DAY 13 : Breaking Up the Fallow Ground - Part 2
By Charles Finney
Charles Finney, one of the greatest revivalists of our nation’s history, lived during the time of the 2nd Great Awakening. In one year, 100,000 came to Christ through his ministry, while 500,000 came to Christ during the revival. Much of the success of the revival was due to Finney’s thorough and uncompromising approach to repentance.
“Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness upon you.”
- Hosea 10:12
DEVOTIONAL
We cannot by willing, or by direct volition, call forth religious feelings. We might as well think to call spirits up from the deep. They are purely involuntary states of mind. They naturally and necessarily exist in the mind under certain circumstances calculated to excite them.
But they can be controlled indirectly. Otherwise there would be no moral character in our feelings, if there were not a way to control them. We cannot say, "Now I will feel so and so towards such an object." But we can command our attention to it, and look at it intently, till the involuntary affections arise.
Let a man who is away from his family, bring them up before his mind, and will he not feel? But it is not by saying to himself, "Now I will feel deeply for my family." A man can direct his attention to any object, about which he ought to feel and wishes to feel, and in that way he will call into existence the proper emotions. Let a man call up his enemy before his mind, and his feelings of enmity will rise.
So if a man thinks of God, and fastens his mind on any parts of God's character, he will feel--emotions will come up, by the very laws of mind. If he is a friend of God, let him contemplate God as a gracious and holy being, and he will have emotions of friendship kindled up in his mind. If he is an enemy of God, only let him get the true character of God before his mind, and look at it, and fasten his attention on it, and his enmity will rise against God, or he will break down and give his heart to God.
If you wish to break up the fallow ground of your hearts, and make your minds feel on the subject of religion, you must go to work just as you would to feel on any other subject. Instead of keeping your thoughts on every thing else, and then imagine that by going to a few meetings you will get your feelings enlisted, go the common sense way to work, as you would on any other subject.
It is just as easy to make your minds feel on the subject of religion as it is on any other subject. God has put these states of mind under your control. If people were as unphilosophical about moving their limbs, as they are about regulating their emotions, you would never have got here to meeting to-night.
How is Fallow Ground to be Broken Up?
Now you must draw off your attention from other things, and look into this...Do not be in a hurry. Examine thoroughly the state of your hearts, and see where you are--whether you are walking with God every day, or walking with the devil--whether you are serving God or serving the devil most--whether you are under the dominion of the prince of darkness, or the Lord Jesus Christ.
PRAYER RESPONSE:
(Disclaimer: Some of what Charles Finney shares may seem blunt or initially offensive to our modern sensibilities. However, if we will maintain an open and humble heart, the Lord can use it to bring great freedom and breakthrough in our lives! Just as the Word of God can be piercing and sharp, just as He cuts deep [at times] in order to heal us, let's allow these points of repentance to cut deep - and to surrender what He brings to mind.
Remember on many occasions, Jesus was very direct and blunt in His words - but they all flowed from the truth, out of love and an invitation to restoration! Pray for the grace and desire to see the whole truth, and to remain unoffendable personally.)
Self-examination consists in looking at your lives, in considering your actions, in calling up the past, and learning its true character. Look back over your past history. Take up your individual sins one by one, and look at them... It will be a good thing to take a pen and paper, as you go over them, and write them down as they occur to you.
General confessions of sin will never do. Your sins were committed one by one; and as far as you can come at them, they ought to be reviewed and repented of one by one.
2. WANT OF LOVE TO GOD
Write that down, and go over all the instances you can remember, when you did not give to the blessed God that hearty love which you ought.
Think how grieved and alarmed you would be, if you discovered any flagging of affection for you in your wife, husband, or children; if you saw somebody else engrossing their hearts, and thoughts, and time. Perhaps, in such a case, you would well nigh die with a just and virtuous jealousy.
Now, God styles himself a jealous God; and have you not given your heart to other loves: played the harlot, and infinitely offended him?
3. NEGLECT OF THE BIBLE
Put down the cases, when for days, and perhaps for weeks--yea, it may be, even for months together, you had no pleasure in God's word. Perhaps you did not read a chapter, or if you read it, it was in a way that was still more displeasing to God.
Many people read over a whole chapter in such a way, that if they were put under oath when they have done, they could not tell what they have been reading. With so little attention do they read, that they cannot remember where they have read from morning till evening...
And do you pay so little regard to it as not to remember what you read? If so, no wonder that you live so at random, and that your religion is (failing within you).
4. UNBELIEF
Instances in which you have virtually charged the God of truth with lying, by your unbelief of his express promises and declarations. God has promised to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Now, have you believed this? Have you expected him to answer?
Have you not virtually said in your hearts, when you prayed for the Holy Spirit, "I do not believe that I shall receive it?" If you have not believed nor expected you should receive the blessing, which God has expressly promised, you have charged him with lying.
5. NEGLECT OF PRAYER
Times when you omitted secret prayer, family prayer, and prayer meetings, or have prayed in such a way as more grievously to offend God, than to have neglected it altogether.
(Take a pen and paper [or phone] and write down the things the Lord brings to mind. We will continue to add to this, in the coming daily times of repentance.)
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