The Harvest

It's coming. Can you tell? Colors are changing, temperatures are shifting, the winds are moving. Fall is coming!

When I was younger my favorite season was the Summer. I think it was mainly for two reasons: my birthday is in the Summer and there was no school. But now that I'm older my favorite season is the Fall. There is something that excites me about leaves changing color, the smells of pumpkin pie and cinnamon, cooler days and yes even visiting pumpkin patches. This season of Harvest intrigues me. If I could decorate my house with Fall all year round I would...ask my husband.

I started asking the Lord why I liked this season so much. After all, the Summer brings vacations, bar-b-ques and not to mention my birthday! The Spring is beautiful with everything growing and butterflies fluttering and when I think of Winter I think of the birth of Jesus, family gathering together and lots of gift exchanging. So why am I drawn to the Fall? The Lord began to speak with me about this season and why it means so much to me now that I've grown in my relationship with Him.

He said "Lucy, this is the time of Harvest, when all that was planted seasons ago is reaped." I began to think about this and what scripture has to say about the "Harvest." You may have heard of the saying "you reap what you sow." Well it was first said by God. Galatians 6:7-9 Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. This scripture is speaking about sowing seeds of faith and truth into not only our own spirit but into others. It reminds us to keep sowing our seed even if we don't see the results as quickly as we'd like.

Have you ever tried to speak into someones life and pour out all your energy to help that person only to see that nothing has changed? Did it then frustrate you and diminish your faith a little bit? I know I've been there. And that's where God showed me that I'm a "Harvest" kind of girl. I like to see the fruit of my labor. I enjoy seeing the seed that I've planted come to full fruition. But when I don't see it as quickly as I expect I get frustrated. When I don't see that person change for the better as I hoped they would I lose a bit of faith. How silly is that? It's like putting a seed in the ground then immediately fixing your eyes on it to see the slightest bit of growth....that is foolish! The seed needs water, sun and time to grow. The same is true with us. When I first began to truly learn about Christ and His goodness towards me my heart did not immediately change. It took water (the word of God) and the SON (Jesus Christ) touched down on me periodically and then in time my heart grew deeper in love with the Lord and that's when I grew and changed.

Mark 4:26-29 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. These verses confess the supernatural character of God. We are responsible for sowing the message of Christ, and that is our only responsibility in the process. God is the only one who produces the effects. We are not to become frustrated in the process because God has a due season for every seed that we plant. His timing is not always ours. Sometimes the "due season" means a quick return and sometimes it means a slow return, one that could take years or even a lifetime. But we can always have faith in God knowing that:
First, God will cause a harvest to come from our seeds. Secondly, He is never late, but always right on time. And thirdly, our harvest will have the same nature as our seeds. Good seeds will reap a good harvest, bad seeds will reap a bad harvest...be careful what you sow.

So I encourage you, continue sowing seeds, continue loving and doing good to others and pressing in to God and develop an intimate relationship with Him. Don't be discouraged during the growing time, do not lose heart because God promises that the Harvest is guaranteed. One day, you will see the fruit of your labor and rejoice with Him over the Harvest.

So as the season of Fall approaches, it reminds me that I must wait with expectation and with much anticipation, knowing that in the Spiritual realm, my Harvest is coming. The Harvest is guaranteed; there is a due season for your life...wait for it with an expectant heart.

It's coming, can you tell? Hearts are changing, the atmosphere is shifting. The Kingdom of God is moving...the Harvest is coming!

Life or Death?

"A man's stomach shall be satisfied by the fruit of his mouth, from the produce of his lips he shall be filled." Proverbs 18:20
The scriptures go on to say in Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

What does this mean exactly? It means that a person's life will reflect the fruit of their tongue, or the words that come out of their mouth. God is saying in these scriptures to speak life over our lives and our situations. To speak life is to declare God's perspective and His written word on any issue in our life. To speak death is to speak and declare life's negatives, speak defeat in our lives or even complain constantly. Did you know that complaining is negative in God's eyes?

How do we declare God's perspective over our lives? We must start with His word. We have to read His word and find out what He has to say about our life and our struggles then we can believe His concrete word that never changes. Once we believe in our heart that what God says is truth we can speak it and declare it with our mouth; for the word also says that out of the abundance (or the overflow) of the heart the mouth will speak. If we have negativity, bitterness and pride overflowing our heart that's what will spill out of our mouth. But if our heart is filled with God's truth, His love and His word of power then life will spill out of our mouth and run over all our obstacles.

Many of us are in situations that seem unbearable or you may even feel like you already have a "death sentence" because of what you're going through and you don't see how your life could possibly change for the better when you're headed towards utter darkness. You might be going through a divorce and can't imagine life being positive anymore. Or an illness may have taken over you that wasn't expected and the reports aren't exactly speaking "life." Maybe your child or loved one has chosen a way of living that is destructive and it seems impossible that they would ever change their ways and begin to follow God's truth rather than the enemy's lies. However; in the midst of darkness, there is always a light...God's word IS that light and it's available to you to believe and trust; to speak and to declare.

The book of James gives a great visual about our tongue. James 3:4-5 "Look at the ships, although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a small member and boasts great things. See how but a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire!" Sometimes our "ship" doesn't seem to be sailing in the right direction according to God's word. But our tongue has the power of life or death over our circumstances and if we speak God's word, His truth into our lives we can turn our ship around no matter how strong the winds blow.

Today God spoke this to me as a reminder that life and death are mine to choose, but He gently reminds me "Choose life my child, choose life." So today, though it is obvious that you are struggling you can still choose life. Speak and declare God's word over your situation.

To the divorced and widowed and brokenhearted the word says God sets the lonely in families, he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. Psalm 68:6. The Lord says I will never leave you or abandon you, never will I forsake you. So we can say with boldness "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, for what can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:5. Psalm 147:3 says "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

To the sick and weak the Lord says "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:4-5. And because of this I can declare that I am healed and made whole. Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." 2 Corinthians 12:9 "And he said to me 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly will I boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

For those lost and gone astray pray and declare protection over them till the day their heart decides to return to God. "No weapon formed against them shall prosper" Isaiah 54:17. Pray the Lord will hide them in His shadow and send angels to guard and protect. That no harm would come near them. (Psalm 91)

The bible has lots to say about our lives and it's always in due season. God has challenged me today to continue to seek who He is and what He has said in order to overcome the struggles of my life. I encourage you to do the same. God has set before us life and death...choose life my friend, and start sailing in God's direction.