Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

Break Up the Fallow Ground

Listen to the words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 16:24, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

These are foreign words in this hour in which we live. Today's message is, "Let us exalt ourselves. Let us indulge ourselves." We are living in one of the most selfish periods of time that's ever been experienced in all of the history of mankind. Man has always been as selfish as we are today, but never had the opportunity as we do in this nation and in this generation to indulge ourselves. Yet we are called to a cross, and we are called to deny ourselves. If you had to analyze your life today, would you say that you are denying yourself more or less? Would you say that there is a concerted effort, and not only a concerted effort but a biblical process set in place? We are not talking about asceticism, but we are talking about self-denial, crucifying the flesh and renewing the mind. We are talking about walking in the Spirit so we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh. What are we doing to enable ourselves to walk more in the Spirit? Are we walking in the power of God which allows us to overcome what's in everyone of us, the sin in our members and the pride in our self man? Are we embracing the humility of Jesus and the cross to become the greatest among us by being the servant of all?

Our Father is calling us into this type of a relationship and yet what really concerns me is that many of us have become like Samson. We can see the indulgence and the overconfidence in self that Samson had. Many of us think, "I'm not where I should be spiritually. I know what the doctrine says and I know the hour we're living in. But all I need to do, like I've done before, is just shake myself. The Spirit will come on me and everything will be okay again."

But Jesus says in Luke 21:34, "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." No person, no thing, no demon and no doctrine can seduce us or pluck us from our Father's hand, but we can casually stroll away. There's no force on earth that can take us from the Father's hand, but we can just casually stroll away. We've talked about the Lord's statement, how sad it is in Gethsemane: "Sleep on, sleep on." Jesus says to us, "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life. I want you to be concerned. You say you believe in the Word of God. You embrace the Word of God as alive and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. But this Word is of no effect without the right soil. This seed produces nothing on anything other than the good ground."

Our hearts must be good ground. Break up the fallow ground; it's time to seek the Lord. And He will come and rain righteousness upon us. We need to break up the fallow ground. We've been plowed through here by the Holy Ghost. The Word of God has come and refreshed us, anointed us, delivered us, healed us and redeemed us. We've been crusted over in many areas and it's time to break up the fallow ground. It's time to look around, find the crusted over soil and say, "It's not remaining that way as long as I have a plow in my hand praise God!"

You know what that plow is? Sometimes it's the javelin of a Phineaus. Sometimes it's the reproof and the smiting of a friend. Sometimes it's a word spoken in season. It depends upon the condition of the heart. But the spirit and doctrine of self, self-indulgence and self-exaltation will be dealt with and destroyed. It is so natural to man. Tragically we've had parents who have indoctrinated it into their children by telling them they are special, great and something exceptional. This spirit is a very difficult thing because it is not a heinous sin like drunkenness, or reveling, or drugs. But you are depraved and nothing but the grace of God can deliver you. There is no special dispensation for any individual. We all must daily deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Him.

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