ANCHOR SCRIPTURE – HOSEA 10:12 – Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURES – PSALM 1:3 – And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper
JEREMIAH 29: 13 – You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
DANIEL 3:17-18 – If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.ISAIAH 6:1-5 – In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.
Many people wonder, perhaps, you too: How can I bear fruit in a fallow land? Is it possible, even, to do so? It was said in the previous article of the possibility of bearing fruit in every season (Psalm 1:3) with the Noni tree as an example.
This week, I will be diving into one of the most important steps to breaking your fallow ground to bear fruit.
Seeking the Lord.
To reach a set goal, you must take the necessary steps. For example, I’d recommend the gym and a clean diet if you want to lose weight. If you want to become a lawyer, go to law school. If you want to be an NBA player, practice and hone in on your craft every day, and if you want to seek the Lord, seek the Lord with all your heart and you will find him, according to Jeremiah 29:13.
Usually, when we are told to seek the Lord, we are either persuaded or enticed by what God can give us when we seek Him. We hear testimonies of people seeking God, praying for 21 days, fasting for 30 days, and getting their dream job, the big promotion, the marriage, a baby, or whatever it is that they desire—and they get it.
Yes, God is indeed good and the blessings of the Lord maketh rich and addeth no sorrow, however, we should not serve God for his riches. Rather, let’s seek the Lord like the three Hebrew boys who boldly refused to bow to the golden image set up by King Nebucadennezar. This begs the question to you: Are you willing to serve God even if He does not rescue you or give you the desire of your heart, especially when you know He is able? Are you serving God for what you can receive from him? Or are you serving God because of who He is?
Seeking the Lord does not only deliver you from evil; it means He can prune you and refine your character by revealing Himself in a different dimension. In this process, you become more like him. You love what he loves and hate what he hates.
When Isaiah saw the Lord, he was immediately aware of the Holiness of God. No one had to tell him he was unclean. He sawin a way he had never seen before. His immediate reaction was someone deserving of judgment. He said, “Woe is me I am a man of unclean lips dwelling with unclean people”. Isaiah’s encounter gave him a better understanding of God’s mercy and fostered a deeper level of intimacy and reverence for Him.
Today, take a minute to reflect on your intentions. Ask the Lord to search your heart if there is any wicked way in it. Pray to the Lord to renew your heart and give you a heart that truly wants to honor and serve him. When you seek God, He pours his rain of righteousness on your fallow land, and you bear the fruits of transformational encounters.
- Thoughts of God.