Sowing and Reaping - The Plan for Growth and Success!

A few days ago I wrote a short article titled "Biblical Faith and It's Results" on this blog. In that article I discussed and defined biblical faith as both believing and acting on the Word of God. I also discussed the importance of confession, speaking in line with God's Word, and standing on His Word until His promise is fulfilled in our lives. This involves the principle of sowing and reaping.

I wrote and posted an article recently on one of my other blogs (www.christosourhealer.blogspot.com) titled "The Word is the Necessary Seed for Harvest". My purpose here is not to repeat what was written in that article (please read that article to understand more fully the principle of the "seed"), but simply to highlight that God's Word is seed (Luke 8:11). As seed, it contains the "genetic code" for our success concerning both eternal life and living life here on earth more abundantly by being connected with the author and overcomer - God Himself. However, without planting the seed, we will never see a harvest. So, planting it is necessary for it to grow and bear abundant fruit. When we plant the Word of God firmly in our hearts, it must be with full of faith and obedience. In doing so, we will see God grow our faith and bring forth abundant fruit, as well as answered prayer.

We have all seen God answer prayer instantaneously and we have also seen Him answer prayer only after a season - sometimes short and sometimes long. When He answers prayer instantaneously, that can be in the realm of being called a miracle. When an answer is instantaneous, we rejoice and are astounded by God's goodness and faithfulness. Yet, when a prayer isn't answered immediately, we can faint, become weary and even lose our hope, thinking that God has not either heard or answered us. However, this is far from being true!

It is important to point out that there are some prerequisites for answered prayer that I discussed in my other article. These include: walking in obedience to God (John 14:21), praying according to the will of God [the promises in His Word] (Proverbs 4:20-22, 1 John 5:14-15), and cultivating faith in our lives by continually hearing and reading the Word (Romans 10:17).

If we are in the situation where God is not answering our prayers immediately, do not despair - God is at work! A farmer understands that when he plants seed that he must place it in nutrient-rich soil, water it, exposure it to the sun and then wait with patience. The farmer has confidence that the seed is not dormant and is, in fact, busy growing; though he may not see any evidence of growth for a time. It is exactly the same with regard to receiving answers to our prayers. Not every prayer has a manifested answer immediately when we pray. This is also true concerning healing - not every healing is manifested immediately when we pray. But, we can still stand confident that God has answered our prayer, even when we do not see the evidence of it - yet!

God is a God of His Word. He will never go against His Word. He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). Hebrews 11:1 says: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". We need to make sure that we stand in faith and being certain, based upon the Word, that God has granted our request. Like the farmer who planted the seed in fertile soil, we too must wait for it to germinate and then after come to a full harvest, all in due season. During this time, like the farmer we must cultivate it. How do we do this? As I mentioned before, we cultivate our faith by trusting God, walking obediently, and building our faith by continually being in His Word.

There is another component to seeing God's promises coming to pass in our lives. It involves thanksgiving, praise and worship. It may seem very counter-intuitive, but we are to thank Him for the answer to our prayers before they are manifested/revealed. You see, by faith we know we have our request even prior to actually receiving it. When we thank, praise and worship we take an active step into the faith realm and create two things. The first thing we create is a heart full of faith and expectation, one that is eager to receive - this is keeping the soil of our hearts cultivated. The second thing we create is opportunity and initiative to enter into God's dimension with humility and gratitude. In doing so, He loves to grant the requests of His children who call upon His name.

During these seasons when we wait for God to answer our prayers, no matter how short or long they are, we are growing abundantly in our faith. While receiving the answer to our specific prayer is important, it is infinitely more important that we are creating a heart and life inclining itself toward God, hungry for and full of love for Him. Such a life is therefore ready to receive every great blessing from Him. This is the fruit of the abundant harvest of our lives.

Be confident and full of faith! Whatever we sow, we shall reap (Galatians 6:7-8). When we sow God's Word into our hearts, as we stand in His Word by faith, we will see His promises fulfilled and our prayers answered!

In the name of Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider),

Ross