Breaking Up the Fallow Ground of Your Heart

In “Breaking Up the Fallow Ground of Your Heart,” see how sowing seeds that bear lasting fruit requires breaking up unplowed ground, removing spiritual distractions, and investing your life where God’s purposes can truly grow.

“Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the Lord; remove the foreskins of your hearts … lest my wrath go forth like fire … because of the evil of your deeds” (Jeremiah 4:3–4).

The people of Judah had drifted away from God and embraced idolatry, choosing to walk in evil ways. How were they to recover? God told them, “Break up your fallow ground.”

This fallow, or unplowed, ground symbolized things in their lives that were fruitless, where nothing productive was growing. They had been sowing seeds but in the wrong places: “among thorns.” These thorns were thoughts, activities, and actions that choked the life out of their seeds and prevented them from developing and bearing fruit.

God’s promises about seedtime and harvest were still true: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest … shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). But the presence of thorns prevented the full development of these seeds; they simply would not grow.

God has given each of us many kinds of seeds: seeds of our time, talents, and treasures. Just as the farmer reaps a harvest by sowing his seeds, we reap a spiritual harvest by sowing our seeds. But our lives can be robbed of God’s blessings if we sow our seeds in the wrong places.

Think about where you are sowing your seeds. Where are you investing your time, energy, and resources? Are you spending time with the wrong people or pursuing the wrong goals? Ask God to help you break up any unplowed ground and sow your seed where it can’t be choked out. Seek to bear fruit for His Kingdom.

Reflection Question: Where am I sowing seeds that cannot grow?