Breaking Up Your Fallow Ground 2
(week 49/08)
Olubi Johnson
In our article last week we saw that we ‘break up our fallow ground’ by deep praying in the spirit with travail or groanings as a regular daily habit.
This week we will see more about this:
Now this type of deep praying provides as it were ‘underground irrigation’ for our souls causing the ‘wilderness’ and the ‘deserts’ of our souls to become fruitful ground:
Psalms 42:7 LITV Deep calls to deep through the voice of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and Your billows have passed over me.
Isaiah 35:1-2 ESV The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; (2) it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
Isaiah 35:6-7 ESV … For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; (7) the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water;
Isaiah 43:19 ESV Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
It is instructive to observe that the Lord Jesus Himself prayed in this manner with deep, strong, groaning or crying as a daily habit when He was on the earth and this is how he grew in wisdom and stature into full maturity:
Hebrews 5:7 MKJV For Jesus, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryings and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared,
Luke 2:40, 52 MKJV And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was on Him. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Finally it is instructive to observe that the problems in the different kinds of ground described by the Lord Jesus in the parable of the sower are solved by deep, strong, intercession of the Spirit:
- The wayside heart (Mt.13.19) is given understanding and light so that the devil does not steal away the Word that is sown in his heart.
- The stony heart is strengthened with divine determination as the Holy Spirit strengthens the will to ‘will and do of God’s good pleasure’ (Phil. 2.13) in the face of the tribulations and afflictions that arise for the Word’s sake (Mk.4.16-17).
- The thorny heart overcomes the thorns by the power of the Spirit that brings discipline into the heart causing all things to work together for our good (Rm.8.28) so that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things do not choke the Word (Mk.4.17).
- The good ground becomes more and more fruitful by the diligence brought into the soul by the Holy Spirit, so the heart brings forth progressively overtime, 30-, 60- and 100-fold fruit (Mk.4.20).
See our book ‘A Practical Guide to prayer’ for details on how to pray in this manner regularly.
Ultimately we are to aim at praying with all types of prayer in Spirit for 2 and a half hours (a tithe of your time) as a daily habit: one hour for Christ to be formed in your soul to become more conformed to the image of Jesus personally; one hour to pray, once in a week, about other areas of your life like your wife, children, protection, prosperity, spiritual service, vocation or business etc.
Use about 15-30mins to pray to keep in and ultimately perfect the love of God in your life (see our book ‘Daily guide to keeping in the love of God’ for details).
Now at first it will be difficult to do all of this, so start small (Mk. 4.31) with the 15-30 minutes prayer. Then practice praying in the spirit for one hour: now you may do not more than 15 or 20 minutes properly to begin with but do not be discouraged: continue and God’s grace on your life will increase in this regard.
At the end of the first year you should be making one hour daily as a habit; at the end of the 2nd year 2 hours; at the end of the 3rd year 2.5-3 hours as a daily habit in addition to weekly and monthly prayers in cooperate group prayers.
As we do this we will break up our ‘fallow ground’ and come into the experience of cleansing perfection and start operating under ‘open heavens’!
