Today we continue our new series entitled, “Press through it! Let’s go to something the Apostle Paul taught the believers in Galatia. It’s about sowing and reaping. Paul said:
(Gal 6:7-9 The Passion Translation)
Make no mistake about it, God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest. The harvest you reap reveals the seed that was planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect to experience a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap the beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit. And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming!
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. The earth functions on a system of sowing and reaping.
a) The entire earth functions on the basis of cause and effect, sowing and reaping, and the free will of humans. Without question, we will reap whatever we sow.
b) The harvest you are reaping is revealing to you the seeds you have been sowing. If you don’t like the harvest, you have to check the seed.
c) The only way to change your harvest is to change your seed. When you realize this, you stop blaming others, or even God, for the situations you clearly put yourself in. You have to take responsibility for your own actions.
2. Harvest time follows seed time, but the results are not immediate.
a) Paul knew what we all know, and that is that although the Bible promises a harvest, harvest time does not come right away. It would be foolish for a farmer to plant corn today and expect a harvest of corn tomorrow. Harvest takes time. There is a space between planting and reaping, sowing and receiving, work and reward.
b) This reminds me of a passage in Mark 4 where Jesus taught a parable about this. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. Days go by and whether the man is up or sleeping, it does not matter, the seed is still working. Jesus explained how the soil produces grain: first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. And then Jesus said, “As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come” (see Mark 4:26-29). The problem with all of this is that the harvest takes time to produce and manifest, and the person doing the sowing is never really sure how long it will take. That’s why Paul told us not to grow weary. If we grow weary and give up, we will fail to enjoy the harvest we sowed so diligently to receive.
c) God is not a microwave God. You are not going to sow a good seed today and reap a harvest on that seed tomorrow. If you want to reap a harvest on the seeds you are sowing, you are going to have to HOLD ON long enough to see them come to pass.
3. If you quit before your harvest time you run the risk of missing out on the harvest altogether.
a) The Bible promises us that our season of harvest is coming. The Bible teaches us that we will reap, “if we do not give up.” This also means that if we give up before our harvest comes, we may actually miss out on the harvest God wanted us to have, and it will be our fault, not God’s. It will be because we did not have the determination to hold on long enough to see what God promised.
b) Satan knows that he cannot stop God, nor can he stop you when you are believing God to receive a harvest on the seeds you have sown. But he also knows that he if can get you frustrated, weary, disillusioned and disheartened, you will stop believing God. Once you are no longer in-faith, you stifle the harvest process. This is why satan attacks you so hard. The only way you can fail to reap a harvest is if YOU QUIT.
c) While you are believing God to do what He promised He would do in your life, there will come a point where you feel the pressure to grow weary and give up. Satan will put all the pressure he can on you. But don’t do it! Hold on. Keep believing. Harvest time IS COMING!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I live my life as a sower. Therefore, I shall also live my life as a reaper. I sow Godly seed daily. I know I shall reap a harvest on every seed sown. I may not know how long it is going to take, but I do know that I will never relax the grip that I have on my faith. I will never lower my expectations. I will never walk away from my harvest. I stand on Your Word, in faith, with full expectations that what You said shall come to pass in my life. My season of harvest is coming DUE, and I will not quit before my DUE SEASON. I will live long enough and believe long enough to see everything You promised come to pass! I will not grow weary. I will not allow myself to be disheartened or disillusioned. I refuse to delve into depression. I look up and not down. I look forward and not backward. I live every day with a Godly expectation of harvest. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
