Day 4 Break up the Fallow Ground

 

1/4/2025

"Now, therefore," says the Lord, "Turn to Me with all 

your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning."

Joel 2:12

 

This year as I meditate on the area of change I would like to focus on in my life personally, and in considering my role as an intercessor as we seek the Lord corporately, the need for repentance is always at the forefront. Each year ICEJ, as well as other church ministries, joins together at the first of the year in corporate fasting, seeking the direction God would have us go personally and as a ministry. Today marked our 820th day of daily global prayer meetings, and the time has been enriching for me on a personal and spiritual level. I know that this sentiment is felt by everyone attending. We have become a family, and although the attendees, such as myself, who are not "seen," do not participate in the prayers formally, nonetheless, we are engaged on our own in bringing the needs before the Lord. Today Rick Ridings from Succat Hallel, shared with us about the focus of our prayer. He explained it as a time of re-birthing for Israel, as well as our nations. Before planting and building, he said there must be a time of uprooting, and we can see this so clearly in Israel as well as in our individual countries. The prophet Hosea in calling Israel back from sin to repentance prophesied: "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" (Hosea 10:12). Hosea cries out to Israel, who "have plowed wickedness" and who have "eaten the fruit of lies," to return to the LORD in repentance. And this is our cry today for Israel and for the nations of the world. 

This is a time when the church must arise and shine! Paul, when addressing the philosophers at Athens says, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Acts 17:30-31). These are bold words, and we need to take them to heart as they are prophetic in nature. If we look around at the things that are happening in our world today. I am so sick of the enemy having the upper hand in the lives of professing followers of Christ. In Virginia the elections changed the course of our State. God had given us grace and mercy, but because of the veil over the eyes of the people, especially the church, our children, for one, are no longer being protected. It is my understanding that many Christians did not vote, and this apathy needs to stop, because we have been given the freedom to choose godly, moral leadership by our founding fathers. This is a privilege and a right. Why do we throw it away? God is the one who established government, and He placed it on the shoulders of Jesus who delegated responsibility to the church, but we are failing. We have elected a man to a high State government position who fantasized of killing another man, in a position of authority, and his children according to a local newspaper article and the media all over the nation. This alone leads me to repent on behalf of our State, because I simply do not understand why people hate righteous leaders who are trying to make our cities safe, assist our citizens honorably, and safeguard our children, standing for the sanctity of human life. I don't understand the moral depravity of our State, our nation, or our world. 

Each day I examine my heart, because I desire to live a godly lifestyle and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to all who will listen. It is my prayer that all who read this blog will enter into a personal time of self-examination, breaking up the fallow ground in your life, putting aside the things of this world, and running after Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Following the example of Daniel in prayer in Daniel 9, humbly approach the throne of grace and ask God for mercy to triumph over judgment. Daniel was a righteous man, but he included himself in this prayer, and that is the way of repentance, of intercession. Romans 12:3 says: "And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you; Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking,..." God is calling us to stop pointing our fingers at others, criticizing, slandering others and gossiping. He is calling us to repentance.