(2 Corinthians 9:10-11 NLT) For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. (11) Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
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 11:4 NKJV) (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.
Reasons Why We Don’t Reap A Harvest
- 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.
(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.
- Some people don’t reap because they think the reaping is automatic.
(Mark 4:29 NKJV) (29) But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
- 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.
How Do We Reap Our Harvest?
- The first step to reaping your harvest is to rightly discern your harvest.
(John 4:35 MSG) As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!
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.
You need to discern:
- When your harvest is.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 NLT) For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. (2) A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
- Where your harvest is.
(Genesis 26:1-3 NKJV) There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. (2) Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. (3) Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
(Genesis 26:12-13 NKJV) Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. (13) The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous;
It is very important to sow where God leads us to sow and reap where he shows us to reap. So, how do we know where to go and reap our bounty?
Look for your harvest in great and new opportunities. Resist the temptation to predetermine where and how they will come. Just believe, and you will receive!
- How much your harvest is
There is a harvest to reap from every single seed, so get your mind on the harvest. Part of reaping every harvest is believing it is coming to you. Don’t leave spiritual crops in the field. If you haven’t thought of yourself as a harvester until now, start thinking of yourself that way. Roll up your spiritual sleeves and get to work.
A spiritual harvest is not discerned in the natural by looking at natural circumstances.
Peter almost missed out on his harvest because he did not rightly discern his harvest. He was looking at the natural circumstances.
(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.
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 GNB) Let those who wept as they planted their crops, gather the harvest with joy! (6) Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest.
This man does not weep because he sees it as a loss.
Commentary: “The setting in Psalms 126:5-6 is agricultural. After the land had been neglected for so long, it was almost impossible to work it. The planting would be difficult, but persistence would doubtless bring a harvest. The sowing with tears comes from the agonizing work it would have taken to start the sowing process again.”
(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.
- Make sure your harvest is ready by your worship, 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.
Worship, thanksgiving, and praise help things move along, since they are the language of faith.
“The depth of your praise will determine the magnitude of your harvest.” — Dr. Jerry Savelle
Say things like:
- “Praise God, my seed always produces a bumper crop.”
- “Thank You, Lord, I am a tither and because I am a tither, the windows of Heaven are open over me and you protect my harvest”