

The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to be forsaken by those who once were his so-called friends. He understood how it felt to have absolutely no one cheering for him or patting him on the back after preaching a great sermon. We must be able to continue in our walk with God no matter what is going on around us. The Lord has promised us that He will never forsake us. He’s a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He’s a mighty fortress of safety and strength, a high tower of refuge from every storm that may come our way. We must learn to run to Jesus when the trials of this life seem to be coming against us from every direction. God is for us, not against us!

Take heart, dear friend. Don’t allow your mind to wander and get off track. It’s time for you to seek the Lord till He comes and rains righteousness upon you. It’s time to reach out and take hold of the Master’s nail scarred hand. Allow Him to pull you up out of that pit of miry clay and set your feet upon a rock. We serve a mighty God! He is able to deliver us and cause us to rise above every circumstance that we may be facing. As we seek Him, He will respond.

PROPHETIC WORD:
I am the Lord God who heals you and brings restoration to you. I am the one who created you and formed you in your mother's womb. I am the one who will direct you and cause you to be fulfilled in this life. I have been speaking to many of you regarding the next phase, the next step of ministry that I have for you. Some of you have drawn back in unbelief. Some of you are not stepping out, because you are allowing fear to guide your life instead of allowing My Spirit to prevail. It's not My will for you to fear what I have called you to do. It's not My will for you to draw back in unbelief and not walk in what I have called you to do. Will I not take care of you? Will I not provide all that you need? Is it not I who will send you and equip you for the work that I have called you to? Why do you allow fear to rob you of the blessings that lie ahead? Why do you allow the enemy to lie to you regarding your future? Listen to Me, saith the Lord. Obey what I have spoken to you, for My word is a sure word. Don't allow the enemy to rob you of a blessing. Some of you are saying, "O but Lord, how can I do this? I have so many other responsibilities. How can I do this? I don't have the ability to do what you have asked of me." When I call, I equip, saith the Lord. When I send, I prepare ahead of time. Trust Me and lay hold of Me, saith the Lord. I will take care of the rest. Trust Me and be obedient to what I am speaking to you now. I will take care of you. I will see to it that you will be blessed as you step out and obey My commands.