Walking In His Promise

Your Harvest Is On The Way

‘The seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.’
Mark 4:27 NKJV
Have you sown a ‘seed’ of faith, and now you’re wondering when you will reap the ‘harvest’ God promised in His Word? If so, read on: ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come’ (vv. 26-29 NKJV). Before you reap the harvest of blessing God promised, you go through certain stages.

First there is the ‘not knowing’ stage. Your seed is buried in the ground. How and when your harvest comes is entirely up to God. But you must believe that it will happen.

Next comes the ‘blade’ stage. It’s just a tiny blade blowing in the breeze, but it’s enough to encourage you and let you know your harvest is on the way.

Next comes the ‘head’ stage. The seed has started to sprout and look like what you prayed for. This is when you must water it with prayer, fertilize it with God’s Word, and protect it from anything or anyone that would uproot it through doubt and unbelief.

Finally you enter the ‘full grain’ stage, when the grain ripens and you immediately reap a harvest.

Whatever stage you’re in today, stand fast and keep trusting God. Your harvest is on the way!

Change Your Expectations
‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you.’
John 15:11 KJV
Why did Jesus say, ‘These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full’? Because if you let it, stress will drain you of joy and consign you to a life of depression, dullness, and discontent. Let’s face it – most of us are way too serious! We make a big deal out of everything. Being five minutes late, getting stuck in traffic, somebody giving us a wrong look, waiting in line, overcooking a meal, gaining a pound, discovering a wrinkle, making an honest mistake…you name it; we lose all perspective. The real problem is we have unrealistic expectations.

That’s not how God wants you to live! If you want to experience the joy Jesus promised, do these two things: 1) Concede that your uptightness is largely because of the way you have decided life should be. 2) Acknowledge that your expectations are causing you much of your frustration. When you keep expecting things to always be a certain way and they’re not, you will always be upset.

Here is an idea: try approaching life today without all those expectations. For example, don’t expect everybody to be friendly – then when some are, you will be delighted. Don’t expect your day to be hassle-free; when trouble comes, look up and say, ‘Thank you, Lord, for another chance to grow.’ Go ahead, try it and see how much better things are. Rather than swimming against the tide, learn to flow with it. Pretty soon, you will find you’re enjoying life more! And not just that: other people will enjoy being around you more.

Instead Of Worrying, Trust God
‘Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything.’
Philippians 4:6 CEV
Paul writes: ‘Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel’ (vv. 6-7 CEV).

Worry is like sitting in a rocking chair; it’s always in motion and it keeps you busy, but it never actually gets you anywhere. In fact, if you do it too long, it wears you out! That’s why we must learn to ‘take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV).

One medical expert says that we create about thirty thousand thoughts per day, and an uncontrolled thought life can create a perfect environment for needless worry to thrive. The cause of worry is simple: it’s the reluctance to trust God to take care of the various situations in your life. Most of us have spent our lives trying to take care of ourselves, so it takes time – lots of it – to learn how to trust God instead. And the only way you learn that is by doing it. Each time you pray and turn the problem over to God, you experience His faithfulness. That makes it easier for you to trust Him next time. And when it comes to life’s problems, there will always be a ‘next time’.

So each time you begin to feel anxious, say, ‘I trust God completely; there is no need to worry!’ The more you think about this truth, the more you will find yourself choosing trust over worry.

Keep Trusting God; He Will Intervene

‘He…knew it was time to act.’

Exodus 2:25 NLT

“The Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act’ (vv. 23-25 NLT). Just when the Israelites thought life couldn’t get worse, Pharaoh withdrew their straw and ordered them to produce the same daily quota of bricks. That’s when they reached their breaking point!
Is that where you are today? If so, here are three things you need to know:

1) Sometimes it helps to share your feelings. Especially when you do it at the right time, in the right way, to the right people. It can be therapeutic and healing. But often the help you need cannot be found in people, so

2)There comes a time when you must cry out to God. God saw them struggling to get through another day. But since they talked to everybody but Him, nothing changed. Question: have you prayed about it? Prayer must be your first option, not your last resort. David said, ‘I called on the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place’ (Psalm 118:5-6 NKJV). David’s prayers got him out of a tight spot and into God’s spot.

3) God will always keep His promise. ‘He remembered his covenant promise…and knew it was time to act’ (Exodus 2:24-25 NLT). God works according to His plan, not ours. He has a set schedule for answering your prayer and delivering you, so keep praying and believing Him.