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"Owe no man
anything..."
-Romans 13:8
"...the borrower becomes the lender's
slave."
-Proverbs 22:7
"...the
righteous man shall live by faith."
-Romans 1:17
"...without
faith it is impossible to please Him."
-Hebrews 11:6
"No one can
serve two masters..."
-Matthew 6:24
"The Lord
will make you abound in prosperity..."
-Deuteronomy 25:11
"...God
loves a cheerful giver."
-2 Corinthians 9:7
"...the
Lord... is giving you power to make
wealth..."
-Deuteronomy 8:18
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Greetings in the name of Christ Jesus!
This is the eleventh article in our series on the
Laws of Biblical Prosperity. We hope the
previous issues have been a blessing but if you
missed any please request FREE e-mail copies from
the home office at: [email protected].
Thanks for reading Prosperous Life Newsletter.
May you be blessed and edified today by the Truth
from God’s Word!
We have discussed in the previous articles of this
series that the fullness of God’s
prosperity covers much more than
just finances. Although finances are included, God
wants Believers to enjoy victory in all areas of life:
spirit, soul and body with “nothing missing and
nothing broken.” The truth is the Bible is replete with
Laws of Conduct that produce the fullness of
God’s prosperity whenever the proper actions are
initiated. All we have to do is know the particular
actions to initiate which requires that we learn about
them in the Word of God.
One of the basic biblical principles that interacts with
prosperity is the Law of Sowing and Reaping.
The Bible establishes seed time and harvest as both
a fundamental and an eternal principle in God’s
Kingdom: “The Kingdom of God is like a man who
casts seed upon the soil when the crop permits, he
immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest
has come.” (Mark 4:26, 29); and, “While the earth
remains, seedtime and harvest shall not cease”
(Genesis 8:22). Indeed, the entire Kingdom of God
and everything that goes on within it is subject to
the Law of Sowing and Reaping and there are
numerous scriptures that talk about it. The Christian
desiring biblical prosperity then must understand
and practice Spirit-led sowing and
reaping.
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Understanding Sowing and Reaping |
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The basic idea is that in order to reap (harvest)
something desirable for our lives, like biblical
prosperity, we have to sow (plant) something
(seeds) of value. Then, whatever we sow of value
will be multiplied back to us many times over. A key
point is to sow something that is important and
valuable to us, or that causes us to make a sacrifice,
in expectation of a harvest of greater value in the
future. In other words, if we sow bountifully we will
reap bountifully; conversely, if we sow sparingly
(something of little value to us) we will reap sparingly
(2 Corinthians 6:6).
Also, we will usually but not always reap the same
kind of crop we sow; for example, if we sow corn, we
will eventually reap a multiplied quantity of corn. If
we sow love we will reap greater love in return. In
sum, if we sow something of value, we will reap
something of greater value in like kind through a
process of multiplication. Therefore, if we sow
something into the Kingdom of God that is of value to
us, we will reap biblical prosperity in greater value
than what we sowed.
There are five key requirements that are necessary
to produce the right conditions for biblically-based
sowing and reaping:
� We need to have seed to plant. God
provides seed to the sower (2 Corinthians 9:10) for
the purpose of sowing. Therefore, after a crop is
harvested we must be careful not to consume our
future seed for sowing on ourselves. There will
always be a future planting season and there will be
no harvest if we are caught with no seed to sow.
� We need to sow our seed into the Kingdom
of God instead of into the idea of receiving a harvest
to consume on our own agenda. If our hearts are
wrong the harvest will not come in the abundance
God wants us to have. If we put the Kingdom of God
first in our sowing, we will come to reap biblical
prosperity (Matthew 6:33).
� We need to sow our seed into good ground
in order to receive the harvest of prosperity we are
hoping for. Accordingly, we need to consider our
options and choose carefully. We need to consult
with the Lord and find out where He want us to sow
our seed. If we sow into poor ground our harvest will
be sparse but if we sow into the ground God directs
us to, our harvest will be bountiful (Mark 4:13-20).
� We need to walk by the Spirit in faith
believing that the seed we have sown will produce
the harvest we are seeking (Romans 1:17 and
Hebrews 11:6). Every time we sow seed, we need to
attach our faith to it. We should speak out that we
are expecting the seed to be multiplied back to us as
God has promised in His Word and then believe that
we have ownership over that multiplication before it
actually manifests (Mark 11:23-24).
� We have to know how to reap the harvest
which requires us to be familiar with the Word and
recognize when the harvest season is at hand. Not
only do we do the sowing of the seed, we are also
responsible for performing the harvest; God performs
the multiplication (Mark 4:26-29). Many Believers
have a harvest all around them but don’t realize it
and are still standing around waiting for it to
manifest. Each of us must be able to discern the
harvest and then “put in the sickle” to bring in our
own harvest.
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Why God Require Us to Sow |
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Sowing seed requires that we give up something of
value that our flesh would prefer to consume for its
own pleasure. This is why many Christians often find
themselves without bountiful seed to sow; they have
consumed it on themselves and there is nothing left
to sow. The question is: why does God require us to
give up something in order to receive the harvest
that He has clearly stated He wants us to have?
This answer to this question is that we are God’s
adopted children (Ephesians 1:5) and we are all in a
process of being conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ (Romans 8:29). Accordingly, over time we will
encounter numerous experiences in our lives that are
designed to help us increasingly manifest His
attributes. The very essence of God’s nature is
giving and sowing. He gave us life, He
gave His Son, He gave us grace and mercy, He gave
us an inheritance (Ephesians 1:11), He gave us
deliverance from sickness, poverty and sorrow
(Isaiah 53:4-5). And He sowed the
very life of His only begotten Son in order to receive
in return a harvest of souls for His Kingdom. Jesus
sowed His own mortal life for the
same reason and in the process paid for sins that
weren’t His and that we should have to pay for.
Therefore, it is required that we learn to sow what is
valuable to us so we can come to resemble Christ.
We are to be givers and sowers out of what is
important and valuable to us. Not only are we to
give, we are to give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7)
from the seed God has provided. If we do not give
from what He provides, or if we give insufficiently or
grudgingly, we can expect a shortfall in the
realization of biblical prosperity in our lives. As we
grow in our giving and sowing we come closer to the
image of Christ and then God increases prosperity in
our lives so we can bless more and more people.
Sowing and giving also teaches us to love, to love
God and to love one another so we can fulfill the
commandments of Christ (Matthew 22:36-40).
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Conclusions |
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When we talk about sowing and reaping most
Christians automatically think about their money
because it’s their most valued possession. Certainly,
one of God’s purposes for money is that part of it be
sown. But there are other kinds of sowing we must
consider and here are a few examples:
- Sowing your time into companionship with the
Lord
- Sowing your time in the Word
- Sowing your efforts and talents into people’s
lives
- Sowing the Word into other people
- Sowing love to those around you
- Sowing into the Gospel
Have you ever seen Christians who are trying their
best to hang onto their possessions and valuables?
Usually they’re the ones who take offence when the
Pastor gives a long offering message. What they
don’t realize is that they are cutting themselves off
from the fullness of biblical prosperity. And anyway,
they will probably come to lose what they are trying
so hard to protect (Proverbs 11:24). The truth is we
have to give in order to receive (Luke 6:38). When
Jesus asked the Rich Young Ruler to sow all His
property to the poor, he wasn’t able to do it and
missed an opportunity for a 100-fold harvest on what
He had been asked to sow (Mark 10:17-30).
God wants cheerful givers who desire to look like
Jesus. Therefore, we can state for your
consideration the following Law of biblical prosperity:
in order to experience the manifestation of
biblical prosperity, you must continually and
cheerfully sow something of value into the Kingdom
of God.
Today is a good day to look for an opportunity to
sow something into the Kingdom of God. The more
often you sow, the easier it becomes, the more you
look like Jesus and the greater becomes the
manifestation of biblical prosperity in your life. God
bless you and thank you for reading Prosperous
Life Newsletter today. We’ll see you again in
three weeks!
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Sinners’ Prayer |
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If you have never invited Jesus to become the Lord
of your life, you can do so today by saying the
following simple prayer: Jesus I believe in you
and I receive you as my Lord and Savior. Please
forgive me for my sins and come into my life
today.
If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God
has already come into your life and you are a new
creation. Congratulations! Now ask the Lord to lead
you to a bible teaching church where you can be
developed to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of
God. And please send us an e-mail advising your
decision so we can rejoice with you in our prayers. If
you’re unable to find a church, give us a call and
we’ll try to help you find a good one.
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Questions and Suggestions |
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It would bless us to have an opportunity to answer
your questions concerning any of the financial areas
covered by this ministry. We would also be happy to
consider your comments and suggestions. Please feel
free to e-mail them to us or give us a call anytime
during normal business hours at our toll free number
1-800-357-4223.
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Donations |
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If you have been blessed and edified by
Prosperous Life Newsletter, please pray about
making a Spirit-led love offering to support the work
of the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). PLN is a non
profit [501(c)(3)] gift to the Body of Christ so your
financial gifts are tax deductible (please consult your
tax advisor). You may mail your check or money
order payable to Cornerstone Consulting Ministries to
10621 N. Kendall Drive, Suite 113, Miami, Florida
33176 or click on the donation tab for other payment
options. May God bless you with His abundant
harvest from sowing your precious seed into this
Ministry.
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List of Topics in This Series: The Laws of Biblical Prosperity |
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Part One - Defining Biblical Prosperity
Part Two - The Authority of God's Word
Part Three - God Must Be Our Source
Part Four - God Can Only Do Good
Part Five - The Role of Love
Part Six - How to Walk in Love
Part Seven - The Role of Faith
Part Eight - The Source of Faith
Part Nine - The Force of Faith
Part Ten - How To Walk By Faith
Part Eleven - The Law of Sowing and Reaping
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