BREAKING UP YOUR FALLOW GROUND: DR. MENSAH OTABIL,12TH JULY, 2020

ONLINE SUNDAY SERVICE MESSAGE BY Dr. MENSAL OTABIL (GENERAL OVERSEER INTERNATIONAL CENTRAL GOSPEL CHURCH (ICGC) ACCRA, GHANA)

TEXT: JEREMIAH 4:3

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!!

Let’s rise together – wherever you are at home or reading on the Label of DMC –

And let’s make our DECLARATIONS OF EXCELLENCE together, in this Year of Excellence. Are you READY? SAY WITH ME:

Out of Zion, the Perfection of Beauty, God shines forth. The Lord my God causes the Righteous to shine forth as the Sun.

His Awesome Hands has formed me; His Creative Spirit inspires my mind. He Skillfully guides my hands.

Therefore, I boldly declare: I am set apart for Excellence. The Ruler of the Universe has exalted my horn among the Nations. He sets my feet on high! In His Strength, I rise!

By Faith, I Press forward towards the Prize of my Highest Calling.

I believe in my heart, and confess with my mouth: that Jesus is Lord! He is the Vine, I am the Branch; in Him I abide, in Him I Blossom.

As it is written: God, who commanded Light out of darkness, has Shone His Light in our hearts.

We have His Treasure in Earthen Vessels. That the Excellence of the Power may be of God, and not of us!

In this Year, I commit to EXCELLENCE, I commit to EXCEPTIONALISM, I commit to do the EXTRAORDINARY.

In Jesus’ Name – Amen and Amen and Amen and Amen.

… And you may be seated in the Presence of the Lord wherever you are, even as you read now on the Label of DMC!

It’s a great Joy to have this time of Fellowship with you! We serve an Excellent God, Who is Perfect n all His ways.

God is always on time, and He never misses a bit: He is always with us in every situations.

And we believe that in this “Unusual Circumstances”, His Grace still abounds towards us.

Last week, I Preached a Message on: IT IS RAINING. And I believe it is RAINING already!

Today, my Message is Titled: “BREAK UP THAT FALLOW GROUND. “

You may wonder: Where does that Title come from? – Jeremiah 4:3(NKJV)

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.”

Although the Passage is mentioning men of Judah and Jerusalem; men there is a Generic term – that also includes women.

… And it speaks to us today, as well:

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem (to Ghana/Nigeria/Africa/the world): “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.”

This is Part of the Message that God gave to Prophet Jeremiah to speak to Judah of before they went into captivity.

And the Message uses a Farming Metaphor – relating to how to Prepare the land to be Fruitful.

If you know a little bit of Farming, or you studied Agricultural Science somewhere in your Education, you would have known about “Fallow Ground” and what it means.

So God used this metaphor to speak to Judah, and He was asking them to Prepare their hearts so that the Word of God would drop into it and that they would repent, so that they can face the future better.

So, the “FALLOW GROUND” that Jeremiah was speaking about was the “Hardened Heart”_of the People of Judah.

It is similar to the Parable of the Sower that Jesus Christ spoke about: About the hardened heart by the wayside that is not able to receive the SEED of Word of God.

Today, I am applying this Text and this same Message that God gave to Jerusalem in a different situation – To our situations now, to our lives now, and to the things that God wants us to open up to.

So, although in the Passage Jeremiah was speaking about the heart of the people; I am applying this Message to our situations (in a larger sense) not just our hearts.

So let’s read that Text again from Jeremiah 4:3:

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.”

In the Passage, there are TWO (2) CONDITIONS AND TWO (2) ACTIONS:

1. The first (1st) one is the Condition that the Bible describes as “FALLOW GROUND.”

That Phrase: “Fallow Ground” simply means Ground that has not been Ploughed; the Ground that is Unfruitful, Ground that has not been Cultivated.

… The land that has remained unexplored, uncultivated for a very long time!

Usually, a “Fallow Ground” is HARD and it is dry – Especially in the terrain that Jeremiah operated with (Which is in the Middle East).

It would be a Hard Ground – A Fallow Ground is always a Hard Ground and it is dry.

A “Fallow Ground” can be land that has never been Ploughed before, or a land that has been left to Fallow after it had been Ploughed earlier; so that it can regain its Natural Fertility.

… That is a Fallow Ground!

2. The Second (2nd) thing you would note is “THORNS’ – in the Passage.

It says: “Break up your Fallow Ground, And do not sow among THORNS.”

THORNS there, talks about Hostility or Unfriendly Atmosphere.

When the land lies Fallow for a long time, it grows things on its own accord.

In our Part of the world, when the land lies fallow for a very long time, it will grow WEEDS all over;

And in the word of Jeremiah, when the land lies fallow for a long time, it doesn’t just grow weeds; it grows THORNS.

And thorns are Piercing; they are Hostile and they are Painful.

And so, frequently in the Bible, you will find out that God uses thorns as something that frustrates Productivity.

So, Jeremiah says to us: BREAK UP your Fallow Ground – the DRY land, the uncultivated land; And do not sow among THORNS.

So, How do we DEAL with the FALLOW GROUND?

And He tells us what to do – He says: BREAK IT UP!

What does it mean to BREAK IT UP?

It means to dig the land up and to make it open – Dig up and make open for cultivation.

In the days of Jeremiah, they broke the land by Ploughing the land. And they Ploughed the land using oxen and metal.

If the land is hard and you are going to break it, you have to use something harder than the land to break it.

… So he says: Break up your Fallow Ground.

It means that you are going to Plough the land, you are going to break the surface of the land – so that it can receive the SEED that you are about to sow.

So, breaking the Fallow Ground is critical – It is the key to Breakthrough.

Every Breakthrough in Science, in Business or in Ministry requires breaking a Fallow Ground.

Until you break a Fallow Ground, you are going to stay where you are: in dryness, in limitation and in a hard Place.

Also Read: Our Christian Hope – Dr Mensal Otabil

If you want to make a Progress forward, YOU HAVE TO BREAK A FALLOW GROUND.

It is only when you break a Fallow Ground that you can Sow!

When a Ground is not broken, the seeds we Sow would be like: Sowing among Thorns.”

So, note this that the verse is structured: There is a Pronoun – Break up ‘YOUR’ fallow ground,

So, what Jeremiah says is “YOUR”.

… So say: IT IS MINE.

So, each one of us has a Fallow Ground we must break!

And until we BREAK that land, there will be no SOWING; and until there is Sowing, there will be no GERMINATION; and until there is Germination, there will be no FRUITFULNESS.

… The hindrance to our Fruitfulness is the Fallow Ground!

So Jeremiah says: “Break up the Fallow Ground!

And today, I believed God is speaking to each of us and telling us: “It is time to BREAK the Fallow Ground.”

Each one of us has it!

For me, my Fallow Ground would be in the area of Ministry – New area of Ministry I need to Ventured into.

So, what is your Fallow Ground?

Is there New Field that God wants you to Break into?

Is there a New Strength that God wants to build in you?

Is there a New Relationship that God wants you to develop?

When God brings you to a Fallow Ground, you have to BREAK IT.

And I am using this metaphor of Fallow Ground to talk about: Piloting New Things; Breaking into New Areas; Doing things you haven’t done before; Going to Places you haven’t gone before; Rising to Levels you have never risen before.

Somebody gave you a ceiling, but today you are breaking that ceiling; because that Fallow Ground must be broken.

There are many areas of our lives that have been a limitation to us.

But Thank God, we will break the Fallow Ground: “To go BOLDLY where no man has gone before.”

… I like that Phrase;

“To go BOLDLY where no man has gone before!”

I came here to announce to somebody: You are about to go BOLDLY to a Place that you have never gone before!

The Fallow Ground – which seems to be your New Frontier is going to be broken.

That thing you thought was the limit, was the end – You can’t go beyond it; I came to announce to somebody: You are about to break that Fallow Ground; you are about to go Places that People said you can never go before!

As we speak, there are People breaking Fallow Grounds – God will allow us to do things;

Listen to me: God is not offended when His children dream BIG. He created us to explore the world He has created!

And God is not offended when you want to break Fallow Grounds, and you want to break limits, and you want to do things that were considered ‘TOO BIG’ for you to do!

In Joshua 14:12, Caleb asked for a Fallow Ground. He said: “Give me this Mountain.”

And he was eighty five (85) years old – looking for Adventure, looking to do great things.

Some of you are seventy (70) Years and you think that is the end of life!

… There are New Frontiers for you to break into.

Some of you are just sixty (60) Years and you think – I’m grown, I’m an old Man, I’m an old Lady!

No, there are more mlMountains you must take!

Some of you are even forty (40) Years old and you think: Oh! Life has Passed me by!

But I came to announce to you; like Caleb, you are about to break up your Fallow Ground!

Sometimes, God will give you a Fallow Ground for you to BREAK: you don’t choose it, but God gives it to you.

Look at what has happened to our world! – In the last four (4) Months, we have been forced to break up Fallow Grounds – in Ministry.

Whoever thought that Church could be done the way we are doing it now (Virtually/Online)?

Can you imagine that we have not had In-Person-Church for four (4) Months?

I never thought it was Possible!

For four (4) Months, I have Preached Sunday after Sunday without Congregation;

And you have attended Church Sunday after Sunday without leaving your home!

Did you ever think that it was Possible?

Did you ever think that we could still have Church in this way?

But look at what God has done: We are breaking New Lands, we are exploring New Opportunities.

And instead of running away from the Fallow Ground, you have to TAKE IT, you have to BREAK IT, and you have to SOW INTO IT.

So, God is telling us something that seems unfamiliar – Maybe an opportunity; something that seems undone. Maybe a challenge for you to begin.

To someone else, it is scary but at the same time that it is scary, it is exciting to know the opportunities that stand infront of us.

Did I ever think it was ever going to be Possible to sustain a Congregation without Meeting them? Did I ever think that was Possible?

If you had asked me six (6) Months ago, I would have said no Church can do that! If you asked me that last year, I would say – that is impossible!

If somebody has asked me: Can you still be a Pastor of your Congregation and not see them for four (4) Months?

… I would have said, No – that is not Possible!

Can your Church still survive if it doesn’t meet for four (4) months – Is that possible?

I would have said: it is not Possible!

But the Church is surviving – Not just surviving; it is thriving and growing from Strength to Strength:

We are Praying Online, we are hearing the Word of God Online, we are Giving Online.

And all of that is Fallow Ground – it has not been explored before!

It’s a New Frontier; nobody thought that was Possible, but here we are! And look at what God is doing.

The Point I want to make is: God would give you Fallow Ground; an unexplored area, an Uncultivated land. Something that has never been done before!

And when He gives it to you: DON’T curse the Ground, and don’t run from the battle, and don’t run from the Ground;

Because, for all you know: God is giving you an opportunity to harness something that you thought was impossible but which is His Way to expand you, to grow you, to make you better and bigger and more effective!

… So, we don’t curse the Ground when it is Fallow; we don’t run away from the Ground; we don’t complain: WE BREAK IT!

And for you in your own life; most of you are working from home, some of you have never been to your office (since this crisis started), some of you are shopping Online;

It doesn’t work in Ghana/Nigeria but maybe it is a Fallow Ground we have to get into. Maybe the era of going to the Market to buy foodstuffs must come to an end.

Where the items must come to us in our homes – It is a Fallow Ground!

Because honestly, I don’t understand why we have lived this way – When we go to the Market to pick items on the floor.

And you find very literates and educated People picking items on the floor; and all kinds of “Dilapidated Market” and all kinds of unhygienic environment and we live with it!

And God Probably is forcing us to break the Fallow Ground; where New Businesses will develop.

And these New Businesses are going to break New Frontiers.

And they are going to tell People: You don’t need to go to the Market; the Market will come to you.

… It is a Fallow Ground!

And some of you are learning Online: Who knows where all of these is leading us.

All I’m saying is: It is a Fallow Ground; we are not going to run away from it – We are going to Break it, we are going to Sow on it, and we are going to be fruitful in it.

And if somebody Prophesies to you that the State we are in is going to be the end; I’m here to announce to you: It is the Beginning, it is a New Frontier – You are exploring, you are rising, you are doing what People have not done before.

And if you have the attitude like Caleb – To take on Mountains; if you have the attitude like Jeremiah told the children of Israel – ‘Break up the Fallow Ground.”

… If that is your Spirit, you will break through!

I don’t know about you; I believed that we are about to enter into the most fulfilling Years of our lives!

1. We are about to see God doing those things that we never thought Possible!
2. We are about to see God expand His Kingdom in a way we never thought Possible!
3. We are about to see the Gospel Penetrating People’s lives in areas we never thought Possible!

Because, you know at first, People would say: I’m not going to listen, I won’t go to Church.

But right now, Church is in your homes and you have to listen; and you have to Participate.

I have no idea where this is leading; but I’m excited to explore – To see where God is taking us: Breaking up Fallow Grounds!

So if you feel that this situation has brought you to a “Hard Place”; a “Tough Place” and you are wondering: I’m I going to survive? Are we going to survive? Is the world still going to be here?

Oh yes! – The world would be here because the world has been here for a long time, and it will be here!

Will I do well? – You will do well.

Will the Church of Jesus Christ survive? – We will not just survive, we would grow and increase in Leap and bounds.

Will People be able to take care of their families? – Oh, they will do far better than that!

Will there still be schools? – They will be better than that!

Will there still be Heath Care? – Oh, Yes! Health Care is going to be better – with Telemedicine. Frontiers being opened.

Fallow Grounds are being explored.

Instead of running away and complaining, and cursing the ground:

Look at the opportunities God has laid in front of us and let us break the Ground and sow our seeds;

And we invest Energy and Ideas, and Wisdom into this time; we will watch what God will do for us.

And one of the ways that God helps us to break the Fallow Ground is that He gives us His RAIN.

Rain symbolises God’s Favour, God’s Grace; such that the Ground which is HARD – But God will give us Favour; He will soften it for you.

The Ground is hard, but God will give you Grace. Things are tough, but His will give us Grace!

You see, if you keep your eyes on the Grace of God, HELP will cone to you!

I am not saying that it is not a “Hard Place”; it is a “Hard Place”. But you serve God and the God you serve is Greater than the land that is hard.

And His Grace is sufficient, His Help is immediate, His Help is abundant, His Favour never ceases. God is able to send rain on your land – And He will!

And I Pray for you: As you read this Message today even on the label of DMC; no matter the Fallow Ground that is in front of you: Some of you have lost your Businesses; I know that some of you have started Companies that have collapsed right now in front of you. I understand it!

But don’t just look at it and say: this is the end!

It is not your end – It is the end of one (1) System and it is the beginning of another one!

Just ask God for Favour, and in that Place of hardness, He will give you Breakthrough; in that Place of failure, He will give you Success; in that place where you fell, He will cause you to rise up – Amen!

Don’t look at what is dead in your hands and say: Oh, this life is so hard, it’s impossible, I don’t even know what I’m going to eat again – Yes, it may be difficult to find your meal today. It doesn’t mean it will be difficult Permanently – Amen.

Look at the Opportunities God has given to you; look at the New Ways you can deplore your talents; look at the New ways you can work.

Even the old men and women will receive New Strength and a New Vision.

And I Pray for you that your heart will not collapse – Amen.

That you will not drown yourself off in Pity – Amen.

That you will not just sit down and say: Oh, everything is gone and just lie down.

I Pray that the Rain of God will fall upon you; that God will encourage you, that God would lift you up, give you the ability to rise up again and go to War because, this Battle that just began – I don’t know how long we are going to be on this State: It may be for six (6) Months, it may be for a year, two (2) years.

But, if it is tough, we are Tougher! If it is hard, we are Harder! If it is confronting us, we are going to confront it!

We are going to come out of this Alive; We are going to come out of this Strong; We are going to come out of this with Testimonies; with Victory!

It may be difficult for a Season, but we will overcome and we will rise above it – Amen!

God says to you today: Break up YOUR Fallow Ground!

It is a hard land but we will BREAK IT! It is tough, but we will Break it! We are going to be EXPLORERS of a New Generation.

I believe that after the Period of this Pandemic – and I started saying it from day one (1) of this Pandemic:

That I believed that after this Period of Pandemic, those of us in the so called) Third (3rd) World Countries – Ghana, Nigeria, Africa, Caribbean, some Pacific Countries, etc: We will see the most “Accelerated Developmental Growth” we have ever seen in the last seventy (70) years.

It is going to be Massive and God is recruiting us – You and I to be part of that Massive Expansion.

We are about to become Part of an Adventure that will SHIFT the cause of History.

But, it came with a Fallow Ground; it came with a Hard Ground; it came with a Tough Terrain, it came with something we have never done before.

And it is challenging us to think of thoughts we haven’t thought before.

1. To develop a Methodology that we have never developed before.
2. To think WIDE! – The New Frontier is out there, and we are exploring it.

So, to be Part of this Great Acceleration: WE MUST DO SOME BREAKING.

Sometimes I hear Pastors talk to me and say: Pastor, what do think about the future of the Church?

And I have never been in doubt:

1. Never in a moment be in doubt that the Church of Jesus Christ is going to emerge Victorious.*
2. That the Power of the Word of God is going to be more effective.
3. That the Penetration of the Gospel is going to be DEEPER than it has ever been.

… Because God gave us a Fallow Ground, and we are going to break it!

There are Pastors who thought that Church was just in the building.

Now, we are doing Online (virtual) Services.

You may have started small; maybe you don’t even know how to start it; maybe you started infront of a camera to Preach and it feels awkward and weird.

Ask God for Grace, ask God for His Rain. Say: God, I have this Fallow Ground, I have never done this before. I don’t even know how to do it but Please Help me Lord. Please give me Ideas, Please give me Favour, Please give me Wisdom.

And God will rain upon you – And what you thought was an impossibility would now become and Open Door – Amen!

And it is the same – Not just the Pastors but for each one of you. Something is gone! Maybe your Company has laid you off – It is hard, it is difficult.

… It can be very scary, it can be very fearful to enter Monday and not go to work and have no where money is coming from.

It is a Hard Ground, it is a Fallow Ground but God says: BREAK IT UP!

If He says: “Break it Up!” – It means that He has given you something to break it up.

So, I Pray for you: If you have no job, and you don’t know where the future is leading you; I Pray that God would give you Grace not just to survive but to thrive – Amen.

I Pray that God will Anoint your head with Wisdom; that He will give you New Ideas and New Connections; He will Link you to New People; He will draw People’s attention to you – Amen.

May People notice you, may Opportunities notice you – May you begin to see New Patterns that you never saw before – Amen.

May you begin to see New Ways you can use your Gifts, than you saw before – Amen.

It is not going to be the same old way – We will not go back to the world before it used to be.

No! It’s a New World and we better get used to it.

So, today, I came here just to tell you: We are breaking “Fallow Grounds” in our Relationship with God, in our relationship with each other; in the our Ministries, in our Churches, in our Homes, in our Businesses, in our Country – Amen.

May God forced Africa to think DIFFERENTLY – Amen because our old ways are not working.

We have operated almost the same Systems for years, and it is not working.

God is forcing us to think differently, to operate differently – And He will force us until we DO IT DIFFERENTLY.

… And may God give us the Grace to do it differently – Amen.

So today, I see you Going where you havee never gone before – Amen!

I see you Owning what you have never owned before – Amen!

I see you Counting what you have never counted before – Amen!

I see you Embracing what you have never embraced before – Amen!

I see you Rising to Levels you have never risen before – Amen!

I see you Possessing things that you never Possessed before – Things that you only dreamt about; I see you having them – Amen!

Because that is the Fallow Ground! It has been a Fallow Ground to you for years!

It has been Fallow Ground to your Family, to your Parents, to your Nation and to everybody around you.

But this Season, we would break that Fallow Ground; we are going to go Places; we are going to do things; we are going to Rise higher to levels we have never risen to before – Amen!

And may the Lord give us the Grace to do all of that – Amen!

And today, I want you to Pray and accept the challenge of the Fallow Ground in front of you.

I don’t know what Fallow Ground is there, but don’t curse it – Accept it!

And ask the Lord to OPEN your eyes to see the Potentials and the Opportunities that, that Fallow Ground is Presenting you – Amen.

PRAYER POINTS

1. Say with me: Heavenly Father, I accept where I am today, I accept the world and the opportunities in the world.

And so today, I ask that You Open my eyes, give me Understanding and Help me to see differently – To see potentials and opportunities in Jesus’ Name.

… Now, begin to Pray!

2. Ask God for the Anointing to break through every hardships, every obstacles, every Pains associated with the Season we are in.

… Because there are obstacles, hardships, there are Pains associated with this Season.

I want you to Pray: Lord, it has been tough, but I ask for Your Grace to pull through this.

3. And finally, we want to Pray and I want you to ask God to show you what seed you must sow again on this Fallow Ground – In Industry, in Education, in Missionary Work, in Church Work, in Media, in New Technology.

… There are New Things!

Some of you have lived maybe for twenty (20) years, doing one (1) Particular thing. And all of a sudden, God is going to direct you to do something totally different from what you have done in the Past.

Maybe you thought all your life: I’m a Journalist – And God is going to lead you to a New Area which is not Journalism.

Because we are breaking Fallow Ground; we are ready to go where God is going. We are going where He is leading us.

So, I want you to Pray and say: Lord, help me to see what I must do next.

Pray and talk to the Lord!

CLOSING PRAYER

And so our Father; we Thank You for everyone. We Thank You for Your Grace which causes us to break the Fallow Grounds.

And Father, today I Pray that the Anointing to Break Fallow Ground will be imparted by Your Holy Spirit, to everyone reading this Message today even on the Label of DMC.

Let Your Grace be imparted to us.

And I Pray Father, for everyone today – For those who have come to a Fallow Ground: It used to be fruitful land, now it is a Fallow Ground. It used to Produce, but it is now dead.

And for those who are confronted with those Fallow Grounds, I Pray Lord, that Your Grace will abound towards them.

I Pray for the Anointing to BREAK every Fallow Ground.

For those Lord, who are stirring into space, and have no clues what to do; Visit them. By Your Spirit show them what to do, in the Name of Jesus.

And Father we Pray for our Nation (Nigeria/Ghana) – That we will Rise beyond our limitations; that we would build a New Nation; not on the old Template but on a New Template.

To Break New Grounds in Industrialization, in Technology, in Education, in Science and Health, in every area of our lives.

We Pray for the same Grace on our Continent Africa – That Africa will no longer be the Place where People go for Tourism to see Poverty, to see backwardness, to see antiquity.

That People will come to Africa to see Modernization, to see future Development, to see where the future is going.

May our Continent (Africa) represent the Hope of the World. May we represent the New Vision for Humanity.

As you visit this lands and cause us to accelerate in Development (beyond our wildest dream) may the Lord Help Africa, may the Lord Bless Africa.

By Your Spirit, BREATHE New Life into our Continent.

I Pray for you my friend; that this Season, you will BREAK Fallow Ground – Amen.

SELF DECLARATIONS

Why don’t you say to yourself:

1. I am breaking this FALLOW GROUND.
2. I will not die here – I am breaking through this situation; I am coming out with Songs of Victory; I am coming out with a Testimony; I am coming out with the Joy of the Lord.

… Because God has given me Victory!

If you believe it, give Jesus a shout – Hallelujah!!!

Thank you so much for staying all through to read.

To read other Messages on the Coverage of DMC MediaCrew so far this Year and beyond; kindly visit our Website: https://discoverymediacrew.com

Follow us on Twitter: @discoverymediac

Send a Friend Request on Facebook to DMC MediaCrew.

Like our FB Page: Discovery Media

Join us on WhatsApp:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/D20e9cqYX1LKKPm9n93K4h

Join us on Telegram: https://t.me/joinchat/NzzPckuGazKYFxZZFkt9fg

Follow Us on Instagram: Discoverymediacrew

Watch and Follow Us on YouTube: Discovery Media Crew

For Enquiries, email Us on: info@discoverymediacrew.com

And I can assure you that you will be glad you did as it will avail you first hand access to comprehensive reports on the various Messages of Pastor E.A Adeboye and other Men of God!

It is outrightly wrong and a sin we frowned at it for anyone to consciously remove the original source of the work that does not emanate for him or her!

Discovery Media Crew … Reaching out to the World through the Power of the Gospel!!!

COMPILATIONS BY:

MOSES DURODOLA, TITILAYOMI AJAYI AND TOPE BABALOLA

© DISCOVERY MEDIA CREW (DMC) 2020