This is a very deceptive condition for you may still think that you have your treasure when in fact it has been choked out. And, someday you will wake up to the fact that you really do not have peace and joy anymore. The cares of this life are legitimate things and seem harmless. You know that there is nothing wrong in doing any of those things, such as, working to provide for your family. And so we see that to find this hidden treasure, we must break up our fallow ground, sow to ourselves righteousness, seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon us, and gather out the stones that may prevent us from having depth in our experience.
Fallow ground refers to an empty or unplanted field.
The ground is hard and covered with weeds. In order to grow a good crop it needs to be tilled, broken up, so that seed will have a chance to germinate and grow. When your heart is hardened toward God, you are fallow ground. Now you may think that you have plenty of reason to be hardened toward God for the way that others have treated you. You have no cause what ever to be hardened toward God.