REAPING

Recession Proof Approach to GatheringBountiful HarvestsFirst Edition

Also by Yvette Davis

SUDDENLY FREE, RISE OF EVIL

SUDDENLY FREE, PURPOSE OF JOY

REAPINGRecession Proof Approach to GatheringBountiful HarvestsFirst edition

Yvette Carmon DavisColumbus, Ohio

Reaping, Recession Proof Approach to Gathering Bountiful Harvests. Copyright 2010-15 by Yvette Carmon Davis. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Yvette Carmon Davis, Columbus, Ohio, 43110.Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)ISBN 978-0-578-08205-9www.carmonpublishingandentertainment.comFirst published in the United States of America by Yvette Carmon Davis.

Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

PREFACE

Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. II Timothy 2:7 KJV

As I drafted this book I considered whether another book on this topic is necessary or desirable. I write the book because I hear God urging me to do so as a service to the Body of Christ. Nevertheless, my musings always ended with my initial consideration. After all, there are instructions, directives, commentaries and revelatory writings of all kinds written by wise Christian men and women. Is there really a need for more instructions?

I am informed by T.D. Jakes. In his book Woman Thou Art Loosed, he discusses how often he preached the sermon before he wrote the book.[endnoteRef:1] And when God clearly told him to write the book, Jakes was convinced that it wasnt necessary. After all, he believed that he had preached the sermon to everyone, everywhere! [1: T.D. Jakes, Woman, Thou Art Loosed!: Healing the Wounds of the Past, (Bethany House Publishers, 2004)]

Yet, that was not so. There were still plenty of people in the world who had not heard the sermon, to whom the book would be brand new information.

There are 6.7 billion people on this planet as of this writing. There are probably not enough books in the world as it is, and certainly not enough books interpreting the most important book in the world, The Holy Bible.[endnoteRef:2] [2: According to the findings, "the world stock of original books might be between 74 million books and 175 million books" (plus the total number of books that have been published in the last two years, which I have not researched). You can read how this estimate was made at: http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/research/projects/how-much-info-2003/print.htm#books, Source(s): http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/research/projects/how-much-info-2003/execsum.htm,http://www.sims.berkeley.edu/research/projects/how-much-info-2003/print.htm#books Thats not even a book per person!]

So I wrote this one, because someone, somewhere, will be reading about this topic for the first time. Or perhaps they will be doing more research to confirm some information they already stumbled across, or of which they have received a revelation.[endnoteRef:3] [3: I am informed also by Ravi Zacharias. We need to be able to give answers to the plurality of questions that come from the scientific and philosophical worlds and begin to rebuild the walls in our society and in our world that have been brokenPreparing our people for the task of Gods calling and discipleship is key to harnessing the right moment. Are we doing what is needed to get the job done and done well? Ravi Zacharias, Is There Not A Cause?, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, pp 31 and 36, 2008. Finally, 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds me that whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.]

DONT STOP GIVING!

It is not my intention to persuade the Christian reader to stop or decrease giving. As you read, I think you will be persuaded to increase your sowing in every way.

Nevertheless, this is not intended to be an exhaustive treatment of the subject. I have by no means cited or quoted every Biblical verse on the subject, or discussed or analyzed each and every related scripture. I have, however, raised the issues of sowing, reaping, and harvest in general as I am led by the Spirit of God.

I have personally learned the lessons of this book. It may look like an academic exercise, but it is actually revelation confirmed by the Word of God.[endnoteRef:4] [4: Ravi Zacharias, Is There Not A Cause?, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, 2008. The challenge of living out ones faith has always been to glimpse the glory of God and then go down from the mountain into the valley and share it with others, rather than staying in the safe place. Page 39. Proverbs 30:5, "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.]

Sowing and reaping its not all about money. Its also about ministry, gifting, all the spiritual gifts, all the fruits of the Spirit.

Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, let us know that we must avoid enslavement to the products of our freedom. Galatians 5:1 NKJV advises, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.[endnoteRef:5] [5: 1 Corinthians 6:12 12"Everything is permissible for me"but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"but I will not be mastered by anything.]

As a corollary, we know that if we love God, we will obey Him; if we take delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts.[endnoteRef:6] [6: John 14:15 If you love me, you will obey what I command. See also, Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.]

A capstone to this reasoning is that all prayers should end with Let Gods will be done, or words or sentiments to that effect.[endnoteRef:7] It is, after all, God who ordains the universe. God knows everything at once. Every prayer should be subject to His sovereignty. [7: Luke 22:42 Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. See also, James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."]

Gods perfect will is perfect freedom; freedom to be in perfect submission to Him. My will is subsumed in my desire for God and His fruits above all. There is no law or doctrine in Gods perfect will. Thats what Paul has told us. Our relationship with God has become the only doctrine we need.[endnoteRef:8] [8: Galatians 5:1-5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. See also, Romans 14.]

CHAPTER 1Matthew 13Everything is Sowing

What is sowing?

The historical backdrop of the time of Christ includes a primarily agrarian society and economy. For most people, life centered around growing plants for a harvest to have their own food to eat, to sell, to trade. Also, their harvest was used to make goods to sell or trade for other goods and other kinds of food. They relied on the sunshine and rain, good soil, appropriate tools, animals and family members to all do their part.

In this context, Jesus told parables about the seed falling on hard ground, rocky ground and good ground.[endnoteRef:9] He also talked about working in the vineyard.[endnoteRef:10] Paul referenced some who plant and some who water, and God who reaps the harvest of souls.[endnoteRef:11] The disciples and the crowds understood the concepts fairly well. [9: Matthew 13:1-23 NIV. The New Testament itself uses the word doctrine in 2 Timothy 4:3. Nevertheless, my reference to doctrine presupposes that it takes the place of rigid religious code, from which we have been freed. I believe that the Bible is the word of God to us through His servants. When making life choices, I start with the scripture. If I still have questions, I go to the Throne. No church or religious doctrine should take the place of a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. After all, we have the mind of Christ according to 1 Corinthians 2:16. See also, Marvin Williams, Our Daily Bread, The Time Will Come, Sunday, March 8, RBC Ministries 2009] [10: Matthew 20:1-16] [11: 1 Corinthians 3:5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believeas the Lord has assigned to each his task.]

Most of us live in concrete jungles, or suburban bedroom communities, and dont relate to the sowing and reaping in the same way as Christs contemporaries. Its not impossible for us to understand, but not a rational framework that we understand at first. It might seem silly to define the terms, but without the definition, the possibility is that we dont grasp the nuances of the discussion.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, to sow is defined:

1 : to plant seed for growth especially by scattering2 : to set something in motion : begin an enterprise3 :to introduce into a selected environment : implant4 : to set in motion : foment 5 : to spread abroad : disperse[endnoteRef:12] [12: Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online, http://www.merriam-webster.com/, Accessed 14 October 2009]

In the flesh, sowing is planting a seed, or impregnating, or commencing, implanting, spreading a thing. The plain spiritual meaning of Galatians 6:7 is that if you plant wheat you get wheat, or a fig tree, figs. Jesus even said that you know a plant by its fruit.[endnoteRef:13] Nevertheless, read in conjunction with other scriptures, Galatians 6:7 refers to the kind of things that are planted. Adam Clarkes Commentary[endnoteRef:14] puts it succinctly: [13: Luke 6:44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.] [14: Adam Clarke, Adam Clarkes Commentary, an electronic book for WORDsearch program. This is not a physical book or a stand-alone program.]

Whatsoever kind of grain a man sows in his field, of that shall he reap; for no other species of grain can proceed from that which is sown. Darnel will not produce wheat, nor wheat, darnel. [Emphasis provided].This interpretation is confirmed by Verse 8 in Galatians: The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Its the kind of sowing from which God fashions a kind of blessed harvest: either spiritual or carnal, righteous or sinful.In the Spirit, sowing is intending, thinking, feeling, acting in such a way before God, for God, about God, for Gods people in behalf of God, for the unsaved in behalf of God, to which God responds by manifesting a blessing or blessings at the appropriate time, in the right season, according to His Will.Sowing has a season, sowing is saying, sowing is agreement, sowing is doing, and sowing is in our intention.Is it time yet?Back in the day when we all farmed and hunted to live, there was a time for sowing. With a minor number of exceptions in North America, human food crops are planted in the early spring after the first thaw, and harvested later in the year after full maturity.[endnoteRef:15] [15: On every continent, nearer the equator, the best time for sowing has less to do with temperature and more to do with rain. The Bible refers to a former and latter rains in the Middle East. Further, there are currently more biotechnological crops planted, which are heartier and survive better and yield more even when planted in less than optimal conditions.]

Some crops take longer to reach maturity than others. In the corn belt of the United States, corn is only knee-high by the Fourth of July and harvested after some cool sunny autumn days. Other crops, like tomatoes, produce ripe fruit within a month or so of sowing seed, and continue to produce all through the spring and summer until the first freeze kills the vine.This idea also applies to sowing and reaping in the Spirit. Both sowing and reaping must be done in appropriate seasons.[endnoteRef:16] [16: Eccesiastes 3:1-2 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, ]

Sowing is seasonal to teach us discipline and to illustrate the use of perseverance. If we sow in the appropriate season, we will also reap in the appropriate season, without as much doubt and heartache as if we sow out of season.Even where we sow a right thing in the wrong season, God can still call us to self-discipline and perseverance by giving us peace through to the season of harvest. I received the clear revelation to write this book, years before I began. Finally, I opened a file on my computer and started accumulating all the information I had from studies I had already done, and from my conversations with God in my journal.I added information as I listened to ministries, read books, heard sermons. The document I created was not an orderly progression or an organized analysis, just relevant material all put in one place. I moved on to creating an outline to write from. I organized my thoughts, creating a framework to fill in. I had no literary agent, no publisher, so my writing did not make money, just the potential for income. So as I wrote, I naturally worked as well. Writing would often be on the back burner, and frankly, sometimes I just was not inspired. I talk to God often during a day. And I listen just as often. I asked God about the book, about my income and why the latter seemed to fall to zero so often. In mid-August of 2009, I asked those exact questions, as my income was so flat that month.His response was finish the book. Finish the book and Id get paid! Finish sowing in the way He had called me to sow, and He would provide the harvest that I needed. All of the above was implied in His answer to my concerns.There was a time when my next question would be, Why didnt You just say so, instead of allowing me to have anxiety over not having enough money? But I know the answers now. The answer here has to do with timing. My familys spiritual gift is communicating in the spirit. My mother and her mothers gifts were visual: prophetic dreams and open visions. One of my sisters and I also have dreams and visions. But we also hear in the spirit. One of my brothers can also receive information in the spirit. The latter is often called a gift of knowledge or wisdom. When one can communicate in the spirit, the enemy likes to send counterfeit information. He attempts to imitate Gods voice and style, distort dreams and visions, and create a babble of spiritual voices when God is talking in His small, still voice.[endnoteRef:17] [17: 1 Kings 1:11-13 The LORD said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?"]

God knows how to get around it all, and thank Him that He is able! In this instance, our whole congregation was fasting through the month of August. Our pastor[endnoteRef:18] had us fast from morning until 6 p.m. The first week of August, any two days, the second week, any three days, the third week, any four days, and the fourth week, any five days. I was in the second week when I asked the question of God. [18: Pastor Gwendloyn Walker, www.thelightinohio.com, Accessed October 20, 2009]

In the midst of the fast, I could hear Gods voice clearly through all interference. The fasting energized me, made my mind clear, helped me focus on my mission. It was an intense writing experience. I finished the first draft of this book on the very last day of August 2009. This was the sowing that God wanted, at the time He wanted. The harvest I defined was income to provide for my needs. The outcome: He covered my needs and more!Again in September of 2009, though, I had $.67 in my savings account and about $3.00 (three dollars!) in checking. We needed groceries. On a September Sunday, I asked God for a client the next day, a payment the next day, as the soonest I was expecting money in the flesh was on Tuesday. His response was finish the book. Even though it was Sunday and I intended to go to church at noon AND at 2:00 pm, I wrote some book!I understood then and I understand now that, for that season, the book was a priority in my life for Him. Even when I didnt feel inspired, I understood that my finest efforts, my most energetic hours were to be spent toward writing the book. It was my season for this sowing. For Gods Own reasons, this was the time for my writing this book, and He would not allow me to delay.When you find yourself in the same valley repeatedly, it is prudent to go to the Throne. Seek Him and ask Him your questions. Ask Him for an answer. Respond appropriately. If you are asking why Im so hard-headed and just didnt get it, Ill answer you by taking you to scripture. Deuteronomy chapters one and two are instructive.In chapter one, the Israelites were disobedient. They did not take the land that God had given them. Caleb, Joshua and others went to scout out the Promised Land. After the report on the condition of the land, its produce and its inhabitants, only Caleb and Joshua were willing to go in, the majority of the scouting party giving a scary report. The people [are] greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.[endnoteRef:19]. They saw giants! [19: Deuteronomy 1:28]

God was angry. Thats when He told them that only Caleb and Joshua would live to inherit the Promised Land. He told them to take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. At that point, the people rebelled again and decided to fight the Amorites who occupied the nearby mountain between the Israelites and the Promised Land. God told them not to go for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. [endnoteRef:20] [20: Id., verses 35-42]

The fought. They lost. Afterward, they stayed a long time in that place. Finally, they turned and took our journey into the wilderness by way of the Red sea, as the Lord told Moses in the first place. After they wandered around the mountain (presumably, the mountain of the Amorites), God told them, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough.[endnoteRef:21] [21: Id., Chapter 2]

The New International Version says that they wandered around the wilderness, instead of the mountain, but the implications are very clear. They entered a wilderness inside a wilderness because they committed disobedience inside disobedience. As punishment, they had to wander around a mountain inside the wilderness they were already in.Finally, though, the season of their discipline was up. God instructed them to leave the mountain and told them where to travel for their benefit. He then gave them specific instructions about where to go and how to behave when they got there. The balance of chapter two of Deuteronomy recounts other communities they passed through, and Gods specific instructions for their travel. When they were obedient, everything went well. When they disobeyed God, bad consequences ensued. God always gave Moses the reasons why when things went wrong.God does the same for us. When we go around the same mountain over and over again, its usually because we are doing the same thing, or something related, each time. For the Israelites, it was waging war for a land that God had already given them, which they had refused. For me, it was letting my writing cool off for too long between bouts of hot writing and research. God wanted to reward them with His gift of promise. God wants to reward us, too, with the blessings of obedient sowing.When we lay our sowing aside, God allows a valley experience, or an around the mountain experience, or a wilderness experience; use whatever tag you like. In the end, though, just like the Israelites, we recall that He has told us what to sow, and uses our experiences as reminders that we should get back to that which He has appointed for us.[endnoteRef:22] [22: Admittedly, it is sometimes difficult to discern between tribulation and the consequences of bad behavior. Tribulation is the ordinary consequences of being a Christian, being obedient and under attack by the enemy of our souls. It is necessary to stand fast under such circumstances and stay on the road that God has prepared for you. The big in between falls short of both tribulation and sin. That is, failing to hear and obey when God gives us an assignment that we just arent completing. We learn to discern by going to the Word of God, praying, listening, doing, reading the Word, praying, listening and doing. Stay on course unless and until you receive some clear instructions to change direction. Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. Psalm 27:11 KJV. A mans heart deviseth his way but the Lord directeth his steps. Proverb 16:9 KJV. Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. NIV A mans mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. Proverbs 16:9(Amplified Bible)]

There is a season.[endnoteRef:23] [23: God is not a genie. As I say elsewhere in this book, resist the notion that what you put in motion earlier is just now coincidentally bearing fruit. Nothing you do can bear fruit unless God makes it so. Yes, God will prompt you to do things that seem out of season to you, that are required by God to prepare the way for a harvest that you cannot anticipate. Notwithstanding this preparation, however, God can interrupt your harvest if He wants to. He is Sovereign. He loves us, but it is not spiritually wise to presume upon his mercies, by refusing to do preparatory sowing that seems out of season to you, and. expecting a bountiful harvest even though you disobediently refused to lay groundwork for the sowing you are doing now.]

What you talking about?

What we talk about is so powerful that scripture covers conversation in detail. The Bible begins with speech. God created by saying.

He saw that it was good, He named it, but creation was in the saying that things were created and manifested.[endnoteRef:24] Jesus, Who Is the Word made flesh,[endnoteRef:25] Who came to give us life and that abundantly, talked a lot abouttalk. [24: Genesis 1] [25: John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.]

He said I say many times in the gospels.[endnoteRef:26] The people knew He was talking, so why was it necessary to keep saying I say? For emphasis, but also because He wanted His listeners to understand the power of what He had to say, and for all of us to understand the power of what WE say. [26: At Biblegateway.com, I counted 144 references in the King James Version, http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/index.php?search=%22I%20say%22&version1=9&searchtype=all&limit=none&wholewordsonly=no&startnumber=101, Accessed October 30, 2009.]

First and foremost He told us that we have to confess Him out loud. In the book of Matthew, Chapter 10, Jesus says at verse 32: Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Folks want to argue that the word confess doesnt mean say out loud, but how else will we confess Him before men? Sign language? Yes, if you cannot speak aloud, or you wish to include your deaf brothers and sisters. In all seriousness, this scripture means tell people you believe in Jesus.!

Paul clarified the matter for us in the book of Romans by saying That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.[endnoteRef:27] [27: Romans 10:9 (KJV)]

Why would that be so? Why would God require us to declare out loud that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior? I believe that God does nothing in vain. First, our confession is heard in our own ears. Second, our confession is heard by our enemy and his demons. Third, our confession is heard by Jesus, the Firstborn of all creation, the Lamb of God, by whose shed blood we are saved.

Jesus said that when we confess Him, He will confess us before our Father in heaven. Dont you want Him to acknowledge you before God? I do! So, when we confess out loud, He hears us and keeps His promise to acknowledge us before the Throne. That acknowledgement could be in the form of spiritual introduction by Christ at that very hour.

After that, we can go to the Throne ourselves and say to the Father that we come in the Name of Jesus, by the Blood of the Lamb, and so put our own petition before God, AS A RESULT of our confession and the Sons acknowledgement.

Our enemy knows about our power when we confess out loud. After all, he cant see into our hearts, and can only guess at whats in our minds. But when we confess out loud, we are putting him on notice that we are tapped into the power of the Blood of Jesus.

Each of engages in self-talk. Self-talk is what happens mentally when there is no discourse with someone outside our own minds. Sometimes there is a visual component. Most often, we are conducting a discourse about who we are, how we feel, what were doing or planning to do, where we are, what we see and the like. Self-talk goes everywhere and can be good, or it can be bad.[endnoteRef:28] [28: http://www.aletheiacollege.net/alcohol/alcohol_b4.htm, http://www.about-personal-growth.com/self-talk.html]

To overcome negative self-talk, something positive must manifest itself. Since we are created by God, He knows what we need. He knows that confessing your positive, saving relationship with Christ reverses negative self-talk. It silences negative, soul-killing voices. Paul tells us that when we are saved, we are a new creation, a new man.[endnoteRef:29] Our positive confession, heard in our own ears, cancels out negative, internal self-talk. [29: Colossians 3:10 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.]

This is the sowing that takes place in the power of our confession in Christ.

Do you agree?

Im still talking about talking. The power of agreement is discussed and illustrated in scripture. Jesus was talking to the disciples about disagreement and said: That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.[endnoteRef:30] Why is that? For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."[endnoteRef:31] Agreement works because God is in the agreement. [30: Matthew 18:19] [31: Matthew 18:20]

This whole section of scripture is about what you do when brothers and sisters in Christ disagree. You must talk to one another. Bring in other believers. Air it out. This is because, Jesus says, agreement is so positive, so necessary. When you get together, then, God is in the midst. His power, His authority, all of his attributes, all of His fruits, are there for us to use. As a result of agreement, then, we can rest assured that what we agree about can be accomplished, done, completed!

Agreement is a powerful resource. And it starts with agreeing with at least two believers coming together about what you want God to accomplish for you both. How can we agree except that we discuss the matter? What we say out of our mouths in agreement, agreeing that we want God to make it so, is a confession, and a sowing that has powerful effects.

Have you ever been misunderstood? I have been. Its frustrating to know that you have not been heard and/or comprehended. Its like speaking a language the other person does not speak, and having no common ground on which to meet and exchange information.

I am a relatively good communicator, both in writing and out loud. Im not afraid of public speaking, or litigation, or singing, or a stage performance. Nevertheless, for the first few decades of my life, I found that people just didnt understand me! I could examine the psychological underpinnings beginning with my childhood experiences, but the reveal required here is spiritual and not sociological.

As God matured me in Him, it was exasperating to discover that my brothers and sisters in Christ misunderstood my intentions when I spoke with them. Really! For example, they might believe that my correction was criticism, or that my word of wisdom was a form of judgment. Those things were not on my heart at all.

My pastor hosted a womens conference at which a number of evangelists appeared to give participants revelation through preaching, teaching, evangelism and prophecy. One of the speakers stood up and did what most Christian speakers do: she started with the Word of God. She cited and quoted the text, and began to speak on her topic. Within the first five minutes or so of her presentation, she said that she would not be going back to the scripture, because sometimes a persons experience is more important than the Word God.

I stopped listening to her for several reasons. First, the Word of God should be of paramount importance in a Christians life. Gods words are life, instruction, healing, everything that we need to survive and have abundance. Second, anyone who comes to give us preaching, teaching or prophesy, should be doing so straight from Gods Word, either scripture or revelation. The third reason I stopped listening to her is because I started to hear from God.

In my spirit, I saw reaction to my own words in the past. I realized that I spoke so much from my own heart that I simply could not be trusted! I didnt start with the Word of God, and I didnt go back to the Word of God. Even when I was imparting what (I thought) was clearly biblical wisdom, from the listeners point of view I was just telling them about me and what I thought. People want, and need, the Word of the Living God!

In this atmosphere, I was determined to do a few good things to make sure people began to understand me. One was to have a scripture pertaining to their situation always ready. Second, to be able to relate it to their situation in a Christ-like manner. And third, to agree with them that God has a solution and they should go to Him about it.

I began to infuse my conversation with Gods Word in every form, even if my own experience seeped in, I ended with Gods Word on the matter. Confessing Gods Word is sowing.[endnoteRef:32] [32: This took a lot of study. Among the things I had to do was read the Bible, read about the Bible, talk to God about the Bible, listen to the Holy Spirit about the Bible, think about the Bible, and consume the Bible in every way. God told Joshua, This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8. Se also, Deuteronomy 6: 4-8 4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Although these OT scriptures talk about the Law, it is an example of how God wants us to consume his whole word.]

Saysow!

How do you do?

What you do is sowing. This is perhaps the easiest method of sowing to understand. Its visible. Doing something has lasting effects, and leaves behind permanent artifacts. Like sowing seed leads to a growing plant, sowing deeds leads to an expanding harvest.

The book of James tells us that faith without works is dead.[endnoteRef:33] He says if you ask me to prove my faith without works, I will SHOW you my faith BY my works.[endnoteRef:34] Hot dog! This is important because the un-spiritual and the non-believer can see acts of faith, even if they cannot perceive the faith.[endnoteRef:35] For the believer and those who understand faith, faith is demonstrated, evidenced, proved by works. These are matters important to God, as He wants that all should be saved and come to a knowledge of Christ.[endnoteRef:36] Demonstrations of faith by ordinary good deeds and miraculous deeds are the planting and watering that can lead to a harvest of souls for Christ. [33: James 2:16 faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.] [34: James 2:18 Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.] [35: Luke 7:1-9] [36: 1 Timothy 2:3-4 God our Savior, 4who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.]

For the sower, the deeds of faith performed by him or her make way for a harvest of blessings. James was very explicit about deeds of faith. He tells us that if you find a hungry or naked person, dont just say a blessing and send them on their way. Feed and clothe them![endnoteRef:37] God told us in the Old Testament that if you support the poor, He, God, will consider it a loan to Him and repay.[endnoteRef:38] Giving to the poor is sowing that has a guaranteed harvest! [37: James 2:15-16 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?] [38: Proverb 19:17 NIV He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done. See also, Luke 14:13-15 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.]

Similarly, even though God has not made mention of every possible act of sowing, every deed of faith has a blessing, and a harvest associated with it. Giving money, providing food and clothing, preaching, teaching, the exercise of every spiritual gift and fruit toward one another, results in a harvest provided by God.

The difficulty for most of us is that we dont know and cant discern what our harvest might be for any act or work of faith we might perform. We want a guarantee that this work or deed will produce that harvest. Our assurance is found in 2 Cor 9:8 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Furthermore, God says:

Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap, says Galatians 6:7 God is not mocked. If a person sows evil, he gets evil. But if a person sows to the Spirit, he reaps far and away more good than he sows. See the scriptures below. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life, according to Gal 6:8. Far more! Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Read 2 Corintians 9:6. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness, says James 3:18. Peace and righteousness are not the same thing, but if you sow one, you reap the other! When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body, according to 1 Corinthians 15:37-38. Here again, we reap exceedingly above the seed that we sow. The seed we sow in the spirit, produces a body of harvest of Gods sovereign determination.

Prior to my serious effort to write this book, I had not really attempted to ascertain a direct correlation between what I sow and what I reap. To be completely transparent, I have been so focused on surviving, that I mostly asked God for peace and money! Peace to get through not having enough money, waiting for money and paying my bills.Isnt that a shame? The answer is yes! when God has so much more stored up for us. When God moved me along to writing this book in earnest, I learned a lot about the correlation between what we sow and what we reap, and created a non-exhaustive list of some sowings that lead to some harvests. Nevertheless, I urge you to sow for its own sake, asking God to provide harvests according to His will alone. In this way we will all receive the best from our Father.LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP.... It is of the utmost importance that we apply spiritual wisdom and discernment to the exercise of our works based on our faith.Because God reserves the right to give us a harvest of His choosing, we must not rush God or be presumptuous. We shouldnt try to force Gods hand to give us what we demand, even though we have been good sowers.An example of what I am talking about is what is known as faith checks. Some Christians have written faith checks, believing God that He will provide. In Ohio, this is called a bad check, and banks call them bounced checks when God had not put the money in your checking account.There are Christians who rely on St. James conversation on faith and works to write and negotiate these checks. These verses do not suggest that our faith walk should include this kind of behavior. The works that we engage in should be consistent with desired results, and comport with the law.[endnoteRef:39]. If we want money, it is not a lack of faith to save money on a regular basis, or to budget spending, or to refrain from making usual purchases for a season. [39: See, Romans 13:3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good 1 Peter 2:13 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority]

If you are believing God for healing, wisdom suggests that, while you pray and believe for healing, you should keep taking the medicine prescribed. This is especially true if you have prayed and asked God, and heard from Him that the physician who is treating you is competent, and the one chosen for you. If you did not ask God to help you choose your current physician, you can ask God to bless him or her, sanctify them, send salvation if they are not saved, and give them the wisdom, knowledge and understanding to make your healing come to pass. Do it all! God will not be offended if you take medication as prescribed.

The harvests that we anticipate can be ours if our works are consistent with the seeds the Sower has provided.

The power of intention.

This is not good news to everyone: your intentions are sowing.

I am NOT talking about the intention as in the road to hell is paved with good intentions. This pavement is might-do bricks: I might do this, and I might do that. With all due respect to the sayings of old, the road to hell is not paved with good intentions, the road to hell is paved with never having a real intention in the first place.

The intentions that sow are intentions accompanied by a heart to get something done, to start it, to work it, to complete it. This is a heart issue in which God knows the content of the heart that really has a goal in mind.

In Matthew 5:28 Jesus said But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart Uh oh!

The Apostle John says at 1 John 3:15 that Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. Bad news!

This is not about your emotions. Emotions are acceptable. God has emotions, one of which is wrath. But His wrath is not for us, not for the saved and sanctified. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.[endnoteRef:40] God tells us its acceptable to be angry, but dont use the anger as an excuse for committing sin. Be ye angry, and sin not[endnoteRef:41] [40: Romans 5:9] [41: Ephesians 4:26]

Intention is about the state of mind that causes you to sin or be righteous. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus is talking about a mans intention to sin if he has the opportunity, nursing his lust. 1 John 3:15 is all about the probability that a person who nurses the hatred will act on the emotion by assaulting or murdering the object of their hatred.

Nursing an emotion means creating an incubator for it, latching onto it, and keeping it alive in you. The reverse of nursing an emotion is making an attempt to let it go, allowing it to dissipate so that it no longer has a negative effect on your behavior or intentions.

God admonishes us not to let the sun go down on our wrath.[endnoteRef:42] That means let it go, dont go to bed on it. Forgive the person youre mad at, dont rehearse the incident, seek Gods peace. In the same way, with all emotions that might result in sinful intentions lust, hate, envy, jealousy ask God for His help in dissipating, letting go of the feelings so that you can move on to more positive thoughts and intentions. [42: Ephesians 4:26 NIV In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.]

No matter what were feeling, we must seek to transform our intentions. We can do all things through Christ![endnoteRef:43] [43: Philippians 4:13 NIV I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Se also the KJV I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ]

Through Christ we can transform our angry intentions into the loving intention of forgiveness and/or apology. Through Christ we can transform our lustful intention into abstention. Through Christ we can transform our envious or jealous intention into planting or watering or interceding for salvation. Through Christ we can transform our hatred into our intention to create deliverance for the object of our hatred.

Then powerful sowing takes place. And powerful harvest.

Annual revivals are not as widespread as they used to be. I didnt like revivals as a child, but I grew to enjoy the fellowship. I attended a revival about ten years ago, where an evangelist asked everybody to take out a twenty dollar bill. The congregation expected that he was going to ask us to give it as an offering, so only those who intended to give $20 removed it from their purse or wallet. He surprised everyone by telling them to keep it. He said that our intention to sow was enough for the givers and the ministry to receive a blessing. He just wanted to receive a blessing for his ministry, in return for our intention to sow into it.This is scriptural. Matthew 10:41 says Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. Similarly, Matthew 13:23 tells us that the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."The American Heritage dictionary defines receive as:1. To take or acquire (something given, offered, or transmitted); get.2. To hear or see (information, for example): receive bad news; received a good report of the group's activities.3. To have (a title, for example) bestowed on oneself.4. To meet with; experience: receive sympathetic treatment.5. To bear the weight or force of; support: The beams receive the full weight of the walls and roof.6. To take or intercept the impact of (a blow, for example).7. To take in, hold, or contain: a tank that receives rainwater.8. To admit: receive new members.9. To greet or welcome: receive guests.10. To perceive or acquire mentally: receive a good impression.11. To regard with approval or disapproval: essays that were received well.12. To listen to and acknowledge formally and authoritatively: The judge received their oath of allegiance.

Receive is an active verb of intention. When we take or acquire, hear, have bestowed upon us, experience, take in, hold, contain, admit, welcome, perceive regard with approval, and/or listen and to and acknowledge the Word of the Living God and understand it, we produce a bountiful harvest. Understanding the gospel is not just a matter of mental competency. Understanding is also a function of a willing and submitted heart toward God.

Tap into the power of intention and receive your harvest of one hundred, sixty or thirty times what you intend to sow.

Surprise!

During the writing of this book, I asked God one of the questions that burned in me from the beginning of this journey. That question is: how did the Israelites reap the Promised Land, when they didnt sow anything similar to their harvest?

The recent teachings based on Malachi suggest that the Hebrew Children should have sown something really valuable in order to have reaped the Promised Land. And even the discussion above suggests that they should have sown at least the intention to do the right thing.

Israels Sacrifice?

When the people of God were led out of Egypt into the desert for 40 years, there may have been some seed among them, some mustard seed, some grape seed, some wheat even. There is nothing in scripture that said that they carried any seed in anticipation sowing crops in the Promised Land. To the contrary, I believe that they left with what God told them to take with them, and nothing more. On Gods instruction, they borrowed from the Egyptians and left Egypt.[endnoteRef:44] [44: Exodus 11:2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.]

When they entered the Promised Land, it was a land that was described as flowing with milk and honey.[endnoteRef:45] There were flocks, houses filled with stuff (not empty houses!), wells already dug (and filled with water), trees and vineyards laden with fruit (remember they brought back big bowers of grapes), so that it appears that it was harvest-time.[endnoteRef:46] They didnt have to sow to get fed. God had provided everything for them, and they harvested, gave first-fruits and tithed from that which God provided, and had seed for next years harvest! [45: Exodus 3:8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honeythe home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.] [46: Numbers 13:20 Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes. NIV, Numbers 13:23-27 NIV, Deuteronomy 6:10 and 11, KJV]

God provided both the sowing AND the seed! It appears on the surface that God actually provided the harvest first! The Israelites had to take it from the field and turn it into seed, but it was Gods provision that made it all possible. See also 2 Corinthians 9:8, 10.What was the sacrifice provided? The slavery of generations of Jews? The foreshadowing of Christ in the Passover of the firstborn in Egypt? Since God exists outside of Time, the provision of the Perfect Sacrifice in Israels future? In the context of this writing, I believe it was the intention of the Jewish people to be obedient, to follow their God, and/or Gods prophet Moses, wherever, however, whenever required.

But God has asked me to consider the provision of sacrifice as the underpinnings of the Hebrew receipt of the Promised Land. He asked me to discuss this idea in this book from the standpoint of obedience.

God loves obedience better than sacrifice. The prohet said at 1 Samuel 15:22 Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice AMP,KJV.[endnoteRef:47] Matthew Henrys Concise Commentary on the Bible gives a good explanation for Gods preference for obedience: [47: See also, Proverb 21:3 NIV To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.]

But humble, sincere, and conscientious obedience to the will of God, is more pleasing and acceptable to him than all burnt-offering and sacrifices. God is more glorified and self more denied, by obedience than by sacrifice. It is much easier to bring a bullock or lamb to be burned upon the altar, than to bring every high thought into obedience to God, and to make our will subject to his will. Those are unfit and unworthy to rule over men, who are not willing that God should rule over them. (1Sa 15:24-31)

People often believe that their sacrifices are bringing harvests. Sacrifice means

1 an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially : the killing of a victim on an altar2 destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b : something given up or lost 3 loss [fn [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice]

Even though paragraph 3 specifically defines sacrifice as loss, each one of the above definitions includes some loss. Many people believe that sowing is a sacrifice, or that one must suffer some loss in order to get anything from God. They also look upon sacrifice as an investment in their future. As we discussed elsewhere, the Blood of Jesus is the only sacrifice necessary, and we take advantage of that sacrifice, that investment in our eternal future, every time we go to the Throne of Grace in the name of Jesus.

Even before Christ appeared on Earth, however, God preferred obedience to the sacrifice of goats, lambs and doves. Matthew Henrys Commentary again provides a wonderful explanation:

Saul boasts to Samuel of his obedience. Thus sinners think, by justifying themselves, to escape being judged of the Lord. . . Many boast of obedience to the command of God; but what means then their indulgence of the flesh, their love of the world, their angry and unkind spirit, and their neglect of holy duties, which witness against them? See of what evil covetousness is the root; and see what is the sinfulness of sin, and notice that in it which above any thing else makes it evil in the sight of the Lord; it is disobedience. . . Carnal, deceitful hearts, like Saul, think to excuse themselves from God's commandments by what pleases themselves. God knows that we find it so easy to just read the rules and do the right thing without letting our hearts get involved. God knows that it can be so easy for us to give charitably when we have surplus, without really loving the people to whom we give. God knows its really easy to go to church each and every Sunday morning, and sleep through the sermon. Yet in the presence of each of the sacrifices, we just want to escape being judged of the Lord for selfishness, for our unkind spirits, for our refusal to be an usher or teach a Sunday school class. We do those things, and feel the way we do, and complain that God wont tell us what our lifes work is, wont bless us, and wont answer our prayers.Often He wont, none of the above, until we stop thinking about our so-called sacrifice and obedience as excusing our foul conduct before God. Just because we think of our conduct as sacrificial or obedient does not mean that God does not classify it as some other behavior. There are people whom I love that characterize their obedience as sacrifice. God has asked them to give up something, or to give something away, or forgo enjoying something for Christs sake. I dont argue with people who want to give up something in order to draw closer to God, but I dont believe it is sacrifice, even though it feels that way to them. I think God has given them the opportunity to grow close to Him through their obedience. But because they have so valued whatever it is they are giving up, it feels like sacrifice to them. OK! Intimacy with God is ultimately the most important thing!Despite the disobedience of some, God loved the obedience of Joshua, Caleb and others, and God loved their obedience better than any of their perceived sacrifices. God also hated Mosess disobedience (He loved Moses!) so much that He would not allow him to enter the Promised Land.The evidence really comes down on the side of obedience as a reason that the Hebrews inherited the Promised Land in the context of sowing and reaping. They sowed nothing that resembled that which they harvested. God wanted to give them the land. This harvest was ordained for them by God. Nevertheless, God in His grace (unmerited favor!), provided the opportunity for them to be obedient on a history-making scale, beginning with the obedience of their prophet Moses.We are all familiar with Adam and Eves disobedience. We know that their disobedience brought sin into the world, making Christs blood sacrifice necessary to redeem us all. Their disobedience resonates through history, so that we are all born in sin, and must make an individual decision to take advantage of the Blood of Christ to be saved unto eternal life. Although it must be confessed, this decision is first made in the heart.[endnoteRef:48] [48: Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.]

Our heart must be in every act of obedience as sowing, every act of sowing, and our harvests will be excellent.Another burning question I asked God about sowing and reaping involves the new Christian. When we are first saved it seems as though every prayer is answered for a while, we reap incredible peace and a sense of well-being. We might also experience deliverance from drug abuse or some other sin of the flesh.

Reaping takes place without any apparent sowing!

In response, I was asked to consider the following: either Christians do not actually sow first and we actually reap first; OR, we reap through the sowing of our forerunners, OR the first response to Christ is sowing! See, i.e., Matthew 13:23.

Gods Reaping - One explanation of new Christians reaping immediately after accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, is that we are Gods reaping. Were the result of someone who came before us sowing in His field. 1 Corinthians 3:7 says: So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. As a result, God applies His limitless grace and mercy to give us blessings that we could not have earned, a harvest to boost our faith in Him.

Forerunners All of us have ancestors. Many of us have others who were interested in our families, who were not in related to us by consanguinity. In both these groups, though, there were often people praying for our ancestors and for us as offspring.

All the degrees of grandparents, aunts and uncles are likely candidates for forerunners who prayed for us, from the time that are conception was announced to the family. I am personally convinced that my great grandmother, Annie Lee Sapp Cooper, prayed for each of us as we came into the world. She was Apostolic and attended a spirit-filled Apostolic church near her daughters (my grandmother) home in Columbus, Ohio. I think she understood the power of her prayers for me and the other children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who came into the world.

In addition, members of our ancestors church families, best friends, family friends and others, may have interceded for us through their intercession for our ancestors. These are forerunners, who prayed for our salvation, who planted the very seeds of our eventual salvation.

We are the harvest, their harvest and Gods harvest. Forerunners cannot receive the current harvests, as they are in eternity. As a consequence, we reap the benefits as soon as we acknowledge Christ as our Savior.

The power of these generational prayers demonstrates the necessity for continuing in prayer for our own children and their offspring.

Conversion It is also possible that the process of conversion, alone, is a powerful sowing that causes new Christians to reap a great harvest in the beginning of his or her walk with Christ.

Jesus said that salvation is an act of faith: I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.[endnoteRef:49] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.[endnoteRef:50] [49: John 10:9 KJV] [50: Revelation 3:20 KJV. See also Matthew 13:23]

Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, said that salvation also comes from our confession:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. See, Acts 2:21 KJV That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. See, Romans 10:9 KJV For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. See, Romans 10:13 KJV

Paul also said in Romans 10:9, cited above, that salvation is, in part, a result of our intention to be saved: if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Conversion requires an act, a confession and an intention. Conversion requires three types of sowing together! Perhaps it is this convergence that makes the reaping of the new Christian so powerful.

You may be thinking that conversion might also require agreement. The idea of agreement arises by implication, where the converted comes into agreement with Jesus that He is the Christ, that He died on the cross and was resurrected, that by calling on His Name, the converted gains eternal life.

This thinking has the virtue of being symmetrical. That is to say, since any one of the methods of sowing results in some kind of reaping, all four methods of sowing result in a bountiful harvest at conversion! There is evidence of this result in Matthew 13:23. It seems obvious that the process of conversion is, in itself, a powerful sowing that bestows a great harvest on the new Christian.

I wish that I could report that all harvest possibilities come to pass when each kind of sowing takes place at once, as in the conversion experience. I cannot. Even so, it seems the best course to intend to sow, say sow, do sow, all in agreement with the move of the Holy Spirit in His season, to reap the best possible harvest.

CHAPTER 2Everything is Reaping

What is Reaping:

Reaping is directly related to sowing and harvest. Websters dictionary defines to reap:

1. To cut with a sickle, scythe, or reaping machine, as grain; to gather, as a harvest, by cutting.2. To gather; to obtain; to receive as a reward or harvest, or as the fruit of labor or of works; -- in a good or a bad sense; as, to reap a benefit from exertions.3. To clear of a crop by reaping; as, to reap a field.4. To deprive of the beard; to shave.

For purposes of our discussion, reaping in the flesh is harvesting the fruit of that which has been sown, such as fruits and vegetables. Reaping is also receiving a spiritual harvest for sowing to the spirit. The harvest is a blessing that is received in the right season, according to Gods will.

Harvest includes money, wealth, all kinds of material and emotional blessings, spiritual gifts, spiritual fruit, and all kinds of spiritual blessings. Harvests include almost anything you might conceive, and some blessings that you might not be able to ideate. Harvest is not payback, except where God says it is (i.e. give to the poor and God will pay you back). Harvest is blessing. Whats blessing? There are three different Greek words used in the New Testament that scholars have translated into blessing:

(eulogeitos) is an adjective meaning "well spoken of; praised"(eulogew) is a verb: "to speak well of; to praise; to call down God's gracious power"(eulogia) is the noun form, meaning "praise; fine speaking"[endnoteRef:51] [51: Blessing, http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/topics/blessing.html, Accessed October 26, 2009]

Obviously, to bless Gods Name means to speak well of Him and to praise Him. When we bless someone else, we are calling down Gods gracious power upon them. When we are blessed by Him, He has sent down His gracious power upon us.

Gracious is a derivative of grace which means unmerited favor. When we are blessed by God, He is sending down His power, through His unmerited favor. Harvest is blessing through Gods unmerited favor. We have not earned our harvest through labor like a hired hand. We have RECEIVED our harvest through sowing to the love of a Father providing for His children.

Money honey!

Money and wealth are not exactly the same harvest. Wealth can include money, and lots of money, alone, is often defined as wealth.

What does the Bible say?

In OT times wealth was measured in terms of cattle or sheep and silver and gold[endnoteRef:52]. It is recognized that these possessions came from God, who had ordained that material blessings are given to some so that they can help the poor[endnoteRef:53]. While the NT also accepted that riches are given in order to assist the poor[endnoteRef:54], the possession of wealth is viewed more negatively, especially in the gospel of Luke[endnoteRef:55]. Any display of luxury is condemned[endnoteRef:56] because of the probability of injustice[endnoteRef:57] and because it is a distraction from the basic purpose of life[endnoteRef:58]. [52: Gen. 24: 35] [53: Deut. 15: 10] [54: 2 Cor. 8: 810] [55: Luke 6] [56: Luke 16: 1931] [57: Jas. 5: 16] [58: Matt. 6: 21. W. R. F. BROWNING, A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997; http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-wealth.html, Accessed August 19, 2009.]

Money is an economic/political matter. Money is the recognized legal exchange for a nation or assembly of nations. There are American dollars and Canadian dollars and Mexican pesos and South African krugerrand and European market euros. When I was a child, I believed that the word mammon as used in the Bible means money. It really refers to wealth, or wealth on a pedestal as something to be worshiped.

Various versions of scripture interpret references to mammon as money or as wealth, and some references to wealth as money. The important notion is that money and wealth are not the same thing and the Bible acknowledges the fact.

This distinction affects our discussion of harvests. Malachi 3:10-12 says:

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts,

If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the LORD of hosts; 12 And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land, Says the LORD of hosts.

In the book of Malachi, the tithe is not money. It is produce of fruit, vegetable and animal reproduction. J. Vernon McGee comments on the tithe by telling us:

. . .Israel's giving was in the form of produce. In fact, if you will notice the law concerning the offerings, God gave a certain part of the animal to the priests, and He always said that they were to eat it right there. They didn't have any refrigerators, any kind of icebox, in which to freeze the meat. In that warm climate the meat would have gone bad in a hurry, and so God told them to eat it right there. But the other produce was stored until it was needed. . . When they were generous with God, He said, "I'll open up the heavens and pour you out a blessing, and I'll rebuke the devourer." "The devourer" evidently means the locust. The locust had a ravenous and insatiable appetite. He was a regular gourmet on green salad -- so he just took all the green stuff that was ahead of him. Many of the plagues came to Israel through the locust, but now God says, "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes.". . . When Israel was right with God, they became a blessing to the other nations of the world.J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible.[endnoteRef:59] [59: J. Vernon McGee, J. Vernon McGees Thru the Bible, an electronic book for WORDsearch program. This is not a physical book or a stand-alone program.]

The Modern and Post-modern eras, the Church has interpreted the tithe as ten percent of our gross monetary income. Were not an agrarian society anymore. Only a small percentage of workers in the Western world are still farming for a living, so technically, only farmers would tithe.

Aware that this would not work as a way of building a storehouse or funding the on-going ministries in the Body of Christ, the interpretation of Malachi came to be that the tithe is ten percent of the money we earn. As a discipline, its an admirable idea to think of ten percent, or any fixed portion, of our income as a minimum offering to God and the church. God is worth much more.

The conclusion to be drawn here is that money was not contemplated in Malachi. It was wealth as produce that was to be shared, and for specific reasons.

Nevertheless, money is one of the harvests that God gives when we sow. We need money to survive, and God knows it.[endnoteRef:60] [60: Luke 12:30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.]

It bears repeating that money is mentioned in the Bible more than any one topic.[endnoteRef:61] It is mentioned in the context of its shortcomings. [61: 140 times. money includes silver and gold used as currency. Separately, in the KJV, gold was mentioned 417 times and silver 320 times, http://www.ehow.com/about_457441_manytimes-money-mentioned-bible.html, Accessed August 2009. ]

Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. And 1 Timothy 6:10 warns For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Plus Hebrews 13:5 says Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." A person who loves money never has enough. Money is currency and a man who loves money can be tempted to commit any act in exchange for it. We should love God more than money because money can be lost or stolen, but God will never leave nor forsake us.God has made a promise about how He conducts our sowing and reaping in 2 Corinthians 9:10: Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.This scripture brings up important points about sowing and reaping money:

Just because you sow money, does not mean that your whole harvest will be money. Just because you need money, do not make all of your sowing money, because God may want you to give something else of value to the Kingdom Just because you want money, do not define your harvest as money alone. Even if you do not sow any money at all, ask God for money anyway, recognizing that sowing takes place in all things that you do before God.

MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MON-EY---MON-EY!

Just because you sow money, does not mean that your whole harvest will be money. Elsewhere in this book we have discussed the harvest of the Israelites who were freed from Egyptian slavery. They reaped the Promised Land without sowing money, or anything that resembled the harvest they received. God will give you a harvest in exchange for sowing money, but it may not be all be money.

Have you ever sown money as a tithe or offering or charitable giving expecting a Malachi harvest of so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.? Many of us have sown money with the expectation that we will get so much money that we will not have room enough for it. The name it and claim it ministries interpret Malachi 3:10 in that way, leading many of us to believe that when we sow money, we get a windfall of money in return.

Not necessarily so. Dont stop sowing money, but understand that God is Sovereign and Almighty, and retains the freedom to give us the harvest that He deems appropriate and in season. .Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver Read 2 Corinthians 9:7

Just because you need money, do not sow money exclusively, because God may want you to give something else of value to the Kingdom. You have other gifts that God wants you to sow. Even if you dont have enough money, sow money generously within your means, then sow your other gifts generously. If your gift is teaching, teach; if your gift is singing, sing; if your gift is hospitality, entertain the saints or the needy.

God in His sovereignty will provide the appropriate harvest. Be bold in the definition of your harvest to include everything that you expect God to provide. Remember, God knows what you need. Consider Matthew chapter 6:. . .Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. Because you need money for food, drink and clothing, God has promised to provide them. It is unnecessary to sow money just to get money for necessities. Sow your other gifts. Reap money and more!

Just because you want money, do not define your harvest as money alone. Because you can depend on God to provide your necessities, you dont have to worry about defining your harvest as enough money for food and clothing. And yes, He can provide anything He wants in exchange for your sowing cash. But it helps you to define your harvest, and be thankful and ask a blessing over your harvest before it is delivered. It is an exercise of faith and perseverance to wait on your harvest with knowledgeable, confident expectation.

Even if you do not sow any money at all, ask God for money anyway, recognizing that sowing takes place in all things that you do before God. If you have no money to sow, or if there is insufficient money to sow and also pay all your bills, sow your other gifts. Sow something else! You may define your harvest as money necessary to pay taxes or for college tuition. Everything you do is sowing, and all that you receive from God is reaping a divine harvest. In fact, He sometimes withholds money so that we are forced to think about what else we can do to sow into the lives of others to receive a harvest.

This principle is supported by scripture. In Matthew 17, the temple tax collectors asked Peter whether Jesus would pay the temple tax. Jesus said He would pay the temple tax and instructed Peter to go fishing, and in the fishs mouth Peter would find the tax for the both of them.[endnoteRef:62] This has been looked upon as a miracle, but we now know that certain fish and other sea creatures eat almost anything that humans throw into the water. Christ knew when and where the fish with drachma would be swimming! Similarly, God knows where the money is, and who holds it for our benefit. We must sow in obedience whatever God directs, and God will provide the appropriate harvest. [62: Matthew 17:27 Jesus said go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours."]

During the writing of this book, I had a dream in which I had a huge house. I was upstairs in a HUGE room with no furniture. At the far end from me was a fireplace, and from my perspective in the room, I could see a huge window. The window looked out onto a sunny lawn.

Nearest to me was a wall and wall sconce. There was something on the floor that piled up the wall to the sconce. I couldnt make out what it was without examining it carefully. It was sawdust.

When I woke up, I asked God what the dream was all about. Sawdust is what is left over after you work with wood by sawing it, or sanding it or scraping it. God made it plain that the sawdust in my dream was what remained of the furniture that had been in the room. It had all been consumed as furniture, and now only sawdust was left. I had no furnishings, but I still had the house.

Sawdust is waste. God said that if I sow only money in my life, part of my harvest would be waste. I would still be the person He created me to be (the house), everything externally would be just what He had ordained for me (I could see the Son, the Son would still shine down on me!), but internally, some of my rooms would be empty. My spiritual potential would not be reached. He wants me to sow more than money.

Also consider 1 Peter 5:6-10:Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

As there are no coincidences where God is concerned, because He knows the end from the beginning and every event in between, my pastor presented a sermon on the above scripture while I was writing this book. I was again in a financial valley. I had only $1 in my purse, and not enough money in my checking account to pay the rent, and it was already after the first of the month.

I did not sow money. I had no problem giving Him my last dollar, as I have done that before. I thought about putting that one dollar into the collection. As I thought about it before Him, He urged me not to, so as it could be evidenced that His provision of the harvest of money that was to come would not be based on financial sowing, but other sowing that He has called for.

As I discussed elsewhere herein, I always ask God why? what? when I descend into a valley experience. In response, I got the selfsame answer I had been getting: write the book. Nevertheless, my flesh was growing weary. Not weary of writing the book, mind you. In the presence of my faith that God would provide as He always had, I also fought off the anxiety that crept into my consciousness every time I thought about the shortfall. It made me tired. I fought by praising God, by expressing out loud at every opportunity my faith in God and in the promises He made to me.

On that Sunday, God provided relief from my weariness. My pastor told us that it was OK to suffer and it was nothing to be ashamed of. It does not necessarily represent a failure or hidden sin if a Christian is suffering. We need to carry our anxieties to the Throne and leave them there. Resist the devil.

The scripture says that after we suffer a little while, God will make us perfect, stablish, strengthen and settle us, according to the KJV. The NIV uses the words restore, strong, firm and steadfast. The Amplified Bible says:

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.

Her word study on the word suffer (common to all versions cited above), rendered a meaning that included to embrace, as in embracing a stranger. Embracing the circumstances instead of fighting with them will allow the suffering to do the work in us that God has intended (i.e. perseverance) without stress and strain. In other words, if we bear up under the circumstances instead of resisting them, we are fertilizing the seed God is sowing and growing in us.

So after we suffer for a little while, God Himself will perfect (complete) us, because only He can. He will stablish (establish) us by giving us the what, where and how we ought to be. Think of this last as getting a land grant and a deed; or, if you are a basketball fan, when you have the ball and you plant both your feet, the defense cant charge you and knock you down without drawing a foul.

After the short suffering, God will also give us strength beyond that which took us into the suffering, and settle us. The word settle is another reference to where God intends us to be. Our foundation is Christ, and just like a house built with bricks, over time the house settles into its foundation more and more. Each brief period of suffering settles us more and more into the foundation of our faith.

The conclusion is this: if your sowing does not have immediate, miraculous results, dont assume that you are doing something wrong. Just go to the Throne and ask. Its preferable to stay at the Throne, talking to God about the circumstances and listening intently to His responses. If our sowing does not have immediate affects that satisfy your harvest requests, dont stop sowing. DONT STOP SOWING. God may be attempting to change the kind of sowing you are doing, or He may want you to continue as you are, notwithstanding the results. He will tell you when you have finished circling the mountain.

The only sure way to discover what is going on in the spirit is to go to God, and keep on sowing.

God is sovereign, and wishes us to sow more than mere money because He wants us to give ourselves and our gifts over to sowing into the Kingdom. For some of us, and maybe for all of us in certain seasons, sudden wealth would make it easy for us to sow only money, without using our gifts and callings.[endnoteRef:63] [63: Psalm 49:20 NIV A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish. See also, Proverb 13:11 [h]e who gathers money little by little makes it grow.]

Sow all your gifts and callings along with the money that God has provided.

Healthy, wealthy, wise.

Wealth is one of the BIG promises that God made to Israel. Remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, He told them in Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV. God is in charge of whether you are rich or poor. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. See, 1 Samuel 2:7.

It is a harvest that we are all eager to define as ours. Wealth is a harvest given to Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead.[endnoteRef:64] We can discern from these scriptures that God wants to give us wealth in return for sowing that is unrelated to money or wealth. The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.[endnoteRef:65] And Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. This is Davids Prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:12. [64: 1 Kings 3:11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, See also, 2 Chronicles 1:11-12 God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, 12 therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."] [65: Proverb 10:22]

But there are caveats in scripture: Proverbs 23:4 (NIV) warns,Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. The New American Standard Bible says Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. The New Living Translation translates: Dont wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.[endnoteRef:66] [66: Other translations: 4Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. KJV Give up trying so hardto get rich. Contemporary English Version: Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! NKJV]

We live in a culture that rewards overwork. In every economic system in every age, there are going to be individuals who worship financial success to the degree that they spend all of their time building wealth. These same people sacrifice their families and sometimes their health and long life, in favor of building great wealth.

Unfortunately, our present economic milieu praises those who work day and night at becoming a millionaire. One does not become a millionaire by just being a laborer for someone else. One has to devote day and night to the task. Gods word specifically admonishes us NOT to do so. We need to be wise enough to know when to cease our empire-building.

God speaks to the rich through Paul in 1 Timothy 6:17:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Notwithstanding the above, I never cease to ask God why Im not wealthy. Not accusingly, not with whining, but a simple question. I know that you may believe about yourself what I believe about myself: that I am capable of generating wealth, that my heart is in the right place toward the Body of Christ and the unsaved, that I would use wealth the glorify God and to help those around me. Whats the problem?

I once shared with someone that I felt a peace about being at the Throne, without being wealthy or even prosperous. Being at the Throne, doing some Isaiah 40:31 waiting was enough. Why? First and foremost, because God had so graciously informed me that my future was set, my blessings in place, but that my season had not arrived for reaping. It was good for me to know, as I was having significant financial trouble at that time. Clients owed me in the neighborhood of $30,000. Some of them are Christians, and they refused to pay me.

The loved one with whom I shared the information was aghast! She was happy with my peace, but unhappy that I might be sitting idly at the Throne of Grace. My response was that I dont sit at the Throne idly at any time. I am working, always, at both spiritual and fleshly (not carnal) endeavors, permitted and even ordained by God.[endnoteRef:67] While I enjoy my peace, I lay up treasure in heaven by continuing in that into which I have been called. See 1 Timothy 6:17. [67: I dont want to be standing in the wrong place when God calls me to do that which He has ordained for me. Thats why Im doing the work of the Lord while I wait. Further, sometimes when I talk to Him about money and wealth, it occurs to me that if I were a doctor, or if I accumulated or earned great wealth as an attorney, that it might be difficult to give it all up in favor of that which God will call me into when Im 70 years old or so. I am praying, I pray that what I do now, the choices that I make now are not delaying even that which He has revealed to me. Are you doing anything that you cant give up when God calls you to do the thing you were ordained for?]

She, like a lot of people, believed that I should just sue those people who owe me. There are two reasons why suing may not be wise. First, the spiritual: God tells us to take our brothers and sisters in Christ to the elders of the church after we have made an attempt to reason with them. Second, the fleshly, is that malpractice insurers discourage suits by lawyers because the typical response is that we have somehow committed some act or omission that rises to the level of malpractice, even if it is not true.

So in this season of peace, I was not willing to take action that I believed to be unwise, even to get money that I earned. Later, God brought my sister in Christ into the process with me, and I did collect a small portion that was due me.

Later, God reminded me that he had revealed to me when I was between 8 and 12 years old that my success would come when I am about 70 years old. At such a young age, I rejected the idea, because I thought of 70 years of age as almost dead! Right after my 57th birthday, God reminded me of what He had said. The reminder deepened my peace. It was a relief to be reminded that my life at was not a total failure.

The question still was, with my qualifications and my education and my work ethic, why am I not wealthy? God says, My will be done. It all begins and ends right there. If you have a momentary feeling of whats it been all about! you are not alone in those thoughts, if all of my hard working, and thinking, and praying, and planning, and implementing, and writing, and preaching, and testifying has not resulted in any more than I have right now! But right on top of that thought is always Gods response: the season hasnt arrived. God has His protective and prophetic hand upon me to keep me right where I need to be, so that when the season comes, Im where Im supposed to be.God provided the realization that any one of my plans or ideas could have resulted in great wealth or renown or other earthly success, if He had just touched it and made it so. Instead, His hand has held them back, not to punish me, but to keep me where He needs me to be. The peace that God gives me, the peace that passes understanding, comes from the Word of God. Like David I can say that I would have fainted, I couldnt go on, if I didnt believe that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. I can wait on God and have the courage of my revelations, and He shall continue to strengthen my heart.[endnoteRef:68] [68: Psalm 27:13-15 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.]

Sow to the spirit. Define your harvest as million dollars if thats what you want! God will sort it out for you.

Sow in abundance and you can reap a wealth ofwealthin return!

Do yourself a favor.

God gives us favor, and asks us to give favor to our brothers