
                    BREAKING UP THE FALLOW GROUND 

                      An Outline For Repentance 


     This ˙is ˙for ˙Christians who have had trouble finding ˙the ˙true 
peace that is promised with conversion.  ˙For those who are frustrated 
because ˙they are constantly struggling with weakness and ˙sin, ˙˙this 
could well be the very help they've been praying for.  ˙Charles Finney 
saw ˙more ˙true conversions in his life and ministry ˙than ˙any ˙other 
American before or since.  ˙We thank God for continuing to anoint ˙and 
use his writings.  ˙Many thousands have been helped by this article to 
break ˙through to God's precious forgiveness.  ˙Remember one thing ˙as 
you ˙read this - God loves you so much, ˙and is waiting for you to ˙be 
thoroughly ˙cleansed by His grace through repentance.  ˙- ˙˙Keith ˙and 
Melody Green 

     The Jews were a nation of farmers, ˙and it is therefore a ˙common 
thing for God to refer, ˙in the Scriptures, to scenes from their daily 
lives ˙as ˙illustrations.  ˙˙Hosea ˙addresses ˙them ˙as ˙a ˙nation ˙of 
backsliders, ˙˙but uses words that farmers and shepherds are ˙familiar 
with.  ˙˙He rebukes them for their idolatry and sharply warns them ˙of 
the impending judgments of God. 
     A revival consists of two parts: ˙its effect on the Church, ˙˙and 
its effect on the ungodly.  ˙I will speak at this time of a revival in 
the Church.  ˙Fallow ground is ground which has once been tilled, ˙but 
now ˙it lies waste and has gotten hard.  ˙It needs to be broken up and 
made soft again, before it is ready to receive seed. 
     If you mean to break up the fallow ground of your heart, you must 
begin ˙by looking at your heart: ˙examine carefully the state of ˙your 
mind ˙and ˙see where you are.  ˙Many people never even seem ˙to ˙think 
about ˙doing this!  ˙They pay no attention to their own ˙hearts, ˙˙and 
never ˙know whether they are doing well in their walk with the Lord or 
not; whether they are gaining ground or going backwards; ˙whether they 
are bearing fruit or are totally barren.  ˙Now you must draw off ˙your 
attention from all other things and look into this right now!  ˙Make a 
business of it, do not be in a hurry.  Examine the state of your heart 
thoroughly, ˙and see where you are: are you walking with God everyday, 
or with the Devil? 
     Self-examination ˙consists of looking at your life, ˙˙considering 
your ˙motives ˙and actions...calling up your past and seeing its ˙true 
character.  Look back over your past history.  Take up your individual 
sins one by one, ˙and look at them.  This doesn't mean that you should 
just take a casual glance at your past life, ˙and see that it has been 
full of sins and then go to God and make a sort of general confession, 
asking forgiveness.  ˙This is not the way.  ˙You must take them up one 
by one.  ˙It's a good idea to take a pen and some paper as you go over 
them, and write them down as they come to mind. 
     Go ˙over them as carefully as a businessman goes over his ˙books; 
and ˙as often as a sin comes to your memory, ˙write it down!  ˙General 
confessions of sin are not good enough.  ˙Your sins were committed one 
by ˙one; ˙and as much as you are able, ˙they ought to be reviewed ˙and 
repented of one by one.  ˙Now begin, ˙and start with what are usually, 
but ˙improperly called 'sins of omission' ˙(i.e. ˙things you didn't do 
that you should have). 

INGRATITUDE (unthankfulness).  ˙Take this sin, for example, ˙and write 
down under this heading all the times you can remember where you ˙have 
received ˙great blessings and favors from God for which you have never 
given ˙thanks.  ˙˙How many cases can you remember?  ˙˙Some ˙remarkable 
protection ˙where your life was spared, ˙some wonderful turn of events 
that saved you from ruin.  ˙Write down the instances of God's goodness 
to you when you were living in sin, ˙before your conversion, for which 
you have never been half-thankful enough; ˙and the uncountable mercies 
you ˙have ˙received ˙since.  ˙How long the list of ˙times ˙where ˙your 
ingratitude has been so black that you are forced to hide your face in 
shame!  ˙Get on your knees and confess them one by one to God, and ask 
Him to forgive you.  As you're confessing these, they will immediately 
remind ˙you of others...write these down too!  ˙Go over them three ˙of 
four times in this way, and see what an incredible number of times God 
has given you mercy for which you have never thanked Him! 

LACK OF LOVE FOR GOD.  ˙Think how grieved and alarmed you'd be, if you 
suddenly ˙realized ˙a great lack of affection for you ˙in ˙your ˙wife, 
husband, ˙or children; if you saw that someone else had captured their 
hearts, ˙thoughts and time.  ˙Perhaps in such a case you would ˙almost 
die with a just and holy jealousy.  ˙Now, ˙God calls Himself a jealous 
God. ˙˙Have ˙you not given your heart to other ˙loves ˙and ˙infinitely 
offended Him? 

NEGLECT OF THE BIBLE.  ˙Put down the cases where for perhaps weeks, or 
longer, God's word was not a pleasure.  Some people, indeed, read over 
whole chapters in such a way, ˙that afterwards they could not tell you 
what they had been reading.  ˙If that is so with you, ˙no wonder ˙your 
life has no direction, ˙and your religion (relationship with God), ˙is 
such a miserable failure. 

UNBELIEF.  ˙˙Recall the instances in which you have virtually ˙charged 
the God of truth with lying, ˙by your unbelief of His express promises 
and declarations.  If you have not believed or expected to receive the 
blessings which God has clearly promised, you have called Him a liar. 

LACK ˙OF PRAYER.  ˙Think of all the times you have neglected ˙private-
prayer, ˙family-prayer and group-prayer meetings; ˙or prayed in such a 
way ˙as ˙to grieve and offend God more, ˙than if you hadn't prayed ˙at 
all. 

NEGLECT OF FELLOWSHIP.  ˙When you have allowed yourself to make small, 
and ˙foolish excuses that have prevented you from attending ˙meetings. 
When ˙you have neglected and poured contempt upon the gathering of the 
saints merely because you "didn't like church!" 

THE MANNER IN WHICH YOU HAVE PERFORMED SPIRITUAL DUTIES.  Think of all 
the times when you have spoken about God with such lack of feeling and 
faith, ˙in such a worldly frame of mind, ˙that your words were nothing 
more than the mere chattering of a wretch who didn't deserve that ˙God 
should ˙listen ˙to him at all.  ˙When you have fallen down ˙upon ˙your 
knees ˙and "said your prayers" ˙in such an unfeeling and careless way, 
that if you had been put under oath five minutes later, ˙you could not 
say what you had been praying for. 

LACK ˙OF ˙LOVE ˙FOR ˙SOULS.  ˙˙Look around at ˙all ˙your ˙friends ˙and 
relatives, and ˙think of how little compassion you have felt for them. 
You ˙have stood by and seen them going straight to hell, ˙and it seems 
as though you didn't even care.  ˙How many days have there been, ˙when 
you ˙have ˙failed to make their wretched condition the subject of even 
one ˙single ˙fervent ˙prayer, ˙or to prove any real desire ˙for ˙their 
salvation? 

LACK OF CARE FOR THE POOR AND LOST IN FOREIGN LANDS.  Perhaps you have 
not ˙cared ˙enough ˙about ˙them ˙to even attempt ˙to ˙learn ˙of ˙their 
condition.  ˙Do you avoid missions-magazines?  ˙How much do you really 
know or care about the unconverted masses of the world?  ˙Measure your 
desire for their salvation by the self-denial you practice, ˙in giving 
from ˙your ˙substance to send them the gospel.  ˙Do you deny ˙yourself 
even the hurtful expenses of life, such as tobacco, alcohol, expensive 
food, ˙˙clothes, ˙and entertainment?  ˙Do you defend your standard ˙of 
living?  ˙Will you not suffer yourself ANY inconvenience to save them? 
Do you daily pray for them in private?  Are you setting aside funds to 
put into the treasury of the Lord when you go up to pray?  ˙If you are 
not doing these things, ˙and if your soul is not agonized for the poor 
and ˙lost ˙of ˙this world, ˙then why are you such a ˙hypocrite ˙as ˙to 
pretend to be a Christian?  Why, your profession of faith is an insult 
to Jesus Christ! 

NEGLECT ˙OF ˙FAMILY DUTIES.  ˙Think of how you have lived before ˙your 
family, how you have prayed, what an example you have set before them. 
What ˙direct ˙efforts ˙do ˙you habitually ˙make ˙for ˙their ˙spiritual 
welfare? 

LACK ˙OF ˙WATCHFULNESS ˙OVER YOUR WITNESS.  ˙How many times ˙have ˙you 
failed ˙to take your words and actions seriously?  ˙How often have you 
entirely neglected to watch your conduct and speech, ˙and having ˙been 
off ˙your guard, ˙have sinned before the world, the church, and before 
God! 

NEGLECT TO WATCH OVER YOUR BRETHREN.  ˙How often have you broken ˙your 
covenant, ˙that you would watch over them in the Lord?  ˙How little do 
you ˙know ˙or care about the state of their souls?  ˙And yet ˙you ˙are 
under a solemn duty to watch over them.  ˙What have you done to get to 
know ˙them ˙better?  ˙How many times have you seen ˙your ˙brothers ˙or 
sisters ˙growing ˙cold ˙in ˙faith and have not spoken ˙to ˙them ˙about 
it...neglecting ˙one ˙spiritual duty after another, ˙and you ˙did ˙not 
reprove ˙them in love?  ˙You have seen them falling into sin, ˙and you 
let ˙them go on.  ˙And you pretend to love them?  ˙What ˙a ˙hypocrite! 
Would ˙you watch your wife or child going into disgrace, ˙˙or ˙falling 
into a fire, and hold your peace?  

NEGLECT OF SELF-DENIAL.  ˙There are many professing Christians who are 
willing to do almost anything in religion that does not require ˙self-
denial.  ˙˙They think they are doing a great deal for God, ˙and ˙doing 
about as much as He ought to reasonably ask, ˙but they are not willing 
to deny themselves any comfort or convenience whatever for the sake of 
serving ˙the Lord.  ˙They will not willingly suffer reproach ˙for ˙the 
name of Christ.  Nor will they deny themselves the luxuries of life to 
save ˙a ˙world from hell.  ˙So far are they from realizing that ˙self-
denial is a condition of discipleship, that they do not even know what 
it is. ˙They never have really denied themselves a ribbon or a pin for 
Christ ˙and the gospel.  ˙Oh, ˙how soon ones such as these will be ˙in 
hell!  ˙˙Some are giving from their abundance, ˙and giving a lot, ˙and 
will even complain that others do not give more; when, in truth, ˙they 
are ˙not giving anything that they need, ˙or anything that they ˙would 
enjoy if they kept it.  They only give of their surplus wealth! 

     Now we turn to sins of commission... 

LOVE OF THINGS AND POSSESSIONS.  What has been the state of your heart 
concerning ˙your ˙worldly possessions?  ˙Have you looked ˙at ˙them ˙as 
really ˙yours - as if you had a right to use, ˙or dispose of ˙them ˙as 
your own?  ˙If you have, ˙write it down!  ˙If you have loved property, 
and sought after it for its own sake, or to gratify ambition or to lay 
it up for your family, you have sinned and must repent. 

VANITY.  ˙How many times have you spent more time decorating your body 
to go to church than you have in preparing your heart and mind for the 
worship of God?  ˙You have cared more about how you appeared outwardly 
to men than how your soul appeared in the sight of God.  You sought to 
divide the worship of God's house, ˙to draw off the attention of God's 
people, ˙to look at your pretty appearance.  ˙And you pretend that you 
do not care anything about having people look at you.  Be honest about 
it!  ˙˙Would you take all this pain about your looks if ˙every ˙person 
were blind? 

ENVY.  ˙˙Look at the cases in which you were jealous of those who were 
in ˙a higher position than you.  ˙Or perhaps you have envied those who 
have been more talented, ˙or more useful than yourself.  ˙Have you not 
so envied some, ˙that it has caused you pain to hear them praised?  It 
has pleased you more ˙to ˙dwell ˙upon ˙their ˙faults ˙than ˙upon their 
virtues...upon their failures rather than their successes.  ˙Be honest 
with yourself, ˙and if you have harbored this spirit of hell, ˙˙repent 
deeply before God. 

BITTERNESS.  ˙˙Recall all the instances in which you have ˙harbored ˙a 
grudge, ˙˙or ˙a ˙bitter ˙spirit toward someone, ˙˙or ˙have ˙spoken ˙of 
Christians ˙in a manner completely devoid of charity and love.  ˙˙Love 
"hopes all things", ˙but you have given no benefit of doubt, ˙and have 
suspected the worst! 

SLANDER ˙(gossip).  ˙˙Think ˙of all the times you have ˙spoken ˙behind 
people's backs of their faults, ˙real or supposes, ˙unnecessarily ˙and 
without ˙cause.  ˙This is slander.  ˙You need not lie to be guilty ˙of 
slander; to tell the truth with the intent to injure is slander. 

LEVITY (a spirit of excessive humor).  How often have you joked before 
God, ˙˙as ˙you ˙would ˙not have dared in the presence ˙of ˙an ˙earthly 
dignitary or important official.  ˙You have either been an atheist and 
forgotten that God existed, ˙or have had less respect for Him and ˙His 
presence, than you would have had for a mere judge on earth. 

LYING.  ˙Now understand what lying is.  Any form of designed deception 
is ˙lying.  ˙If you purpose to make an impression other than the naked 
truth, ˙you lie.  Put down all those cases you can recollect.  ˙Do not 
call them by any soft names.  God calls them lies and charges you with 
lying, ˙so you'd better charge yourself correctly!  ˙Think of all your 
words, ˙˙looks, ˙and actions designed to make an impression on ˙others 
contrary to the truth, for selfish reasons. 

CHEATING.  ˙Set down all the cases where you have dealt with anyone in 
a way you, yourself would not like at all.  That is cheating.  God has 
said that we should treat all men in the same manner we would like ˙to 
be treated.  ˙That is the rule.  And if you have not done so you are a 
cheat!  ˙God did not say that you should do what you would expect them 
to ˙do, ˙˙for if that were the rule it would allow for ˙all ˙kinds ˙of 
wickedness in our actions.  ˙But it says, "Do what you would want them 
to do to you!  ˙(Have you cheated the government?  i.e., ˙unemployment 
insurance, ˙˙welfare, ˙food stamps, ˙social security, ˙student ˙loans, 
etc...gained by fraud?) 

HYPOCRISY.  For instance, in your prayers and confessions to God, ˙set 
down ˙all ˙the ˙times in which you have prayed for things ˙you ˙didn't 
really ˙want.  ˙How many times have you confessed sins that you ˙never 
intended to stop doing?  Yes, you have confessed sins when you knew in 
your heart you as much expected to go and repeat them, as you expected 
to live! 

ROBBING ˙GOD.  ˙Think of all the instances in which you ˙have ˙totally 
misspent your time, ˙squandering the hours which God gave you to serve 
Him, ˙˙and ˙save souls.  ˙Precious time wasted in ˙vain ˙amusement ˙or 
worthless ˙conversation, ˙˙in reading worldly novels, ˙or ˙even ˙doing 
nothing; ˙˙cases ˙where you have misused your talents and ˙ability ˙to 
think.  Think of how you have squandered God's money on your lusts, or 
spent ˙it ˙for ˙things which you really didn't need, ˙˙which ˙did ˙not 
contribute to your health, comfort, or usefulness. 

BAD TEMPER.  ˙Perhaps you have abused your wife, or your children, ˙or 
your family, or employees, or neighbors.  Write it all down! 

HINDERING ˙OTHERS FROM BEING USEFUL.  ˙You have not only robbed God of 
your own talents, but tied the hands of somebody else.  ˙What a wicked 
servant is he who not only is useless himself, ˙but hinders the ˙rest! 
This is done sometimes by taking their time needlessly.  Thus you have 
played into the hands of Satan, ˙and not only proved yourself to be an 
idle vagabond, but prevented others from working also. 

                 SOME IMPORTANT GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW 

     If you find you have committed a fault against anyone, ˙and ˙that 
person ˙is within your reach, ˙go and confess it immediately, ˙and get 
that ˙out of the way.  ˙If they are too far away for you to go and see 
them, ˙˙sit ˙down ˙and write them a letter (or better yet ˙call ˙them) 
confessing ˙the injury you have committed against them.  ˙If you ˙have 
defrauded anybody, send the money, the full amount and the interest. 
     Go thoroughly to work in all this!  ˙Go now!  ˙Do not put it off; 
that ˙will only make matters worse.  ˙Confess to God those ˙sins ˙that 
have been committed against God, and to man, those sins that have been 
committed ˙against man.  ˙Do not think about getting off easy by going 
around ˙the ˙stumbling-blocks.  ˙˙Take them up out of ˙the ˙way.  ˙˙In 
breaking up your fallow ground, you must remove every obstacle. Things 
may be left that you may think are little things, ˙and you may ˙wonder 
why you don't have your peace with God, ˙when the reason is your proud 
and carnal mind has covered up something which God has required you to 
confess and remove. ˙Break up all the ground and turn it over. ˙Do not 
turn aside for little difficulties; drive the plow right through them, 
beam ˙deep, ˙˙and turn the ground up so that it all may be mellow ˙and 
soft, and fit to receive the grain and bear fruit, "a hundredfold". 
     When ˙you ˙have gone thoroughly over your whole history ˙in ˙this 
way, if you will then go over the ground a second time, ˙you will find 
that the ˙things ˙you have put down will suggest other things of which 
you have been guilty, connected with them, or near them.  Then go over 
it a third time, ˙and you will recollect other ˙things ˙connected with 
these. ˙And you will find when you are finished that you can ˙remember 
an amount of history in specific detail, ˙that you did not think ˙that 
you could remember even if you had all eternity. 
     Unless ˙you take up your sins in this way, ˙and consider them ˙in 
detail, ˙one by one, ˙you can form no idea of the amount or weight ˙of 
them.  ˙˙You should go over the list as thoroughly, ˙and as carefully, 
and ˙as solemnly, ˙as if you were preparing yourself for the ˙judgment 
(1Corinthians 11:31). 
     As ˙you ˙go over the catalogue of your sins, ˙be sure to ˙resolve 
upon ˙immediate ˙and entire reformation.  ˙Wherever you find ˙anything 
wrong, ˙˙resolve at once in the strength of God to sin no more in that 
way.  ˙˙It ˙will ˙be ˙of no benefit to examine yourself, ˙˙unless ˙you 
determine ˙to ˙change, ˙in every aspect, ˙that which you find wrong in 
heart, temper, or conduct. 
     Set ˙yourself to the work now; ˙resolve that you will never ˙stop 
until ˙you ˙find ˙you ˙can ˙pray.  ˙Let there be ˙this ˙deep ˙work ˙of 
repentance and full confession, this breaking down before God, and you 
will have as much of the spirit of prayer as your body can bear.  ˙The 
reason why so few Christians know anything about the spirit of ˙prayer 
is ˙because ˙they ˙never would take the pains ˙to ˙examine ˙themselves 
properly, ˙and so they've never known what it is to have their ˙hearts 
all broken up in this way. 
     It will do no good to preach to you while your hearts are in this 
hardened, waste, and fallow state.  ˙The farmer might just as well sow 
his ˙grain upon concrete; ˙it will bring forth no fruit.  ˙This is why 
there ˙are so many fruitless professing Christians in the Church, ˙and 
why ˙there is so much technique and tradition, ˙and so little ˙sincere 
feeling.  ˙˙Look ˙at the Sunday-school for instance and see ˙how ˙many 
programs ˙and ˙trappings ˙there are, ˙and how little of the ˙power ˙of 
Godliness.  ˙If you go on like this, ˙the work 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 make the turf thicker ˙and ˙the ˙clods 
stronger. 
     Professing Christians should never satisfy themselves or expect a 
revival just by getting all excited, ˙blustering about, and talking to 
sinners.  ˙They must get their fallow ground broken up.  ˙You may ˙get 
into ˙an excitement without this breaking up; ˙you may show a kind ˙of 
zeal, ˙but it will not last long.  ˙It will not take hold of ˙sinners, 
unless ˙your hearts are broken up.  ˙The reason is, ˙that you go about 
mechanically, ˙˙without the Spirit, ˙having not broken up your ˙fallow 
ground. 
     And now, finally, will you break up your fallow ground?  Will you 
enter ˙upon ˙the ˙course now pointed out and persevere until ˙you ˙are 
thoroughly awake?  ˙If you fail here, ˙if you do not do this, ˙and get 
prepared, ˙you can go no farther with me.  I have gone with you as far 
as I can, ˙until your fallow ground is broken up.  Now, ˙you must make 
thorough work upon this point or all I have further to say will do you 
little good.  ˙No, rather it will only harden, and make you worse.  If 
you ˙do ˙not set about this work immediately, ˙I ˙shall ˙take ˙it ˙for 
granted that you do not want to be revived.  ˙If you do not do this, I 
charge you with having forsaken Christ, with refusing to repent and do 
your first works (Revelation 2:5)! 

From Chapter Three of "Revival Lectures" By Charles G. Finney 

Edited and Paraphrased by Keith and Melody Green 

 Contributed by The Manna System 
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