SOWING AND REAPING: THE PLATFORM OF KINGDOM PRINCIPLES
by Bill Winston Ministries September 21, 2020 SCRIPTURE: And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. (Mark 4:13–14) DEVOTIONAL: In the parable of the sower in Mark, chapter 4, Jesus gives an illustration of how the Word of God is planted in the heart by comparing it with seed sown in the ground. Jesus tells us that the parable of sowing and reaping is the very platform by which all of the other principles of the kingdom work. In Luke 8:11 Jesus says, “The seed is the Word of God.” The Word of God is the seed we plant to get a harvest of blessings in the kingdom of God. The sower sows the Word seed, and that Word seed controls everything. When God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), the environment changed because of His Word. The Word establishes, forms, and changes the natural world around us. Everything in our lives must either line up or get out when we stand on the Word. That’s how powerful it is. Even when it looks like it’s not working, we have to stand on God’s Word. When we’ve done all we can do to stand, the Bible says we just have to stand (Ephesians 6:13). We have to keep confessing, keep declaring, keep proclaiming, and keep saying the Word because that is God’s will for our lives. People tend to give up because they think it’s not working, but everything has to yield to the Word. If we plant the Word seed and cover it with cement, it will still come up. It will break a hole in the pavement to do what God says. Everything must submit to the authority and power of God’s Word. PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for Your Word. I will speak nothing but that which agrees with Your Word over my health, my family, my finances, and every other situation in my life. I repent now for every contrary word I’ve spoken and call it to die and bear no fruit in my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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A gateway is an entry point.
Not one place to gain access, but the entry point. You can try to reach a destination without going through it, but you’ll end up bumping up against a wall. For Christians, Jesus created the gateway and then told us how to get through it to success in every area of our lives—financially, physically, spiritually, relationally and otherwise. From His Word, we know: Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Prayer won’t work without faith (James 1:7-8). Faith won’t work without love (Galatians 5:6). Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). In other words, if you have a problem, love is the answer. If you’ve been stuck in the same place or believing for the same thing for what seems like forever, love is the answer. The good news is that your love walk is completely in your hands. That means YOU have the power to change your situation! Here, we’re sharing why love is The Gateway to Success in every area of your life and how to get there. 1. Love Brings Success to Your Prayers “And whenever you stand praying… forgive.” –Mark 11:25 (NKJV) When you’re interacting with people each day, you likely aren’t thinking about how it will affect your prayers. But the Bible tell us it does—significantly, in fact. Prayers prayed in faith are those that yield results. Since Galatians 5:6 tells us that faith works by love, we know faith cannot be in operation when something in our love walk is out of balance. Perhaps you’re outwardly a very pleasant and polite person. But walking in love goes far beyond being nice. It’s what resides deep beneath the surface. It’s what comes out when something goes wrong or someone upsets you. It includes your thoughts and intentions. It’s a matter of the heart. And it’s so important because your love walk will make or break your prayer life, as Jesus told us in Mark 11:25. Love is so important because the Bible says love is a greater power than even faith and hope (1 Corinthians 13:13). So, no matter how much faith and hope you think you have, if your love is off balance, your faith won’t work. If you’ve been praying a prayer that doesn’t seem to be receiving an answer, it’s time to ask (and answer) the question that changes everything and moves you through the gateway to success: How is your love walk? Let’s take a look. Love is patient--with your spouse, at the grocery store, in traffic, with your children. Love is kind--to your neighbor, to your restaurant server, in your thoughts, in your deeds and especially in a disagreement. Love doesn’t envy--it isn’t jealous of someone else’s life, appearance, giftings or opportunities. Love doesn’t boast--it doesn’t focus on itself but turns attention outward toward others. Love is not proud--it does not see itself as greater than it should. It knows where it needs to improve and is not above correction. It doesn’t worry, but instead fully trusts God. Love is not rude--It doesn’t cut people off in traffic, and it doesn’t push to the front of the line. It doesn’t talk loudly in public or disturb others during a church service. It is not late for work, church or appointments. And it doesn’t speak harshly. Love keeps no record of wrongs--it doesn’t remind your spouse of what they said or did five years ago or even last week. It doesn’t keep a running tally of what your mother-in-law has said or done. If the Lord tapped you on the shoulder about one or more of these in particular—make a change! Ask God to help you, so you can walk through the gateway to success! “Love your neighbor as yourself” fulfills every commandment. If you’ve been unkind to someone this week, you’ve stepped out of love, so get it right with that person without delay. Go to them and apologize. Repent to them and to the Lord. Clear the pathway to answered prayer! 2. Love Brings Healing to Your Body “Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you” –Ephesians 4:31-32 (AMPC) If healing is something you’ve been believing for, but it seems slow in coming, love is the answer. Medical science has proven that diseases such as arthritis, cancer, ulcers, anxiety, high blood pressure and heart disease are connected to stress, fear and bitterness. Unforgiveness or harboring hurts from the past is downright dangerous—both physically and spiritually. Unforgiveness will pull the plug on your faith so completely that you won’t have enough power to move the molehills in your life—much less the mountains. Jesus concluded one of His most powerful teachings on faith with these words, “And when you stand praying, forgive” (Mark 11:25, MEV). Jesus didn’t say when you stand praying try to forgive if you can. He simply said to forgive. Period. Jesus did not suggest that we forgive. He made forgiveness a command. And it would be unjust for Him to command us to do something we could not do. Therefore, we know it is within our ability to obey His command to forgive—no matter what the circumstances are. Most people don’t realize it, but unforgiveness is actually a form of fear. Quite often we don’t forgive because we’re afraid of getting hurt again. We’re afraid we will never recover from the damage someone has done to our lives. Beyond forgiving others, walking in love in every area of life will keep you healthy and strong. Anger, grumbling and criticism are bad for your health! Proverbs 29:11 (RSV) says, “A fool gives full vent to his anger.” Angry outbursts are not only sinful and harmful to you, but they damage your relationships as well. While we all have moments when we get upset, lashing out in anger toward anyone under any circumstance is not only unacceptable and disobedient to God’s Word, it will block your healing. That’s why Brother Kenneth E. Hagin said, “If you want to walk in health, you’re going have to walk in love and keep your tongue!” Grumbling and criticism are in the same category. Complaining is the opposite of a grateful, faith-filled heart, and criticizing others is stepping out of love. Love disciplines, corrects and holds people accountable. Love doesn’t just allow people to act however they wish or affirm behaviors that are contrary to the Word of God. But it is also not condemning or judgmental. So, hold your tongue, guard your heart, and get healed! You can change your habits to change your life. Jesus is ready and waiting to be invited to heal the hurting and broken places in your life that cause you to be angry, criticize or complain. He wants to help you. All you have to do is ask, be willing and obedient; and you will eat the good of the land. Love is your gateway to success! 3. Love Will Bring Success to Your Finances “The LORD will greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance—only if you carefully obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe with care all these commandments.” –Deuteronomy 15:4-5 (NKJV) This connection is difficult for some people to make. How is your love walk tied to your finances? As we’re learning, your love walk is tied to everything! When it comes to finances, there are multiple areas where we can block our own blessing without knowing it. Worry is probably the greatest offender in a believer’s life when it comes to provision. Worry means “divided into parts.” Worry means “to be double-minded,” and we know from James 1:6 that a double-minded man cannot expect anything from the Lord. Love means living without fear (1 John 4:18)—fear that what you want will never come to pass, fear of being rejected, fear of being overlooked, fear of not having enough money, fear of losing your job, fear of getting sick, etc. The Hebrew translation of the word love includes the root word for giving, which means you cannot separate love from giving! If a believer is withholding the tithe or is not generous in giving to the Kingdom or to others, love is not in full operation. Beyond that, we block financial blessings when we mistreat others because disobedience to the Lord is a blessing blocker. It doesn’t have to be a big and noticeable offense, either. Here are some areas where we as believers can miss it and walk out of love:
Need help improving your love walk? (Hint: We all do!) See Kenneth Copeland’s Tips for Walking in Love and how he works on his love walk HERE. 4. Love Will Give You Whole-Life Success “Love never fails.” –1 Corinthians 13:8 (NKJV) What does whole-life success look like to you? For many it means success in health, finances, relationships, business, ministry, promotions and dreams realized. Brother Copeland says, “Love is fear-free and failure-free.” Since we know love never fails, if we’re experiencing failure—or a lack of success—in any area of our lives, we know love is the answer. If you desire to be married, to receive a promotion at work, an increase in your finances, to start a ministry, to walk in divine health, to heal a broken relationship, or to bring a prodigal child home—love is the answer. Sow seeds, speak confessions and stay in the Word—those are all part of seeing a harvest—but don’t expect to see results until you dig deep, press in and make the changes you need to make to fully walk in love. Love will push you forward toward the gateway to success. Anything that moves you out of love puts on the brakes and stalls out your progress. Don’t put on the brakes. Let love propel you to success in every area of your life! From Faith to Faith—Daily Devotional
Victory comes one day at a time. Get a word of encouragement…a word of inspiration…a word of faith every day of the year. May 17 WALK IN THE LIGHT YOU HAVE Gloria Copeland But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. 2 Timothy 3:14 If you’re born again and have the Word of God in your heart, you can live in victory. You may not have all the answers. There may be a great many spiritual things you don’t understand. But it’s not those things that are most likely to destroy you. It’s the things you know to do—but don’t—that usually make you fall. Just think about walking at night down a dark, unfamiliar path in the middle of a jungle. The guide up ahead has a flashlight to keep you on the right path. But then, you just decide to wander off into the darkness by yourself. What do you think will happen to you? You’ll probably stumble and fall. Very likely, you’ll get hurt. That’s exactly the same thing that can happen in your walk with the Lord. He knows what’s ahead and He shines just enough light for you to take one step at a time. You have to continue walking in that light in order to get where you’re going. You may not know why He’s leading you a certain way. You may not understand all the things involved. But God will make up for your ignorance by the Holy Spirit. He’ll see to it that you have victory if you continue in what you know. It’s good to keep studying. It’s good to keep learning. But, remember, it’s not the great revelation you haven’t yet had that will cause you the most trouble. It’s failing to walk in the ones God has already given you. So be faithful in those things. Continue in them day after day after day. You’ll make it through just fine! Scripture Reading: 2 Peter 1:2-11 WHAT Is The Law Of Giving And Receiving?
God desires to pour out His glory in greater measure than ever before, not just in our hearts, lives and church services, but in our finances as well. The law of sowing and reaping, for example, is a powerful force. Its principle of giving governs everything in the kingdom of God and is fundamental to godly prosperity. Faith in the Word of God coupled with giving will always produce a harvest of prosperity. Always. Your prosperity depends on how much thought, study and attention you give God’s Word in that area. Are you willing to give the Bible first place in your heart? When you realize what the Word of God can and will do, you will want to immerse yourself in it. Romans 10:17 says, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” So how do you put yourself in a position to receive? In order to receive you must be single-minded. And that means first and foremost, you seek God. You do what Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” First is the key word here! There is nothing before first. First makes everything else fall into place. You can’t receive what you don’t believe! That’s why it’s impossible to please God without faith. His pleasure is to prosper His servants (Psalm 35:27). And He can’t get that prosperity to you if you don’t have faith. Faith and receiving are intimately connected. So when you go after God and make Him your primary pursuit, you’ll begin to receive. For us to receive His best, we have to put Him first. Once you’re walking in God’s will and living His plan for your life, you’ll find He also has a life of good things for you (1 Timothy 6:17) WHEN IT COMES TO SOWING AND REAPING, WHAT IS A SEED
Agriculture is the first thing we think about when we hear the phrase “seedtime and harvest.” It’s what comes to mind when we first read about it in Genesis 8:22, where we are promised that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. But you don’t have to look very long to see that the principle of seedtime and harvest, or “sowing and reaping,” applies to every area of our lives. The law of sowing and reaping is a God-instituted process that will exist as long as we are on this earth. We see this in Galatians 6:7-9. Here the law is applied to the consequences and rewards of decisions a person makes in life: “You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Notice that these verses speak of seeds being sown in every area of life from financial to social, from sowing and reaping from the sinful nature or from the Spirit. The great news of the gospel is that through Christ the wages (or harvest) of our sin can be washed by His blood, and we can enter into an abundance of never-ending life: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God’s plan is to provide good seed for you to sow. Second Corinthians 9:8-11 tells us God provides seed for the sower. His plan is to not only meet our needs but for us to have plenty left over to sow to every good work. We encourage you to trust the Lord to provide you with good seed to sow, whether it’s a financial seed, a kind word, a gift of service or an act of obedience. God will multiply the seed you sow! Jesus said in Luke 6:38 that if you give “you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES
Do you receive whatever you ask of God in prayer? You can. Many believers don’t know that, but it’s true. Jesus Himself said so. He didn’t say it just once, either. He said it again and again. In John 14:13 He said, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” In John 15:16 He said, “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, He may give it you.” In John 16:23 He said, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.” Those are startlingly clear statements. They leave no room for the traditional religious idea that sometimes God says yes to our prayers, and sometimes He says no. Jesus didn’t mention anything about God saying no to our prayers. He simply said, “Whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give you.” “But Brother Copeland, Jesus was talking to the 12 disciples when He said that. They were a unique group. What He said to them about prayer doesn’t apply to all of us.” Yes, it does. We know it does because the Apostle John repeated that very same promise to all believers in 1 John 3:22-23. He wrote: “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of [God], because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.” What Commandments? I can almost hear you thinking. Keep the commandments? How can ever qualify for answered prayer if I have to keep all the commandments in the Bible first? I’m not even sure I know them all! Don’t worry. That passage isn’t referring to all God’s scriptural Instructions. It’s not even talking about the 10 Commandments. It’s talking about the two commands listed in verse 23, the commands especially given to us as New Testament believers: 1) Believe on the Name of God’s Son, Jesus Christ; and 2) Love one another. Many times we focus only on the second command. We assume because we’re born again, we’ve already done all we need to do about believing on the Name of Jesus. But actually, developing our faith in Jesus’ Name is something we must do continually. It’s our first and foremost responsibility. Why? Because believing on Jesus’ Name is what unites us with His power, moment by moment and day by day. It’s what enables us to keep the command of love. It’s what empowers us to do everything God asks us to do. And it is the golden key that opens the door to answered prayer. A LITTLE EVERY DAY
Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. Luke 13:18-19 If you're going to grow in the kingdom of God, you're going to do it just like a seed that's been planted in the ground. How does a seed grow? All at once? No, it grows constantly-- 24 hours a day--a little all the time until it accomplishes what it was created to do. Many of us don't operate that way spiritually. We study and pray very hard for a few days and then quit. Then, when some disaster comes, we make a mad attempt to pray and stand on the Word, all the while realizing that, for some reason, we're just not as strong as we ought to be. There's no such thing as an overnight success in the kingdom of God! Real strength, real growth comes as you consistently and constantly keep the Word before your eyes, in your ears, and in the midst of your heart. Not just when you want to or when you feel like it, but constantly, like the seed, a little all the time. A man came up to me once and said, "Man, your ministry just took off overnight, didn't it?" "If it did," I answered, "it was certainly the longest night I ever spent in my life!" From his perspective my success did seem to spring up quickly. That's because he didn't see me during all those hours and weeks and months and years I spent in the Word of God. He didn't see the daily process that lay behind that success. He just saw the results. Make up your mind to begin that daily process of constant growth today. Determine to start putting the Word in your heart consistently. Every day a line here, a line there--a tape here, a tape there. Begin to act as though that Word is true every hour of the day regardless of what comes or how you feel. Keep adding to your faith, meditating on it, confessing it, seven days a week. Eventually, your faith will be bigger than you ever dreamed it could be. Scripture Reading: Luke 13:18-21 Parable of the Mustard Seed 18 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.” Parable of the Yeast 20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? 21 It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” Kenneth Copeland WHEN IT COMES TO SOWING AND REAPING, WHAT IS A SEED
Agriculture is the first thing we think about when we hear the phrase “seedtime and harvest.” It’s what comes to mind when we first read about it in Genesis 8:22, where we are promised that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. But you don’t have to look very long to see that the principle of seedtime and harvest, or “sowing and reaping,” applies to every area of our lives. The law of sowing and reaping is a God-instituted process that will exist as long as we are on this earth. We see this in Galatians 6:7-9. Here the law is applied to the consequences and rewards of decisions a person makes in life: “You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Notice that these verses speak of seeds being sown in every area of life from financial to social, from sowing and reaping from the sinful nature or from the Spirit. The great news of the gospel is that through Christ the wages (or harvest) of our sin can be washed by His blood, and we can enter into an abundance of never-ending life: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). God’s plan is to provide good seed for you to sow. Second Corinthians 9:8-11 tells us God provides seed for the sower. His plan is to not only meet our needs but for us to have plenty left over to sow to every good work. We encourage you to trust the Lord to provide you with good seed to sow, whether it’s a financial seed, a kind word, a gift of service or an act of obedience. God will multiply the seed you sow! Jesus said in Luke 6:38 that if you give “you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”! GRACE IS ENOUGH
Gloria Copeland 2 Corinthians 12:7 The devil has used the traditional teaching of Paul’s thorn in the flesh to talk believers out of the blessings of God for years, to try to convince us to settle for everything from sickness to sin—and to do it of our own free will. It is perhaps the most destructive and the most widely accepted misinterpretation of Scripture that exists in the Body of Christ today. I’ve gone into countries to preach to people who hardly had any knowledge of the Word at all and still I have found that somehow they’d been taught about Paul’s thorn. And most of them have been taught wrongly. Tradition says that God gave Paul the thorn in the flesh. What’s more, tradition makes the “thorn” into some great mystery. But the Scripture doesn’t say that at all! It says that the thorn in the flesh was a messenger of Satan. Not God—Satan! The thorn was quite literally just what Paul says it was—a “messenger sent from Satan.” You see, everywhere Paul went, he preached the gospel and every time he preached, he destroyed a little more of Satan’s kingdom. So, Satan sent a messenger, an evil spirit, to stop him. When Paul sought the Lord concerning this thorn (look at 2 Corinthians 12:8-10), God didn’t answer Paul in the negative. God said, “My grace (or, My favor) is enough. It is sufficient for you. For My strength is made perfect in your weakness (inability to produce results)” (W.E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words). In other words, when Paul didn’t have enough human strength to overcome, God’s miracle-working power was sufficient for him. It enabled him to be an overcomer in spite of his weakness. Don’t allow the devil to talk you out of your victory. Throw tradition aside and dare to believe the Word of God. Fight the fight of faith, and just like the Apostle Paul, you will see the salvation of the Lord! Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 THE BLESSING
Blessings for Obedience 28 “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. 2 You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God: 3 Your towns and your fields will be blessed. 4 Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. 5 Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. 6 Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. 7 “The Lord will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! 8 “The Lord will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. 9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you. 11 “The Lord will give you prosperity in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops. 12 The Lord will send rain at the proper time from his rich treasury in the heavens and will bless all the work you do. You will lend to many nations, but you will never need to borrow from them. 13 If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom. 14 You must not turn away from any of the commands I am giving you today, nor follow after other gods and worship them. |
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