Series: Debt Freedom

Break the Cycle – Part 9

1. The first step to reaping your harvest is to rightly discern your harvest.

You need to discern:

• When your harvest is.
• Where your harvest is.
• How much your harvest is

A spiritual harvest is not discerned in the natural by looking at natural circumstances.

You will be able to tell by the witness of the Holy Spirit in your spirit. Learn to pay attention to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your spirit.

(1 John 2:20 NKJV) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

You might not be able to explain it but you will have a knowing in your spirit.

• A key indicator that harvest time is near is joy in your spirit.

(Psalms 126:5-6 KJV)  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  (6)  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

• You sow in joy, you wait in joy, and you reap in joy.

In John’s Gospel Jesus said many times, My hour is not yet come. But then in Chapter 12, Jesus said the hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified.

If you do not know that the hour is now, then it isn’t.

The Holy Spirit’s job is to reveal the timing of the harvest to your spirit.

(Luke 5:1-11 NKJV) So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, (2) and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. (3) Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. (4) When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” (5) But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” (6) And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. (7) So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. (8) When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (9) For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; (10) and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” (11) So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

2. Make sure your harvest is ready by your thanksgiving and praise.

(Psalms 67:5-6 NLT) May the nations praise You, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise You. (6) Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us.

Praise and thanksgiving help things move along, since praise and thanksgiving are the language of faith.

“The depth of your praise will determine the magnitude of your harvest.” —Jerry Savelle

Say things like:

• “Praise God, my seed always produces a bumper crop.”
• “Thank You, Lord, the hundredfold return is working for me all the time.”

3. Keep the weeds out of your garden!

(Genesis 2:15 AMPC)  And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and guard and keep it.

Keep (HEB) = To put a hedge of thorns around it, to watch over it; to guard, protect and safeguard

• Weeds include unforgiveness, bitterness, strife—anything to do with walking outside of love.
• You pull up the “weeds” and cast them out with your words.

4. When you sense in your spirit that it is harvest time, you begin to call in your harvest.

(Isaiah 41:15 AMPC) Behold, I will make you to be a new, sharp, threshing instrument which has teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the hills like chaff.

In the Hebrew, the word teeth means “double-edged”.

God says He will give us an instrument to harvest that is double-edged.

(Hebrews 4:12 NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

(Revelation 1:16 NKJV) He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

(Isaiah 49:2 NKJV) And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.”

Make your words line up with your harvest.

(Romans 4:17 AMPC) As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed. [Gen 17:5]

4. Always remember, God is your source!

God is not limited to your paycheck that you receive on your job.

(Philippians 4:19 BBE) And my God will give you all you have need of from the wealth of his glory in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:19 MSG) You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.

Don’t try and figure out how God is going to meet your needs or provide the harvest. He is not limited to just one channel or way of getting something to you.

(Matthew 17:24-27 NKJV) When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” (25) He said, “Yes.” And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” (26) Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. (27) Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”

“Piece of money” – Greek “stater” which was the exact amount to pay the tax for two people.

Break the Cycle – Part 8

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• You will find that the Bible teaches in principles and precepts:

Principle: a fundamental truth that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

Precept: a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought.

(Isaiah 28:9-10 NKJV) “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? (10) For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”

Just implementing principles in your life will not always generate the results that we desire.

• We need a plan or strategy that is specifically designed FOR US.

Plan: a method of acting, doing, proceeding, developed in advance.

(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Strategy: a plan, method, or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result.

(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)  For I know the strategies I have for you,” declares the LORD, “strategies to prosper you and not to harm you, strategies to give you hope and a future.

• Very often, God will not use the same strategy when facing the same problem.

(2 Samuel 5:17-25 NKJV) Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. (18) The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. (19) So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.” (20) So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim. (21) And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away. (22) Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. (23) Therefore David inquired of the LORD, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. (24) And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” (25) And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.

Last week we covered some reasons that people are not reaping a harvest:

• Some people do not reap a harvest because they have not sown.
• Some people do not reap because they quit and give up before they harvest.
• Some people don’t reap because they think thar reaping is automatic.

 

• Another reason that some people do not reap their harvest is that they have forgotten that they have sown.

One reason for this is that we see it as a loss and not as an investment.

Don’t get legalistic with this but you should keep a record of what and where you have given just as you would with natural investments.

We should give these things the same attention that we would natural investments.

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Reaping the Harvest

1. The first step to reaping your harvest is to rightly discern your harvest.

(John 4:35 NLT) You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.

Jesus was speaking to the disciples about THE harvest, but He needed to correct their thinking. They were thinking that the harvest would be in four months, but He said the harvest is ready now.

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You need to discern:

• When your harvest is.
• Where your harvest is.
• How much your harvest is

A spiritual harvest is not discerned in the natural by looking at natural circumstances.

You will be able to tell by the witness of the Holy Spirit in your spirit. Learn to pay attention to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your spirit.

(1 John 2:20 NKJV) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

You might not be able to explain it but you have a knowing in your spirit.

• A key indicator that harvest time is near is joy in your spirit.

(Psalms 126:5-6 KJV)  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  (6)  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

This man does not weep because he sees it as a loss. He weeps because the land had been abandoned for so long and it is agonizing work to sow in this soil.

(Isaiah 9:3 NIV) You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.

• You sow in joy, you wait in joy, and you reap in joy.

In John’s Gospel Jesus said many time, My hour is not yet come. But then in Chapter 12, Jesus said the hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified.

If you do not know that the hour is now, then it isn’t.

But as you spend time with the Lord, and walk with Him in prayer and His Word, you will begin to have a knowing in your spirit that the time has come for your harvest. Example of the harvest of souls – the time is now! We need to be reaping big harvests of money so that we can win people to Jesus!

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Break the Cycle – Part 7

Principles of Reaping

(Proverbs 10:5 NKJV) He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

(Proverbs 10:5 TLB) A wise youth makes hay while the sun shines, but what a shame to see a lad who sleeps away his hour of opportunity.

(Ecclesiastes 11:1-4 NKJV) (1) Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days. (2) Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. (3) If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. (4) He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

Solomon is telling us that there is not going to be a convenient or opportune time to sow or to reap. If you are moved by the present conditions, you might not do anything.

(Ecclesiastes 11:4 TLB) If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.

Many times when the Lord deals with us to sow, give, or do something above the norm, will not be a convenient time.

Reasons Why We Don’t Reap A Harvest

We want to reap harvests and reap big harvests!

Natural things oftentimes are patterned after spiritual things.

1. People do not reap a harvest because they have not sown.

A farmer cannot reap a harvest if he has not planted.

If you want to reap, you must sow.

Remember, if you have nothing, God will give you seed to sow, to get you started.

(2 Corinthians 9:10 AMPC) And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. [Isa 55:10; Hos 10:12]

Things to remember when your seed comes in:

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• Honor God with the first fruits of your increase.

Tithing is the key to your sowing being blessed. (Malachi 3:10-11)

When you tithe, He will make sure that it rains on the seed that you have sown.

God will rebuke the devourers, the bugs that want to steal your harvest. He will also make sure that the harvest is ready in its due season.

• You must sow in every area that you want to reap.

(Genesis 1:12 NKJV) And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

(Galatians 6:7 NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

(Galatians 6:7 GNB) Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. You will reap exactly what you plant.

(Galatians 6:7 NLT) Don’t be misled–you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

This is greater than just money: friends, faithfulness, love, etc.

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(Galatians 6:9 NKJV) And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

(Galatians 6:9 MSG) So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up or quit.

2. Some people do not reap because they quit and give up before they harvest.

Due season or the right time is always later than you want it to be!

When you sow naturally, you do not sow today and reap tomorrow or even next week.

Reaping takes patience. You cannot rush the ground!

One of the keys is to make sure that you are always sowing.

Faith works this way too! (Mark 11:23) Even the mountain dissolving and ending up in the water is the same as it jumping up and getting cast in the sea.

Look for “suddenly’s” but plan on realities.

3. Some people don’t reap because they think the reaping is automatic.

(Mark 4:26-29 NKJV) And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, (27) and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. (28) For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. (29) But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Who planted the seed? The man did.

Who caused it to grow? The earth. (God’s responsibility)

Who did the reaping? The man did.

Reaping is no more automatic than sowing is. You make a decision to reap.

Think about this: even with spectacular, supernatural provision, the Children of Israel still had to gather the manna that fell from Heaven. They also had to gather the quail that God caused to fly into the camp for them.

When the spectacular provision stopped in the Promised Land, they had to sow, the earth brought the fruit, and they had to harvest.

You sow by faith and you reap by faith.

Reaping will require us to learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Not only will he lead us to sow, but He will show us when to reap.

Break the Cycle – Part 6

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(Galatians 6:7 PHILLIPS) Don’t be under any illusion: you cannot make a fool of God! A man’s harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows.

• Prosperity – is to look a person in the eye in their moment of impossibility and take their needs on as your own.

Remember, this is the end game we are after. In the process of this, it is a given that our needs will be taken care of.

• Poverty – the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount. (something missing or lack of some kind)

Our mission should be to eradicate poverty not only in our lives, but in the lives of as many people as we can. God’s blessing is designed to do that.

• Money is absolutely and completely neutral.
• Money can become seed only if the real seed is attached to it.

(Mark 4:14 NKJV) The sower sows the word.

• We are sowing when we give money to someone with the Word attached or into Word preaching and teaching ministries (Church, etc.)

The Law of Multiplication

Multiplication in Action

(Luke 9:12-17 NKJV) When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” (13) But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” (14) For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” (15) And they did so, and made them all sit down. (16) Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. (17) So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

There were 5000 men in verse 14. They counted heads of households (Matthew 14:21). In other words, there were 5000 families or households represented here. There could have easily been 15,000 to 20,000 people there.

Three Principles of Multiplication:

1. What you have must be blessed before it can multiply.

• The tithe belongs to God.

(Leviticus 27:30 NLT) “One tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD and must be set apart to Him as holy.

Jesus is our High Priest and we present our tithes to Him according to Deuteronomy 26.

The way that you get what you have in your hands to be blessed is to put the first portion in Jesus’ hands so He can bless it.

(Malachi 3:10 NKJV) 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.

• Tithing is not sowing. Tithing is returning.
• Only what you give over your tithe is seed and can be multiplied.

This principle only applies to the finances that you give over and above the tithe.

The basic plan for our finances:

• We receive income from our job, business, etc.
• We tithe (10%) honoring God at the beginning.
• We save and pay our bills and financial obligations.
• We sow seed out of our discretionary income (what is left over).

2. It is the blessing of Jesus that gives it the potential to multiply.

Luke 9:16 NKJV Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them…

The first portion is the redemptive portion that causes the rest to be blessed. You must give the first portion, the tithe to God with no strings attached.

He blessed the loaves, He broke the loaves and He gave the loaves back to the disciples.

3. Once it is blessed, what you have has to be given away before it can multiply.

Jesus received the bread, blessed it and then gave it back to the disciples. If they had eaten it when Jesus gave it back to them, it never would have multiplied.

Remember, the tithe causes the rest to be blessed and redeemed but it does not cause the rest to multiply.

The food did not multiply when Jesus prayed over the loaves and fishes.

• The miracle of multiplication did not happen in the Master’s hands – it happened in the disciples’ hands.

Notice, that there was not enough to meet the need to start with. But once, the Master multiplied it, there was more than enough to meet the need and there was some left over.

If you are lacking seed at this point, then there is still hope for you!

(2 Corinthians 9:6-11 AMPC)  [Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings.  (7)  Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. [Pro 22:9]  (8)  And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].  (9)  As it is written, He [the benevolent person] scatters abroad; He gives to the poor; His deeds of justice and goodness and kindness and benevolence will go on and endure forever! [Psa 112:9]  (10)  And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. [Isa 55:10; Hos 10:12]  (11)  Thus you will be enriched in all things and in every way, so that you can be generous, and [your generosity as it is] administered by us will bring forth thanksgiving to God.

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Break the Cycle – Part 5

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Today, we begin the journey of learning about sowing and reaping. The next few messages will be building on each other so don’t miss any parts!

(Galatians 6:7 NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

(Galatians 6:7 PHILLIPS) Don’t be under any illusion: you cannot make a fool of God! A man’s harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows.

Money is like a brick.

A brick is absolutely and completely neutral.

The brick has no ability to hurt or help anyone on its own.

In the hands of a person, it can build a church, school, or hospital or it can destroy, hurt, and bring ruin, or even death.

The brick did not do it, it is the individual that had the brick.

• Money is absolutely and completely neutral.

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The brick is a revealer of the heart of the one whose hands it is in.

• Money is a revealer of the heart of the one whose hands it is in.

(Matthew 6:21 NKJV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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Religion would tell us that God does not want you to have a lot of bricks because those bricks will corrupt you and lead you to sin.

Religion also says that “bricks are the root of all evil.”

The brick does not generate the corruption, the man that has the bricks generates the corruption which leads to his downfall.

It is only when I fall in love with bricks and begin to lust after them that they become the root of all kinds of evil.

• It is only when I fall in love with money and begin to lust after it that it becomes the root of all kinds of evil.

(1 Timothy 6:10 NKJV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

We must know and understand that God does not have any problem with you and me having plenty of money just like He has no problem with me having a lot of bricks.

We have all made a series of decisions in our lives that have positioned us where we don’t have any bricks. We are up to our ears in debt in that we owe a lot of bricks to a lot of people.

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God never intended for us to become servants to bricks.

• God never intended for us to become servants to money.

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It has always been the plan of God for bricks to serve us.

• It has always been the plan of God for money to serve us.

So, we need to learn to make the right decisions that can begin to change the course of our lives and start causing our bricks to serve us instead of us serving our bricks.

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Laws of Sowing and Reaping

• God created the law of sowing and reaping.

(Genesis 8:22 NKJV) “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”

This is both a natural law and a spiritual law. Jesus said the Kingdom of God operates based upon this law.

(Mark 4:26-29 NKJV) And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, (27) and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. (28) For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. (29) But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

• God created another law that says a seed will produce only after its own kind.

(Genesis 1:11 NKJV) Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.

(Genesis 1:21 NKJV) So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

(Genesis 1:24 NKJV) Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.

• Seeds are not always financial in nature.

(Luke 6:37-38 NKJV) “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (38) Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

• The Word of God is the most powerful seed we have available.

(Mark 4:14-20 NKJV) The sower sows the word. (15) And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. (16) These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; (17) and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. (18) Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, (19) and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (20) But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

How can money, a neutral thing become something that I can sow and have it produce a harvest? It is just like the brick; it is powerless to produce anything. Unless something is attached to it.

• Money can become seed only if the real seed is attached to it.

(Mark 4:14 NKJV) The sower sows the word.

The Word is the true seed and it needs to be sown into the hearts of men.

So, if we want our money to become seed, then we must attach it to the true seed of God’s Word.

Money cannot be sown into the hearts of men, but the Word can be sown into the hearts of men. So, our money must be attached to what gets sown into the hearts of men so that it can begin to produce for us.

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