July 3, 2024 • 24 mins
Have you ever wondered why seasons of rest and unfruitfulness are not only necessary but divinely ordained? Join me, Matt Tommey, on this transformative journey as we explore the profound significance of spiritual rest. Drawing from Leviticus 25 and the wisdom of mentors like Ray Hughes, I’ll share personal stories and biblical insights that reveal how constant productivity can actually hinder our growth. This episode is designed to help you embrace periods of dormancy without fear, showing how these times prepare us for future fruitfulness and realignment with God's voice.
Get your copy of my best-selling book on the Kingdom of God, God's Plan for Living, and the accompanying devotional, Awakening to God's Kingdom Within, now on Amazon:
- https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Plan-Living-Roadmap-Kingdom/dp/B0BZ34CNFY
- https://www.amazon.com/Awakening-Gods-Kingdom-Within-Encouragement/dp/B0C9S7PH84
Let’s dive into divine transitions and understand why fallow seasons are pivotal in our spiritual walk. Reflecting on scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11 and Philippians 1:6, we’ll discuss how God uses these moments to renew our minds and deepen our faith. Through the examples of biblical figures such as Noah and Abraham, we’ll see the power of walking in faith even when we’re armed only with a promise. Embrace the divine principle of rest as a critical component for preparing for the next season of favor and abundance. Tune in for an enlightening conversation that promises to equip you with the confidence and peace to navigate any season of your spiritual journey.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the God's Plan for Living podcast, where I
give you a simple roadmap toliving your ideal kingdom life.
I'm Matt Tommey, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friend, welcometo the podcast.
I'm Matt Tommey, your host, andsuper glad that you are with me
today.
Listen, I wanted to take alittle bit of time and talk
about something that I don'tthink we talk enough about,
which is doing nothing about,which is doing nothing
(00:29):
specifically, sort of theseseasons in life that we go
through that seem.
Many people call it a fallowseason or fallow ground in our
life.
Unless you feel like oh, not me.
I try to keep productive andkeep producing, no matter what.
Listen, that's been me for alot of years, but I think one of
the things that the Lord isteaching me and Tanya, both in
this season that we're walkingthrough right now, is that it's
(00:50):
good to have seasons ofunfruitfulness.
It's good to let the ground ofyour life, the ground of your
vocation, the ground of yourcalling, your assignment, rest.
Even in Leviticus 25, you know,the Lord calls the people of
Israel to, every seventh year,let the ground rest.
(01:11):
Why?
Because you can't be fruitfulall of the time.
In fact, I remember a couple ofyears ago when we moved out here
to Texas and we're beginningmaybe not quite beginning, but
sort of in the, in the throes ofof transition, moving out here
and our business and life and myart and all the, all those
things were really starting tochange in our life.
(01:32):
And I remember calling a friendof mine, ray Hughes, who's been
a mentor of mine for years andjust was bemoaning the fact of
what am I doing and what am Igoing through and this is crazy
and life doesn't feel the sameand I don't feel as fruitful and
all this sort of thing.
And he began to really speakinto my life a lot of wisdom
about you know how trees andplants and vines listen, we're
(01:55):
not, they're not made to befruitful all the time.
In fact, he told me about astudy that a university had done
that that tried to get a fruittree to be, uh, fruitful in
every season, and they got it todo it for one year and at the
end of that year it died.
It was like, oh, we're notdesigned to be fruitful all the
(02:16):
time.
Life is this series right Of ofseasons, with seasons of
fruitfulness and seasons ofdormancy, seasons of winter,
where everything feels coveredup, seasons of fall where we're
harvesting, seasons of springwhere we're planting, seasons of
summer where things are growingand look really lush.
(02:36):
But I think for all of us, nomatter where you find yourself
in the body of Christ, you haveto start realizing that as we
walk with the Lord, we're goingto have to learn to embrace and
understand the seasons of lifethat we walk through, and you
can't expect every season to bea fruitful season.
(02:57):
Now, what does the enemy want todo?
Well, of course the enemy doeswhat he always does, which is
wanting to bring doubt.
Well, of course the enemy doeswhat he always does, which is
wanting to bring doubt andconfusion and accusation.
He wants to accuse you of notbeing enough.
He wants to say that somehowthis fallow season or this
season of rest that you're goingthrough is because you've done
(03:18):
something wrong.
But nothing could be furtherfrom the truth.
That's why identity, I mean wetalk about it so much in my
mentoring program and on thepodcast and in books, everywhere
I'm always talking aboutidentity.
Why?
Because unless you know who youare in Christ and what God's
(03:38):
called you to, you will bethrown to the side and thrown
off balance by the changing ofseasons in your life and the
things that the enemy wants todo in the middle of those times.
And so these times ofunfruitfulness, it can feel like
of fallow ground.
(03:58):
You know, these are notunimportant in our life, they're
vital.
They're vital for us to be ableto recharge and renew and
reinvest in ourself and learn torest in all of the goodness of
God in our life, separate fromwhat we're producing in our life
(04:18):
.
These times where we can healand be restored and re-energized
for the future.
They are required for all of us.
Otherwise, you end up eitherrunning off of the fumes and the
winds from yesterday or you'rejust trying to strive and make
it all happen by yourself.
(04:39):
And I'm learning in my own life,at 50 years old, and walking
through uh, you know, walkingthrough great seasons and
walking through challengingseasons.
Seasons of rest and seasons ofrecharging are important.
And here's, here's, one of thebig, big things that the enemy
wants to do.
The enemy wants to tell youthat because you're resting, or
(05:02):
because you're not as fruitful,you're not as productive in
these seasons that somehow God'sleft you, you're not going to
be provided for, you're going to, you're going to miss out
somehow on what God is doing.
You're not keeping step withwhat's going on in the business
world and in this world or thatworld, and if you don't keep
keep going, if you don't keepposting on social media and you
(05:24):
don't keep going, if you don'tkeep posting on social media and
you don't keep speaking anddoing all this, if you don't
keep all that circus, if youwill going that somehow you're
going to miss out on the nextbig thing.
Somehow you're going to missyour calling, miss your
opportunity.
But listen, I would say thatit's constant busyness that is
(05:49):
much more the culprit in causingus to miss things, if you will,
and get off track and miss thetiming of things than rest ever
has been, because it's inresting is that we learn to hear
God's voice again, we learn togo back to the basics.
It's in those times when thefield of our life, if you will,
(06:13):
can feel barren and unproductive.
Listen, it's a challenge.
It's a challenge for me.
It can be disheartening, butyou got to keep remembering.
I'm not defined by what I do.
I'm defined by who I am, andwho I am is determined by what
God has said about me in hisword.
(06:35):
You know, in an agriculturalcontext, fallow ground really
refers to land that's beenplowed and prepared but left
unseated on purpose in order forthat ground to recover its
fertility.
And you know, god allows thesekind of periods in our life,
these seasons in our life whereour productivity ceases and we
(06:59):
get to be in this sort ofspiritually fallow place of
spiritual rest and restoration.
I mean you can see it allthrough God's word, right?
I mean, think about Moses.
Before leading the Israelitesout of Egypt, he spent 40 years
Lord, please don't let it be 40years but he spent 40 years in
the desert.
But this time of on purposeunfruitfulness was a period of
(07:25):
preparation and oftransformation.
It was in the desert that Moseslearned what to rely on God and
to be equipped to lead hispeople through their wilderness
journey.
But he had to be prepared firstand the beautiful thing I love
watching whether it's Moses, youknow 40 years of the desert.
(07:46):
Whether it's David, you know,who spent so many years fleeing
from King Saul before heactually got to ascend the
throne.
Or even Jesus, who had a seasonof significant preparation
before beginning his publicministry, and you know not only
the 30 years before he reallystepped into ministry, but then
(08:08):
40 days in the wilderness offasting and praying and dealing
with the enemy in a period ofreal solitude and testing.
But what did it do?
It strengthened and preparedthem.
And the beautiful thing was, inall of those situations and
others, god's goodness is stillfully on display.
(08:29):
God's provision and hisfaithfulness are still on
display, and still faithful inthe middle of seasons where we
feel like we don't have anythingto bring to the table.
To bring to the table.
(08:50):
Listen, it's in times of thisfallow seasons, this fallow
ground, that we learn to reallytrust, beyond just lip service,
god's perfect timing in our life.
Remember that verse in Isaiah40, 31,.
We all know it, but it goeslike this but those who wait on
the Lord shall renew theirstrength.
They'll mount up on wings likeeagles, they shall run and not
(09:12):
be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
In other words, what Waiting onthe Lord is not just lounging
around.
Waiting on the Lord is notdoing just nothing.
Waiting on the Lord is not apassive activity, but actually
this sort of active engagementin trusting and relying on Him.
I'm learning to do that rightnow.
(09:33):
Things in our life have been ina lot of transition since we've
moved to Texas.
Things are shifting, things arechanging, my heart is pointing
in new directions and yet I'mnot even sure fully what that
looks like.
So much of my time right now,which has been for years focused
(09:55):
on this real season of favorand influence and impact and
touching hundreds of thousandsof people around the world, all
of a sudden the Lord startedshifting that.
Not in a way like, matt, you'vedone something wrong.
I'm removing the favor fromyour life.
No, he's just shifting.
He said I got something new foryou.
We've had so many differentprophetic words over our life
(10:19):
that said, yep, you're intransition.
God's about to bring anotherwing to the plane he's lifting.
He's, you know, lifting up your, your eyes to something greater
than what you've known so far.
Get ready, enjoy the downtime,because it's about to get busy
when it does.
But it's so interesting, youknow, in the day to day, for me
at least, it can be a challenge,because you're not doing the
(10:41):
same things you were doing.
You're not, you're not even,maybe, passionate about the same
things that you were passionateabout.
Why?
Because God's not only changingthe external situations in your
life, he's changing theinternal framework of your life
as well, to be able todisconnect your heart from
things that have been great inthe past but are maybe not for
(11:02):
this new season, and learning todeepen your trust in him so
that, when he does bring the newthing along, you're fully ready
to embrace it.
And that's the thing I I thinkfor me and for so many of us.
You have to continue toactively renew your mind in
these fallow seasons,remembering, like you know,
jeremiah 29, 11,.
(11:22):
This is for I know the plansthat I have for you declares the
Lord plans to prosper you, notharm you, to give you a hope and
a future.
Listen, even when you can't seeGod's hand actively at work in
your life, and even when you'renot, you don't feel like you're
experiencing that flow and thatfavor and all that you have to
(11:45):
remember.
You know whoever said the oldadage when you can't see his
hand, trust his heart.
And I think there was an oldsong from the 80s or something,
I don't know, but I've just,I've always remembered that Even
you know, when you can't seeGod's hand working in your life,
when you're not sure what'sgoing on, that's why we have his
(12:07):
word, that's why we have theHoly Spirit resident living
inside of us, never leaving us.
Why?
Because, no matter what's goingon, we are still convinced that
he loves me, he's for me, he'sgot plans for me.
I just got to keep walking,keep moving, keep trusting his
heart and trusting that theplans that he has for me are
good.
Listen, I think for me, as Ilook back over fallow seasons in
(12:32):
my life, you know, one of thethings that the Lord does
usually in these seasons is areal focus on deepening our
relationship with him, ofdrawing us close to him during
these times to allow us toremember hey, I'm the one that
brought you here, I'm the onethat defines who you are.
(12:55):
But you know what?
One of the things that happenswhen he does that you begin to
receive and recognize the needfor healing and recovery in your
life.
You know, just like fallowground, in the agricultural sort
of way, recovers and regainsits nutrients.
Our souls right, our heart, ourmind, our spirit needs time to
(13:18):
heal and recover from life'swear and tear and all the stuff
that we go through.
And listen, for me, I would haveto say, of my whole life, the
last probably 15 years of ourlife have been the most fruitful
, fulfilling, favor-filledseason of our life and yet right
(13:39):
now things look and feeldifferent.
But guess what, while that hasbeen a wonderful, wonderful
season, I know that God's gotbetter things ahead.
I know there's a new iterationand I know that during this
season of favor I've gotten somewounds.
I've gotten some mindsets thatneed to shift.
I've gotten some habits thatmaybe were not the best, that
(14:02):
there were just ways of doingthings that I was doing the best
I knew.
But God said, hey, you can'ttake those things into this new
season.
And so, like in Psalm 23, whereit talks about God allowing us
to and making us really to liedown in green pastures and
leading us beside still watersand restoring our souls, these
(14:24):
kind of seasons of fallow groundallow God to restore the
weariness and the brokenness ofour hearts and bring healing to
us in a deeper, deeper way.
And of course, that prepares usright for the good things that
he has promised for us.
Remember Philippians 1, 6,.
(14:45):
It says being confident of thisvery thing that he who has
begun a good work in you will.
A fallow season is essentialfor the abundant life and for
the full kingdom expression ofHis kingdom in and through us.
(15:06):
It's essential.
You can't go to the next placethat God has for you without
walking through these seasons offallow ground.
So what do you do then?
I mean, this has been myquestion.
I'm a doer, right?
I'm the Mary of Mary and Martha, right, I want to get after it.
I love it when the Lord givesme a plan rather than just a
(15:31):
promise.
I'm like Nehemiah, like manshow me the building plan and I
can get it done, get her done.
You know, that's what I want todo, but sometimes God doesn't
give you the plan.
He gives you a promise.
And in the time of promise,only you got to keep walking,
just like Noah did.
He kept building that ark eventhough all he had was just a
(15:54):
promise from the Lord.
Abraham, he had a promise fromthe Lord I'm going to bless you,
but you got to start walking.
And so, in these times of fallowground, I think one of the key
principles that we have toembrace on a deeper level is
rest, divine rest.
It's something that Godestablished.
(16:15):
This isn't my idea, this isn'tsome you know sort of just, you
know psychobabble sort of idea.
Divine rest is a principle thatwas established by God from the
very beginning, even in Genesis2, it says that you know, after
God created the world, herested on the seventh day, and
so rest is not a sign of beingslack or lazy or not doing
(16:39):
anything.
Rest is not a sign of weakness,but actually a reflection of
God's own rhythm inside of ourlife.
That's the beautiful thing.
When we rest, we reflect thenature of God inside of our life
.
That's the beautiful thing.
When we rest, we reflect thenature of God inside of us.
And Jesus invited us to restright In Matthew 11, 28 and 30,.
(17:00):
He says come to me all you whoare weary and burdened, and I'll
give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me, for I'm gentle and
humble in heart, heart, andyou'll find rest for your souls,
for my yoke is easy and myburden is light.
That's the rhythm of life thatwe're supposed to be walking in.
(17:23):
And so, in these seasons ofunfruitfulness and these seasons
that feel like what am I doing?
I need to be doing something.
Listen, it's a greatopportunity to pull back and say
you know what.
I'm going to do some soul care.
I'm going to do some life care.
I'm going to enjoy my life.
I'm going to go for a walk inthe morning, instead of doing
the work that I used to do, I'mgoing to.
I'm going to write in myjournal.
(17:44):
Instead of writing somethingfor everybody else to read, I'm
going to make art for myself orwhatever it is that you do.
I'm going to do the thing thatbrings me life in a place of
rest, trusting that God'sgoodness and his promise to
provide and care for me has notchanged based on my productivity
or, in these seasons,non-productivity.
(18:06):
Because why?
Because we know that God'spromise is that he is working
behind the scenes, even when youand I can't see those immediate
results.
So what are some practicalsteps for you?
And I think you know theseseasons are seasons of number
one, seeking God's presenceright, taking extended time with
(18:29):
him to pray and to worship, toread his word, just like it says
in Psalm 46, you know, be stilland know that I am God.
Number two this has always beena big, big part of my, I think
spiritual growth, and evenartistic growth as an artist, is
to really reflect and journal,take time to write down your
(18:51):
thoughts and your prayers andallow yourself to have the space
to listen to the voice of theLord and write down what you
feel like he's, he's showing you, so that you can begin to allow
this, this time of rest and andfallow ground, to really be the
incubator for the next thingthat you need.
Number three, I would say restand rejuvenate, you know, give
(19:15):
yourself permission, even asfrom the Lord, to rest
physically and emotionally andspiritually, without worrying
about missing something, butrather recognizing that this
season is a God-ordained season.
And so do things that refreshyour soul, do things that
(19:36):
rejuvenate you, do things thatmake you laugh and smile and
give you joy in your life, andthey may have nothing to do with
your spiritual life.
Great Go, do those things thatwhen you do it, you feel the
pleasure of God, you feel thelife of God, of God, running
through your veins.
Do those things, give yourselfpermission in that.
(20:01):
Number four, I'd say you know,connect with community.
Choosing to allow yourself tobe in the middle of community
allows others to stir up loveand good works in you, and also
you doing the same for them.
So, as you assemble together,whether it's in church or in
small groups or just having apool party or a Friday night
(20:22):
movie night, or whatever it isgoing out to eat, just getting
together and celebrating lifetogether with people who really
know your stuff the good, thebad, the ugly where you are and
can walk with you and arewilling to walk through this
season of life with you, withoutjudgment and without advice.
And then the last thing I wouldsay, just as far as practical
(20:46):
steps to embrace these fallowseasons, is remind yourself
intentionally, remind yourselfof God's faithfulness and his
promises in your life.
I've loved for years, since myteenage years, proverbs 3, 5
through 6,.
This is trust in the Lord withall your heart.
Lean, not into your ownunderstanding, but in all your
(21:08):
ways acknowledge him and he willdirect your path or he will,
you know, make your pathstraight.
God's promise, when we trust inhim, is to lead us and direct
us and to guide us even when youdon't know what's going on.
Listen, if you've not picked upthe devotion book that I wrote
(21:29):
last year, I want to encourageyou to do it.
It's called awakening to God'skingdom within.
It's a 90-day devotional thatis super quick to read.
It starts with a scriptureverse, a little bit of
reflection and then a prayer andan affirmation for you to begin
to declare over your life.
And it's just one of those waysthat will train your inner life
(21:52):
to be able to speak the thingsthat God has for you, to begin
to sow the word of God in yourlife so that it can be the thing
that is producing fruit in yourlife.
Because, listen again, in thesefallow seasons the enemy wants
to come to steal and to kill andto destroy.
But you got to know what theword of God says, right In John
(22:14):
10, 10,.
Jesus came.
He would give us life and giveit to the full.
And here's the key Abundantlife for you and I is not
measured by our constantproductivity but by a deep,
abiding relationship with theLord, regardless of what's going
on externally.
(22:35):
Really living in the kingdom ofGod involves trusting God's
process and timing and knowingthat he's working all things
together for our good, even whenyou and I have no clue what's
going on in our life.
Listen, my friend, I think theolder that I get and the more I
walk with the Lord, the morecomfortable I am with the
(22:59):
mystery of having no clue.
That doesn't mean that I'm notplanning.
That doesn't mean I'm notdreaming.
I mean I believe fully.
You've heard me teach so manytimes on Proverbs 16, 9.
In his heart, a man plans hisway, but the Lord orders his
step.
But listen, sometimes, whenthere's no plans, when there's
no dreams, when there's novision, it's just a time to pull
(23:21):
back and rest in the Lord andallow him to do some internal
work so that you can be preparedfor the next external thing
that he has for you.
My friend, I love you.
I'd appreciate you listeninghere every week and I pray that
this will speak to you.
If you are in a fallow seasonof life, or maybe if that's not
(23:43):
where you are right now and youknow somebody that is and
they're really strugglingthrough it, I pray that you'll
encourage them to listen to thisas well, so that they can take
heart and really just lean backinto this time of
unproductiveness andunfruitfulness in their life.
I love you, my friend.
Thanks for joining me and besure to share this with a friend
(24:05):
.
Be sure to like, subscribe,comment, do all the stuff, and I
look forward to seeing you nexttime right here on the podcast.
Love you, friend, bye.
Welcome to the God's Plan for Living podcast, where I
give you a simple roadmap toliving your ideal kingdom life.
I'm Matt Tommey, your host.
Let's get started.
Well, hey, my friend, welcometo the podcast.
I'm Matt Tommey, your host, andsuper glad that you are with me
today.
Listen, I wanted to take alittle bit of time and talk
about something that I don'tthink we talk enough about,
which is doing nothing about,which is doing nothing
(00:29):
specifically, sort of theseseasons in life that we go
through that seem.
Many people call it a fallowseason or fallow ground in our
life.
Unless you feel like oh, not me.
I try to keep productive andkeep producing, no matter what.
Listen, that's been me for alot of years, but I think one of
the things that the Lord isteaching me and Tanya, both in
this season that we're walkingthrough right now, is that it's
(00:50):
good to have seasons ofunfruitfulness.
It's good to let the ground ofyour life, the ground of your
vocation, the ground of yourcalling, your assignment, rest.
Even in Leviticus 25, you know,the Lord calls the people of
Israel to, every seventh year,let the ground rest.
(01:11):
Why?
Because you can't be fruitfulall of the time.
In fact, I remember a couple ofyears ago when we moved out here
to Texas and we're beginningmaybe not quite beginning, but
sort of in the, in the throes ofof transition, moving out here
and our business and life and myart and all the, all those
things were really starting tochange in our life.
(01:32):
And I remember calling a friendof mine, ray Hughes, who's been
a mentor of mine for years andjust was bemoaning the fact of
what am I doing and what am Igoing through and this is crazy
and life doesn't feel the sameand I don't feel as fruitful and
all this sort of thing.
And he began to really speakinto my life a lot of wisdom
about you know how trees andplants and vines listen, we're
(01:55):
not, they're not made to befruitful all the time.
In fact, he told me about astudy that a university had done
that that tried to get a fruittree to be, uh, fruitful in
every season, and they got it todo it for one year and at the
end of that year it died.
It was like, oh, we're notdesigned to be fruitful all the
(02:16):
time.
Life is this series right Of ofseasons, with seasons of
fruitfulness and seasons ofdormancy, seasons of winter,
where everything feels coveredup, seasons of fall where we're
harvesting, seasons of springwhere we're planting, seasons of
summer where things are growingand look really lush.
(02:36):
But I think for all of us, nomatter where you find yourself
in the body of Christ, you haveto start realizing that as we
walk with the Lord, we're goingto have to learn to embrace and
understand the seasons of lifethat we walk through, and you
can't expect every season to bea fruitful season.
(02:57):
Now, what does the enemy want todo?
Well, of course the enemy doeswhat he always does, which is
wanting to bring doubt.
Well, of course the enemy doeswhat he always does, which is
wanting to bring doubt andconfusion and accusation.
He wants to accuse you of notbeing enough.
He wants to say that somehowthis fallow season or this
season of rest that you're goingthrough is because you've done
(03:18):
something wrong.
But nothing could be furtherfrom the truth.
That's why identity, I mean wetalk about it so much in my
mentoring program and on thepodcast and in books, everywhere
I'm always talking aboutidentity.
Why?
Because unless you know who youare in Christ and what God's
(03:38):
called you to, you will bethrown to the side and thrown
off balance by the changing ofseasons in your life and the
things that the enemy wants todo in the middle of those times.
And so these times ofunfruitfulness, it can feel like
of fallow ground.
(03:58):
You know, these are notunimportant in our life, they're
vital.
They're vital for us to be ableto recharge and renew and
reinvest in ourself and learn torest in all of the goodness of
God in our life, separate fromwhat we're producing in our life
(04:18):
.
These times where we can healand be restored and re-energized
for the future.
They are required for all of us.
Otherwise, you end up eitherrunning off of the fumes and the
winds from yesterday or you'rejust trying to strive and make
it all happen by yourself.
(04:39):
And I'm learning in my own life,at 50 years old, and walking
through uh, you know, walkingthrough great seasons and
walking through challengingseasons.
Seasons of rest and seasons ofrecharging are important.
And here's, here's, one of thebig, big things that the enemy
wants to do.
The enemy wants to tell youthat because you're resting, or
(05:02):
because you're not as fruitful,you're not as productive in
these seasons that somehow God'sleft you, you're not going to
be provided for, you're going to, you're going to miss out
somehow on what God is doing.
You're not keeping step withwhat's going on in the business
world and in this world or thatworld, and if you don't keep
keep going, if you don't keepposting on social media and you
(05:24):
don't keep going, if you don'tkeep posting on social media and
you don't keep speaking anddoing all this, if you don't
keep all that circus, if youwill going that somehow you're
going to miss out on the nextbig thing.
Somehow you're going to missyour calling, miss your
opportunity.
But listen, I would say thatit's constant busyness that is
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much more the culprit in causingus to miss things, if you will,
and get off track and miss thetiming of things than rest ever
has been, because it's inresting is that we learn to hear
God's voice again, we learn togo back to the basics.
It's in those times when thefield of our life, if you will,
(06:13):
can feel barren and unproductive.
Listen, it's a challenge.
It's a challenge for me.
It can be disheartening, butyou got to keep remembering.
I'm not defined by what I do.
I'm defined by who I am, andwho I am is determined by what
God has said about me in hisword.
(06:35):
You know, in an agriculturalcontext, fallow ground really
refers to land that's beenplowed and prepared but left
unseated on purpose in order forthat ground to recover its
fertility.
And you know, god allows thesekind of periods in our life,
these seasons in our life whereour productivity ceases and we
(06:59):
get to be in this sort ofspiritually fallow place of
spiritual rest and restoration.
I mean you can see it allthrough God's word, right?
I mean, think about Moses.
Before leading the Israelitesout of Egypt, he spent 40 years
Lord, please don't let it be 40years but he spent 40 years in
the desert.
But this time of on purposeunfruitfulness was a period of
(07:25):
preparation and oftransformation.
It was in the desert that Moseslearned what to rely on God and
to be equipped to lead hispeople through their wilderness
journey.
But he had to be prepared firstand the beautiful thing I love
watching whether it's Moses, youknow 40 years of the desert.
(07:46):
Whether it's David, you know,who spent so many years fleeing
from King Saul before heactually got to ascend the
throne.
Or even Jesus, who had a seasonof significant preparation
before beginning his publicministry, and you know not only
the 30 years before he reallystepped into ministry, but then
(08:08):
40 days in the wilderness offasting and praying and dealing
with the enemy in a period ofreal solitude and testing.
But what did it do?
It strengthened and preparedthem.
And the beautiful thing was, inall of those situations and
others, god's goodness is stillfully on display.
(08:29):
God's provision and hisfaithfulness are still on
display, and still faithful inthe middle of seasons where we
feel like we don't have anythingto bring to the table.
To bring to the table.
(08:50):
Listen, it's in times of thisfallow seasons, this fallow
ground, that we learn to reallytrust, beyond just lip service,
god's perfect timing in our life.
Remember that verse in Isaiah40, 31,.
We all know it, but it goeslike this but those who wait on
the Lord shall renew theirstrength.
They'll mount up on wings likeeagles, they shall run and not
(09:12):
be weary.
They shall walk and not faint.
In other words, what Waiting onthe Lord is not just lounging
around.
Waiting on the Lord is notdoing just nothing.
Waiting on the Lord is not apassive activity, but actually
this sort of active engagementin trusting and relying on Him.
I'm learning to do that rightnow.
(09:33):
Things in our life have been ina lot of transition since we've
moved to Texas.
Things are shifting, things arechanging, my heart is pointing
in new directions and yet I'mnot even sure fully what that
looks like.
So much of my time right now,which has been for years focused
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on this real season of favorand influence and impact and
touching hundreds of thousandsof people around the world, all
of a sudden the Lord startedshifting that.
Not in a way like, matt, you'vedone something wrong.
I'm removing the favor fromyour life.
No, he's just shifting.
He said I got something new foryou.
We've had so many differentprophetic words over our life
(10:19):
that said, yep, you're intransition.
God's about to bring anotherwing to the plane he's lifting.
He's, you know, lifting up your, your eyes to something greater
than what you've known so far.
Get ready, enjoy the downtime,because it's about to get busy
when it does.
But it's so interesting, youknow, in the day to day, for me
at least, it can be a challenge,because you're not doing the
(10:41):
same things you were doing.
You're not, you're not even,maybe, passionate about the same
things that you were passionateabout.
Why?
Because God's not only changingthe external situations in your
life, he's changing theinternal framework of your life
as well, to be able todisconnect your heart from
things that have been great inthe past but are maybe not for
(11:02):
this new season, and learning todeepen your trust in him so
that, when he does bring the newthing along, you're fully ready
to embrace it.
And that's the thing I I thinkfor me and for so many of us.
You have to continue toactively renew your mind in
these fallow seasons,remembering, like you know,
jeremiah 29, 11,.
(11:22):
This is for I know the plansthat I have for you declares the
Lord plans to prosper you, notharm you, to give you a hope and
a future.
Listen, even when you can't seeGod's hand actively at work in
your life, and even when you'renot, you don't feel like you're
experiencing that flow and thatfavor and all that you have to
(11:45):
remember.
You know whoever said the oldadage when you can't see his
hand, trust his heart.
And I think there was an oldsong from the 80s or something,
I don't know, but I've just,I've always remembered that Even
you know, when you can't seeGod's hand working in your life,
when you're not sure what'sgoing on, that's why we have his
(12:07):
word, that's why we have theHoly Spirit resident living
inside of us, never leaving us.
Why?
Because, no matter what's goingon, we are still convinced that
he loves me, he's for me, he'sgot plans for me.
I just got to keep walking,keep moving, keep trusting his
heart and trusting that theplans that he has for me are
good.
Listen, I think for me, as Ilook back over fallow seasons in
(12:32):
my life, you know, one of thethings that the Lord does
usually in these seasons is areal focus on deepening our
relationship with him, ofdrawing us close to him during
these times to allow us toremember hey, I'm the one that
brought you here, I'm the onethat defines who you are.
(12:55):
But you know what?
One of the things that happenswhen he does that you begin to
receive and recognize the needfor healing and recovery in your
life.
You know, just like fallowground, in the agricultural sort
of way, recovers and regainsits nutrients.
Our souls right, our heart, ourmind, our spirit needs time to
(13:18):
heal and recover from life'swear and tear and all the stuff
that we go through.
And listen, for me, I would haveto say, of my whole life, the
last probably 15 years of ourlife have been the most fruitful
, fulfilling, favor-filledseason of our life and yet right
(13:39):
now things look and feeldifferent.
But guess what, while that hasbeen a wonderful, wonderful
season, I know that God's gotbetter things ahead.
I know there's a new iterationand I know that during this
season of favor I've gotten somewounds.
I've gotten some mindsets thatneed to shift.
I've gotten some habits thatmaybe were not the best, that
(14:02):
there were just ways of doingthings that I was doing the best
I knew.
But God said, hey, you can'ttake those things into this new
season.
And so, like in Psalm 23, whereit talks about God allowing us
to and making us really to liedown in green pastures and
leading us beside still watersand restoring our souls, these
(14:24):
kind of seasons of fallow groundallow God to restore the
weariness and the brokenness ofour hearts and bring healing to
us in a deeper, deeper way.
And of course, that prepares usright for the good things that
he has promised for us.
Remember Philippians 1, 6,.
(14:45):
It says being confident of thisvery thing that he who has
begun a good work in you will.
A fallow season is essentialfor the abundant life and for
the full kingdom expression ofHis kingdom in and through us.
(15:06):
It's essential.
You can't go to the next placethat God has for you without
walking through these seasons offallow ground.
So what do you do then?
I mean, this has been myquestion.
I'm a doer, right?
I'm the Mary of Mary and Martha, right, I want to get after it.
I love it when the Lord givesme a plan rather than just a
(15:31):
promise.
I'm like Nehemiah, like manshow me the building plan and I
can get it done, get her done.
You know, that's what I want todo, but sometimes God doesn't
give you the plan.
He gives you a promise.
And in the time of promise,only you got to keep walking,
just like Noah did.
He kept building that ark eventhough all he had was just a
(15:54):
promise from the Lord.
Abraham, he had a promise fromthe Lord I'm going to bless you,
but you got to start walking.
And so, in these times of fallowground, I think one of the key
principles that we have toembrace on a deeper level is
rest, divine rest.
It's something that Godestablished.
(16:15):
This isn't my idea, this isn'tsome you know sort of just, you
know psychobabble sort of idea.
Divine rest is a principle thatwas established by God from the
very beginning, even in Genesis2, it says that you know, after
God created the world, herested on the seventh day, and
so rest is not a sign of beingslack or lazy or not doing
(16:39):
anything.
Rest is not a sign of weakness,but actually a reflection of
God's own rhythm inside of ourlife.
That's the beautiful thing.
When we rest, we reflect thenature of God inside of our life
.
That's the beautiful thing.
When we rest, we reflect thenature of God inside of us.
And Jesus invited us to restright In Matthew 11, 28 and 30,.
(17:00):
He says come to me all you whoare weary and burdened, and I'll
give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learnfrom me, for I'm gentle and
humble in heart, heart, andyou'll find rest for your souls,
for my yoke is easy and myburden is light.
That's the rhythm of life thatwe're supposed to be walking in.
(17:23):
And so, in these seasons ofunfruitfulness and these seasons
that feel like what am I doing?
I need to be doing something.
Listen, it's a greatopportunity to pull back and say
you know what.
I'm going to do some soul care.
I'm going to do some life care.
I'm going to enjoy my life.
I'm going to go for a walk inthe morning, instead of doing
the work that I used to do, I'mgoing to.
I'm going to write in myjournal.
(17:44):
Instead of writing somethingfor everybody else to read, I'm
going to make art for myself orwhatever it is that you do.
I'm going to do the thing thatbrings me life in a place of
rest, trusting that God'sgoodness and his promise to
provide and care for me has notchanged based on my productivity
or, in these seasons,non-productivity.
(18:06):
Because why?
Because we know that God'spromise is that he is working
behind the scenes, even when youand I can't see those immediate
results.
So what are some practicalsteps for you?
And I think you know theseseasons are seasons of number
one, seeking God's presenceright, taking extended time with
(18:29):
him to pray and to worship, toread his word, just like it says
in Psalm 46, you know, be stilland know that I am God.
Number two this has always beena big, big part of my, I think
spiritual growth, and evenartistic growth as an artist, is
to really reflect and journal,take time to write down your
(18:51):
thoughts and your prayers andallow yourself to have the space
to listen to the voice of theLord and write down what you
feel like he's, he's showing you, so that you can begin to allow
this, this time of rest and andfallow ground, to really be the
incubator for the next thingthat you need.
Number three, I would say restand rejuvenate, you know, give
(19:15):
yourself permission, even asfrom the Lord, to rest
physically and emotionally andspiritually, without worrying
about missing something, butrather recognizing that this
season is a God-ordained season.
And so do things that refreshyour soul, do things that
(19:36):
rejuvenate you, do things thatmake you laugh and smile and
give you joy in your life, andthey may have nothing to do with
your spiritual life.
Great Go, do those things thatwhen you do it, you feel the
pleasure of God, you feel thelife of God, of God, running
through your veins.
Do those things, give yourselfpermission in that.
(20:01):
Number four, I'd say you know,connect with community.
Choosing to allow yourself tobe in the middle of community
allows others to stir up loveand good works in you, and also
you doing the same for them.
So, as you assemble together,whether it's in church or in
small groups or just having apool party or a Friday night
(20:22):
movie night, or whatever it isgoing out to eat, just getting
together and celebrating lifetogether with people who really
know your stuff the good, thebad, the ugly where you are and
can walk with you and arewilling to walk through this
season of life with you, withoutjudgment and without advice.
And then the last thing I wouldsay, just as far as practical
(20:46):
steps to embrace these fallowseasons, is remind yourself
intentionally, remind yourselfof God's faithfulness and his
promises in your life.
I've loved for years, since myteenage years, proverbs 3, 5
through 6,.
This is trust in the Lord withall your heart.
Lean, not into your ownunderstanding, but in all your
(21:08):
ways acknowledge him and he willdirect your path or he will,
you know, make your pathstraight.
God's promise, when we trust inhim, is to lead us and direct
us and to guide us even when youdon't know what's going on.
Listen, if you've not picked upthe devotion book that I wrote
(21:29):
last year, I want to encourageyou to do it.
It's called awakening to God'skingdom within.
It's a 90-day devotional thatis super quick to read.
It starts with a scriptureverse, a little bit of
reflection and then a prayer andan affirmation for you to begin
to declare over your life.
And it's just one of those waysthat will train your inner life
(21:52):
to be able to speak the thingsthat God has for you, to begin
to sow the word of God in yourlife so that it can be the thing
that is producing fruit in yourlife.
Because, listen again, in thesefallow seasons the enemy wants
to come to steal and to kill andto destroy.
But you got to know what theword of God says, right In John
(22:14):
10, 10,.
Jesus came.
He would give us life and giveit to the full.
And here's the key Abundantlife for you and I is not
measured by our constantproductivity but by a deep,
abiding relationship with theLord, regardless of what's going
on externally.
(22:35):
Really living in the kingdom ofGod involves trusting God's
process and timing and knowingthat he's working all things
together for our good, even whenyou and I have no clue what's
going on in our life.
Listen, my friend, I think theolder that I get and the more I
walk with the Lord, the morecomfortable I am with the
(22:59):
mystery of having no clue.
That doesn't mean that I'm notplanning.
That doesn't mean I'm notdreaming.
I mean I believe fully.
You've heard me teach so manytimes on Proverbs 16, 9.
In his heart, a man plans hisway, but the Lord orders his
step.
But listen, sometimes, whenthere's no plans, when there's
no dreams, when there's novision, it's just a time to pull
(23:21):
back and rest in the Lord andallow him to do some internal
work so that you can be preparedfor the next external thing
that he has for you.
My friend, I love you.
I'd appreciate you listeninghere every week and I pray that
this will speak to you.
If you are in a fallow seasonof life, or maybe if that's not
(23:43):
where you are right now and youknow somebody that is and
they're really strugglingthrough it, I pray that you'll
encourage them to listen to thisas well, so that they can take
heart and really just lean backinto this time of
unproductiveness andunfruitfulness in their life.
I love you, my friend.
Thanks for joining me and besure to share this with a friend
(24:05):
.
Be sure to like, subscribe,comment, do all the stuff, and I
look forward to seeing you nexttime right here on the podcast.
Love you, friend, bye.
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