DAY 16 : Breaking Up the Fallow Ground - Part 5

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

It will do no good to preach to you while your hearts are in this hardened, and waste, and fallow state.  The farmer might just as well sow his grain on the rock.  It will bring forth no fruit.  This is the reason why there are so many fruitless professors (professing believers) in the church, and why there is so much outside machinery, and so little deep-toned feeling in the church.  Look at the Sabbath-school for instance, and see how much machinery there is, and how little of the power of godliness.  If you go on in this way, the word of God will continue to harden you, and you will grow worse and worse, just as the rain and snow on an old fallow field makes the turf thicker, and the clods stronger.

See why so much preaching is wasted, and worse than wasted.  It is because the church will not break up their fallow ground.  A preacher may wear out his life, and do very little good, while there are so many stony-ground hearers, who have never had their fallow ground broken up.  They are only half converted, and their religion is rather a change of opinion than a change of the feeling of their hearts.  There is mechanical religion enough, but very little that looks like deep heart-work.

Professors of religion should never satisfy themselves, or expect a revival, just by starting out of their slumbers, and blustering about, and making a noise, and talking to sinners.  They must get their fallow ground broken up.  It is utterly unphilosophical to think of getting engaged in religion in this way.  If your fallow ground is broken up, then the way to get more feeling, is to go out and see sinners on the road to hell, and talk to them, and guide inquiring souls, and you will get more feeling.  You may get into an excitement without this breaking up; you may show a kind of zeal, but it will not last long, and it will not take hold of sinners, unless your hearts are broken up.  The reason is, that you go about it mechanically, and have not broken up your fallow ground.

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!   

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. 

SINS OF COMMISSION

1. WORLDLY-MINDEDNESS

What has been the state of your heart in regard to your worldly possessions?  Have you looked at them as really yours -- as if you had a right to dispose of them as your own, according to your own will?  If you have, write that down.  If you have loved property, and sought after it for its own sake, or to gratify lust or ambition, or a worldly spirit, or to lay it up for your families, you have sinned, and must repent.

2. PRIDE

Recollect all the instances you can, in which you have detected yourself in the exercise of pride.  Vanity is a particular form of pride.  How many times have you detected yourself in consulting vanity, about your dress and appearance?  How many times have you thought more, and taken more pains, and spent more time, about decorating your body to go to church, than you have about preparing your mind for the worship of God?

You have gone to the house of God caring more how you appear outwardly in the sight of mortal men, than how your soul appears in the sight of the heart-searching God.  You have in fact set up yourself to be worshipped by them, rather than prepared to worship God yourself.  You came to divide the worship of God's house, to draw off the attention of God's people to look at your pretty appearance.  It is in vain to pretend now, that you don't care any thing about having people look at you.  Be honest about it.  Would you take all this pains about your looks if every body was blind?

3. ENVY

Look at the cases in which you were envious at those who you thought were above you in any respect.  Or perhaps you have envied those who have been more talented or more useful than yourself.  Have you not so envied some, that you have been pained to hear them praised?  It has been more agreeable to you to dwell upon their faults, than upon their virtues, upon their failures, than upon their success.  Be honest with yourself, and if you have harbored this spirit of hell, repent deeply before God, or he will never forgive you.

4. CENSORIOUSNESS

Instances in which you have had a bitter spirit, and spoken of Christians in a manner entirely devoid of charity and love -- charity, which requires you always to hope the best the case will admit, and to put the best construction upon any ambiguous conduct.

5. SLANDER

The times you have spoken behind people's backs of their faults, real or supposed, of members of the church or others, unnecessarily or without good reason.  This is slander.  You need not lie to be guilty of slander; -- to tell the truth with the design to injure, is slander.

6. LEVITY

How often have you trifled before God, as you would not have dared to trifle in the presence of an earthly sovereign?  You have either been an Atheist, and forgotten that there was a God, or have had less respect for him, and his presence, than you would have had for an earthly judge.  


(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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