Source: Kenneth Copeland Ministries Blog
7 Steps to Call in Your Harvest
August 9, 2017
In the natural, bringing in a harvest has always been a season of great celebration. The reward for sowing, watering and protecting precious seed symbolizes abundance and fruit from a season of work and sacrifice.
When it comes to a spiritual harvest, our expectancy should be the same. Sow, wait, reap. Sounds simple, right? Yet, if you’re like most people, you’ve found yourself at one time or another wondering what happened to your harvest.
You’ve sowed, prayed and waited. But nothing comes. In fact, it seems like a harvest is long overdue. Or, maybe the devil has come like a pesky crow and stolen all your seed. Either way, you’re left wondering, Could there be something more to this process? The simple answer is yes.
Are you due for a harvest?
Well, get ready for the windows of heaven to open, because the Lord of the harvest has a plan for you to receive the bounty of His greatest blessings. If you’re ready to see a visible return in your life, here are seven simple steps to help you call in your harvest.
1. Sow Seed for Your Harvest
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will
also reap.”—Galatians 6:7, NKJV
If you are desiring a harvest in your life, one thing is sure—you can’t reap if you don’t sow. The devil has tricked so many Christians into believing they can’t afford to sow financially or otherwise. He’ll work overtime trying to keep you in fear about giving away your resources. Why? Because he knows how much you stand to gain in both the natural and the spiritual realms.
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”!
That’s a powerful truth! That’s why the enemy doesn’t want you participating in sowing. In fact, he’d prefer that you just forget about it altogether. But, that would only be to your own detriment because in Genesis 8:22, it is promised that while the earth remains, seedtime and harvest will not cease.
What is seed? Seed is anything you give. It can be time, money, resources, faith, hope or love.
The most important part of sowing is the heart behind the gift. So, when you sow, be sure you are acting as a good sower. Second Corinthians 9:6 says, “[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” (AMPC).
When you give in sorrow, there is no faith, so there is no return. So, sow your seed in joy and you will reap a harvest!
2. Get Aggressive About Reaping Your Harvest
“And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven
has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share
in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].”—Matthew 11:12, AMPC
A common misconception about the principles of sowing and reaping is that we sow the seed, then wait for God to do the reaping for us. When we do this, we miss a very important part we are to play! We sow the seed, God gives the increase, but we are to reap (or gather) the harvest.
In other words, you must become a sower and a mower.
To do so, you must become aggressive. If you leave your harvest in the fields, it will rot! Purpose in your mind today to become aggressive about harvesting. Leave nothing on the table for the enemy to steal—it belongs to you! Every seed you’ve ever planted is available if you haven’t reaped it yet.
Speak this aloud: “I am not just a good giver. I am a good reaper.”
3. Don’t Give Up on Your Seed
“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.”—Galatians 6:9
Jerry Savelle says, “Your harvest is determined by what you do while you’re waiting for it.”
Waiting is the toughest part of the sowing process, isn’t it? You sow your seed…then…silence. How can you be sure your harvest will come? A lot is dependent upon how you wait.
If you sow your seed in faith, you will expect it to grow, and you’ll keep expecting— no matter how long it takes. In the meantime, it is important that your words match your faith. Try this: Say, “I am expecting a record-breaking harvest.”
Once you have your words in line, refuse to surrender for any reason. If you give up at any point in the process, you will jeopardize your harvest. Allowing yourself to become weary or give up will forfeit what you’ve waited so long to receive.
Instead, hold tightly to what God has said about the return on your seed. Remember, harvest only comes in the right season. As long as you stay the course, you are guaranteed to reap from what you have sown.
Maybe you’re waiting for a financial harvest, a breakthrough in a relationship, or healing and restoration in your body or emotions. Whatever it is, if your harvest is taking longer than you’ve anticipated, God’s Word and His promises are true. So, hold on!
God remembers every seed you’ve ever sown. So, don’t give up on your seed just before the finish line. Harvest is coming!
4. Keep the Weeds Out of Your Harvest
“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to
keep it.”—Genesis 2:15, KJV
The word translated keep in Hebrew means “to put a hedge of thorns around, to watch over; to guard, protect and safeguard.” When a farmer plants seed in a garden, he doesn’t just walk away and hope for the best. No! He has much to do to protect his crop.
And so do you.
What can choke your crop? Walking outside of love. This includes unforgiveness, bitterness and strife. So, keep a watch on your heart, pull the “weeds” out by the roots when they crop up, spray them with the Word, and cast them out with the help of the Holy Spirit.
5. Water the Seed of Your Harvest
“Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield
her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us.”—Psalm 67:5-6, KJV
A farmer would never think of planting a field full of seeds and then neglect to water it. It would be a death sentence for his crop!
The same is true of seed we sow. It needs to be watered. But with what? Praise and thanksgiving—the language of faith. Throughout the Bible, we see praise and thanksgiving associated with a resulting harvest.
Praise God and thank Him in advance for your harvest. Thank Him that the hundredfold return is working all the time.
6. Put In the Sickle for Your Harvest
“But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth [the reapers] and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready.”—Mark 4:29, AMPC
Mark 4:29 demonstrates our role in reaping the harvest. To gather and collect our bountiful harvest, we must put in the sickle.
What is a sickle? It is a sharp instrument used for cutting crops during a harvest. Our sickle is the Word of God coming out of our mouths. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow….”
We reap our harvest the same way we acquire anything else—by faith. Our words of faith cut down the crops and bring in the harvest. In fact, words are an important part of the entire process of sowing and reaping. What you say is what you sow. And the words you speak today will dictate tomorrow’s harvest. So, be sure your words are calling in your harvest with faith. They are a powerful harvesting tool!
7. Command Your Harvest to Come
“Behold, the hire [or the harvest] of the labourers who have reaped down your
fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped [the harvest] are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.”—James 5:4, KJV
When your harvest is ready, it will cry out for its rightful owner. How do you command it to come in?
Cry out to the Lord for your harvest.
Now, to cry does not mean to whine or act pitiful. It is a cry of faith. It means to proclaim, and demand immediate action with aggressive force and passion. It means you cry out and say, “Satan, in the Name of Jesus, release my harvest!” and “Angels, go gather it up NOW!”
Practice these seven steps to call in your harvest! If you’ve been sowing seed, it’s time for you to see a harvest. Release your faith and get excited about your harvest!
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