The Harvest Principle: Expect God to Respond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harvest Principle: Expect God to Respond

 

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11)

 

 

If you're saying, "God, I'm looking to You as the only source of my supply; and when I have a need, I'm going to plant a seed," then you can expect God to send a harvest.

God will provide the harvest from the seed you planted not because you've worked yourself into a frenzy or psyched yourself up, but simply because of who God is. He's faithful, and He can be depended on. He will provide for your needs; he will fulfill His promises.

Now understand this: God's no vending machine. He's not a genie jumping to your every command and He's not your servant. But He is a loving father, who constantly proves the principles He established through His Word. He shows us people throughout the Bible who believe God and say, "I'm going to give when I don't have it, whether it is money, time, energy, ideas, or empathy."

The Bible says, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11) and "If your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?" (Luke 11:11)

No way! God loves His children and God is waiting to do in your life what you cannot imagine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harvest Principle: Give Generously

"Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. 'There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?'" (John 6:8-9).

 

Whenever you have a need, acknowledge your faith by planting a seed. In other words, take your focus off your need and look at ways you can provide for the needs of others, planting a seed in their lives.

This isn't easy. It goes against our nature; it's totally illogical. If I'm out of money, I'm probably going to think, "I can't give away any money." Or if I'm out of time, I'm probably going to think, "Why should I spend more time on something else?" Or if I don't have any energy in a relationship, I'm probably going to think, "How can I give more energy away?"

Yet, God says this is exactly what demonstrates faith: when you have a need, you plant a seed.

You can see this principle imbedded in our blood. When you give away blood, you get more blood. You don't end up with less blood; you end up with as much blood or more than you had before.

God often works through this harvest principle: when you have a need, you give; and what you give away, God replenishes. Faith is like a seed, so it has to be planted, or deposited.

Remember the story of the little boy who had five loaves and two fish? He gives them away, and God uses them to feed 5,000 people. Jesus takes what the boy gives; He breaks it, He blesses it, and He uses it.

That's what God does in our lives. He takes us, He breaks us, He blesses us, and He uses us. He multiplied a little into a lot because it was planted as a seed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

The Harvest Principle: God Alone Supplies     "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).

 

 

You must decide you will look to God only as your source of supply. You need to tell God that you're going to look to Him alone to provide for your needs and that you won't look anywhere else.

We get ourselves in trouble when we confuse the channel with the source. God may use your paycheck from work as the channel to supply your needs, but your employer is just the channel for God's provision—and God can shift to another channel anytime he wants.

When you start to look to something or someone else to meet you needs, when you begin to confuse the channel with the source, there is a clear warning sign: Worry!

Say you've started looking to your job as the source, instead of the channel. You may start worrying, "What if I lose my job?" You know what? That channel may close, but the source of your every need is still active and providing for you. When God turns off one channel, he can turn on another one.

Once you know what you're lacking, you need to give God the right to choose whatever channel He decides to fulfill the need. It may be a channel different from one you would choose; in fact, God may deliberately choose a different channel in order to teach you to keep looking to him for all your needs.

I have learned, as a Christian for nearly forty years, that it's exciting to just let God be God. It's exciting to watch God meet a need in a way that you never thought possible or could have never thought up on your own.

God alone is the source of your supply.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PurposeDriven.com by Rick Warren