[don't eat the seed]

the parable of the sower...

there is a spiritual application of the natural law of sowing and reaping. for those in the neo-pentecostal/ charismatic movements, we've heard for years about sowing and reaping in the realm of finances. and that is good. but that's not where i'm going today.

there is an application that we miss sometimes. i'm talking today about prophetic sowing, and sowing into miracles. not just by giving finances, but by not eating the seeds.

God has given us seeds. one of the biggest seeds He has given us is the Word. what we do with that Seed will determine our harvest. if we simply read it, it may entertain us. if we only memorize it, it may come back to our rememberance. but if we embrace it, it will sustain us. revelation 12:11 says we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb (the Word that became flesh...) and the word of our testimony; that is, if we sow the seed.

if we just eat the seed and leave feeling full and content, then we will have nothing to show for it in the long run. we will be fat, full- and easily overtaken. if we leave revival meetings excited and energized, while these are both good emotions, these fail to determine the harvest. it's what we do with the seed that was given to us, that determines the harvest.

yes, the speaker (pastor, evangelist, prophet, teacher, brother, sister, whomever...) sowed their seeds into us, but it's up to us to sow the seeds into our own lives- that is to make sure the seeds reached the good soil and not the rough soil.

even though it's an old adage, and many people take it for granted, if you give a man a fish, you will feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, you will feed him (and his family and maybe give him a career) for a lifetime.

in a famine-starved country, people are hungry enough, that if you give them seed, they will eat it instead of planting it. they will consider the now and not the later. then when the harvest comes, they will have nothing to show for it. why? because they ate the seed.

so where am i going with this?

how many times have we sat in meetings where the presence of God was manifest and we are fed, just a taste, and then we walk out, after hearing about changing the world and do nothing with it? after all, just how do we apply "whatever it takes, whatever the cost" messages? or how often do we hear accounts of miracles and see the glory of God manifest, yet seem to lose the battle of belief when it comes to our own situations?

i love listening to bill johnson preach. my roommate gets his podcasts and we eagerly listen to each one as soon as they come out. the reason i love listening to him so much? the testimonies that he shares at the beginning. they are so energizing and refreshing. but, remember what i stated previously? bill johnson gives me seeds when he preaches. (i'm pretty sure he knows it, and i'm sure he expects a massive harvest by sowing those seeds into my life and countless others) but what do we do with those seeds? what are we to do with those seeds?

psalm 126 gives us a good idea of how to sow those seeds. verses five and six say, "those who sow in tears will reap in joy. those who go out weeping, carrying seeds to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them."

if we sow these seeds we are given in the tears of prayer, worship, meditation on the word and personal application of the word, then we will reap a bountiful harvest. what you sow, you will reap. if you sow prophecy, you will reap prophecy. if you sow testimonies of miracles, you will reap testimonies of miracles. if you sow the seeds of soul-winning, you will reap the harvest of souls. if you sow seeds, you will reap a harvest of food and the seeds to grow more.

however, this isn't just a feel good message. if you sow carnality, you will reap a harvest of carnality and judgement. some of us, even people who read this, either in passing or intentionally, are sowing this seed and know that the harvest is coming. you know it, and it scares you. it is ok. ecclesiastes says there is a time to plant and time to uproot. now is a time for both. uproot the carnality. sow the good seed...

...and yes, if you sow financially, you will reap financially.

[live the revolution!]