John 3:30-34 (NLT) He must become greater and greater, and I must
become less and less. “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. I am of the
earth, and my understanding is limited to the things of earth, but he has come
from heaven. He tells what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he
tells them! Those who believe him discover that God is true. For he is sent by
God. He speaks God’s words, for God’s Spirit is upon him without measure or
limit.
Fallow is defined as land that is allowed to lie idle during a growing season to allow the fertility of the soil to be restored. From the Strong’s Bible Concordance of Hebrew & Greek words- {neer-5214&15} plowing and tilling the soil, break up, the idea of the gleam of a fresh furrow; to accept favorably by satisfying a debt and {shamat- 8058} to let alone, desist, remit- discontinue, overthrow, release, let rest, suspension of labor.
Ex.
23:10-11 (NLT) “Plant and
harvest your crops for six years, but let the land rest and lie fallow during
the seventh year. Then let the poor among you harvest any volunteer crop that
may come up. Leave the rest for the animals to eat. The same applies to your
vineyards and olive groves.
We know
that in this dispensation of Holy Spirit, the Lord has caused us to be in His
Sabbath rest and therefore in a rest as the fallow fields, vineyards, &
olive groves of His kingdom. Since we have Holy Spirit in us, He is now the one
who does the work and we are able to cease, desist, & suspend our labors of
trying to make His church & ourselves in right standing with Him. And not
only that but because the spiritual law of redemption is taken care by Jesus’ work
on the cross for us! (Now do not miss a place to praise the Lord!) Also see
Jer. 4:3 and Hosea 10:12 to see that the Lord Jesus has done as His word
promised the Israelites!
In these
end times, we are living within a culture and in some cases sitting in a church
that is bombarding us on a continuous basis with worldly thoughts and actions
and behaviors trying to influence our decisions. To be a fallow field in the
Lord means to at rest in Him and renewed and refreshed by His Spirit that we
might be productive in and for His kingdom. The best way to combat in this war
going on in us and around us is to understand and then stand in the truth of
what Jesus has done for us and what ort identity is in Him.
Absolute
is defined as perfect, complete, whole, pure, unlimited, unconditional,
unrestricted, certain, and definite. That is what the Lord desires to do for us
while we are in a season of rest or fallowness.
Relativism
is the theory of ethics or knowledge that maintains that the basis of judgement
is relative, differing according to events, persons, circumstances, etc. This
is the knowledge that satan and/or our flesh wishes us to retain and operate
in. It is called worldliness in the Bible.
Psa.147: 5-6 (NKJV) Great is our Lord, and mighty
in power; His understanding is
infinite. The Lord lifts up the
humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.
I am a
child of God (Jn.3: 5-8)(1Jn.5: 1-5) and no person or event, good or bad, can
rob me of that absolute truth. Standing in this absolute truth of God enables
us to remain at rest in Him and therefore His work is done in us & through
us! See not only will He raise us up as wheat in His field but also He will
cast down to the ground those things that are not of Him in us.
The following Scriptures speak to us about how and what Holy Spirit
is doing in us as we lay fallow in the Lord. Col.2: 13-15 (NLT)- You were dead
because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then
God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins. He canceled the record
that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing
it to Christ’s cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and
authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of
Christ. (*our
assurance of what Jesus did for us*) Col.2: 6-12 (NLT)- And now, just
as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in
obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment
from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were
taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done. Don’t
let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense
that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, and not
from Christ. For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you
are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler
and authority in the universe. When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,”
but not by a physical procedure. It was a spiritual procedure—the cutting away
of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized.
And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power
of God, who raised Christ from the dead. (* by Jesus living in us we are dead to the things of man &
this world & of satan*) Gal.5: 1-6 (NLT)- So Christ has really set us
free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery
to the law. Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision
to make you right with God, then Christ cannot help you. I’ll say it
again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must
obey all of the regulations in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make
yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from
Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. But we who live by the Spirit
eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God
through faith. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, it makes no difference
to God whether we are circumcised or not circumcised. What is important is
faith expressing itself in love. (*These scriptures tell us to stay away once we are free from the
things of man and this world and that includes the ‘religious’ stuff of man in
our own churches*) Romans 12: 14-18(NLT)- If people persecute you because you
are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. When others
are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in
harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of
ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil for evil
to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do
your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. (*our response to those who
are coming out and have come out of the world and manmade Christianity*) John
16: 7-11(NLT)- But it is actually best for you that I go away, because if I don’t,
the Counselor won’t come. If I do go away, he will come because I will send him
to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God’s
righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is unbelief in me. Righteousness is available
because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the prince
of this world has already been judged. (*The work of the Holy Spirit in us and in our prayers for
others*)
i.e.- conviction: revealing the truth of God’s
dealing with us
- righteousness: tells us the truth in love
- judgement: overcoming evil with good
Now consider
a prophecy spoke over your individual lives and ministry and everyone involved
in that ministry.
{prophecy:
to encourage, strengthen, and comfort the body of Christ to fulfill the goal
God has set for it}
For
example The Way Home is called to stand as an example of the reality of the 1st.
century church in Lampasas, TX. My own personal one is to be a member of this
vision in the position of a trainer of ministers in the prophetic. I am only one
member of a whole body to carry out the vision given for this local
church.
In order
to carry out what ever it is the Lord has for one to do there is a need for His
wisdom & knowledge. Wisdom is God's direction on how to fulfill His goal
for the prophetic utterance given. And knowledge is God's assessment of the
present situation and/or circumstance to bring about the fulfillment of the
vision. Words of wisdom and knowledge build our faith now in God to perform His
prophetic utterance.
So,
with this in mind... Read Lk.4: 18-19 (NLT)- “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me,
for he has
appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
that captives
will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed
from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” (*
Verse 19- Year of
Lord's Favor or Jubilee*) Read Lev.25- We are in the Lord’s year of Jubilee and
this is knowledge for our present situation and Jer.34- This is our call to
Jubilee and wisdom on how to carry out His purpose.
Now take
the time mediate on these scriptures. Write out the vision the Lord has given
you and rest as a fallow field to allow the Lord to add to it.
Questions:
1.
Define
fallow in your own words.
2.
Give 3
scriptures that instruct us to rest.
3.
What is
God type wisdom?
4.
What is
God type knowledge?
5.
Is there
anything you can do to be a fallow field for the Lord right now?
In the
joy of Jesus, Pepper Skeen
Tree of
Life Ministries © 1999 update 2001
