Old Testament Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 4:1 – 4 (KJV)
Jer 4:1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the LORD, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.
Jer 4:2 And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
Jer 4:3 For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Jer 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
New Testament Scripture Reading: Mark 4:10 – 20 (KJV)
Mar 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
Mar 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
Mar 4:12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
Mar 4:13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
Mar 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
Mar 4:15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Mar 4:16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
Mar 4:17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
Mar 4:18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
Mar 4:19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
Mar 4:20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Transforming Power Facts:
1) The deceitfulness of the fallen human heart is a tremendous obstacle to how even believers process the Scriptures for the ability to produce a more abundant harvest from the Word so much so that God through Jeremiah the prophet issues a warning to break up the fallow ground, which is a way of making tough packed down soil prepared for planting in order to increase the effectiveness of the Word Of God that is being sown into our lives.
2) Some from the crowd who had come to hear Jesus teach and His Twelve, were there together with Jesus as He revealed this “main key parable” so that all who believed God would have understanding, while all who didn’t believe would have ,as it were a veil over their understanding which would prevent them from believing.
3) Let us all examine ourselves based on the revelation of this knowledge and allow the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to have access to our minds, our will, and our emotions in order that we can by “self-analysis” break up our own “fallow ground” as we continue Prepping For A Great Harvest”, knowing that Jesus has paid the entire cost of our redemption to make it possible for each believer to become His and be changed by His Word!