Day 30 – Sow proportionately

Day 30 – Many refuse to sow proportionate to the harvest they desire.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:6 “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”.  When you sow, expect a return.  But don’t expect a $1 million harvest from a $1 seed.  God promises a return, forty, sixty or a hundred fold, but it will be comparable to your harvest.

If you want to increase your harvest, increase your seed.  Work with your current faith levels.  Be patient.  Ask God for something that you can not doubt.  Sow in the areas you want to reap and sow a seed comparable to the harvest you want to reap.

This is a summary, from chapter 30, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock.

Day 29 – Discern the mentor

Day 29 – Some rebel against an instruction from a financial deliverer God has anointed to unlock their faith during their time of crisis.

God hasn’t forgotten us.  He knows what each one of us is going through.  He knows what each one of us needs.  Often though, we need to search for it, find it and believe that it exists.  We need to pursue those who God is using to fuel our faith.  Honour and treasure them, listen to what they’ve got to say, read their books.  Sit under them and their anointing and let them mentor you.

Sit under leaders who fuel your faith, not your doubts and fears.  Allow yourself to be influenced by them.  Joshua and Caleb went to the promised land, saw the giants, but decided instead to focus on the grapes.  The other spies saw the giants, focussed on them and came back and influenced the rest of the Israelites negatively.  Discern the faith filled leaders and mentors and sit under them.  When you sit under them, recognise when God is saying to you through them and obey what they are telling you to do.  Then you will see the miracles.

There is incredible power in an anointed person of God.  In 1 Samuel (9:3-10:10) we see Saul and his servant who had lost their donkeys remember the man of God.  They went to see him, took an offering and had an encounter with God.  They obeyed what he said to do and through that encounter, Saul ended up becoming king of Israel.

Take some time to recognise the men or women of God that God sends to you.  They may not come how you’d like them to come – the might not talk the way you would like, they may do things unconventionally, they may make you uncomfortable – but let the Spirit of God in you discern the Spirit of God in them.

This is a summary, from chapter 29, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock.

Gift Vouchers

Is it just me, or are there others who forget about gift vouchers and gift cards that they’ve been given?  Then they expire and they’re useless.  I just found a $40 one that expired a while ago (ok, like 3 years ago, I forgot I had it).  I’ve had another $20 expire on me as well – that’s just recently.

The shops must make a killing out of unpresented vouchers and gift cards.  Why do they need expiry dates?  As long as the shop is still around, who cares, let the people use their gift cards seeing as the shop already has their money.

At least everyone knows what NOT to get me.

 

Weight Saving

A weight saving tip when travelling overseas (or wherever your weight is limited): Take everything out of its packets!  I saved 700 grams when I went to Uganda by taking all the presents for Mike and Shirley out of their packaging first!  That might not sound like much, but when you’re pushing the weight limit, that’s a lot!  It also saves space!  And I know, it spoils the fun at the other end, but hey, those extra presents you can now squeeze in make up for it!

Day 28 – Humility

Day 28 – Many are too proud to even admit that they need a harvest.

Humility is the golden key to receiving.  When you admit you need a miracle, God will come and help you.  Not every blind man got healed.  But those who wanted to see did.

Don’t let pride get in your way.  Don’t buy something you can’t afford because it “looks good”.  A bigger house for example might look good, but if you can’t really afford it – this is pride.

Come before God, admit that you need help, repent where necessary if you’ve withheld tithes or offerings you should have given and ask God for His supernatural intervention.

He can deliver.  He’s just waiting for you to come humbly to Him and ask.

This is a summary, from chapter 28, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock.

Day 27 – Seed faith part 2

This is a summary, from chapter 27, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock.

In Hebrews 11:6 it says “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”.  Without faith it is impossible to please God.  Faith is confidence in God.  Expectation is the evidence of your faith.  If you don’t expect God will receive you when you come to Him, how can you be saved?  How can you be changed if you don’t expect Him to change you?  Without faith, we can’t please God, which means God takes pleasure in our faith, or expectation.  If God has told us that we reap what we sow, that if we give your lives to Him, He will return forty, sixty or a hundredfold (Mark 10:28-30), that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness then these things shall be added to you (Mat 6:33) then why shouldn’t we come to God with faith and expectation that He will give these things to us.  Jesus tells us and promotes our expectation.

When we believe that God will do this, we have faith – and are giving God pleasure.  The enemy of course, is out to rob us of giving God pleasure.  If he can paralyse our expectation, then he can stop us receiving the harvest we are meant to.  The teaching that tells us to expect a harvest when we sow is not anti biblical.

Some people may argue that a financial harvest will turn us into materialistic people.  But that is why we give and tithe.  Those two things done properly will ensure that we don’t fall victim to greed.  When we see a farmer sowing his crop, it is proof that he is looking for a harvest.  When we sow our seed, expectation of a harvest is now possible.  It is out of that obedience that we can expect a harvest from our seed.

If you’re not expecting a harvest, you will give reluctantly, become angry, allow disappointment and despair to set in and your joy will disappear.  When you are giving cheerfully with expectation, you will be filled with joy.

Have expectation that your dreams will come to pass.  Expectation is produced by obedience.  Obedience is proof of faith and faith pleases God.

The principle of seed-faith.  God is a God of multiplication and increase.  The story of the talents shows us what happens if we don’t take what we’ve been given and use it for good.  God doesn’t lie.  He says we can expect a harvest, so let’s expect it!

Day 27 – Seed Faith Part 1

This is a summary, from chapter 27, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock.

Day 27 – Millions are not experiencing increase because nobody has yet told them about the principle of seed-faith.

Everyone understands that sowing is planting a seed for a desired harvest and return.  Seed-faith is sowing a specific seed for the kind of harvest that you want, or need, in your life.  Gal 6:7-9 tells us that we will reap a harvest if we sow.  “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”  Specifically, whatever we sow, we shall reap.  Where do you want to reap?  Then sow into that area.  What do you want to reap?  Then sow into a ministry that is doing similar things.  The principle is: You can decide any harvest you would like to reap and sow a special seed, wrapped with your faith, for a desired result.  Mike uses two examples to illustrate this.  1.  God wanted a family, so he sent His son Jesus as a seed.  2.  Elijah went to the widows house who had no food.  With the last of her food, she made a meal for the man of God.  She then had an abundance of food for the duration of the drought.  Elijah saw that the seed that the woman had could be turned into harvest after harvest.  Something she already had was the bridge out of her trouble.

What you already have in your life is the solution to what you want out of life.  Once the widow took that seed into the house of God, it became the solution to what she needed in life.  For those who don’t know Jesus and salvation, all the need to do is ask – asking is the seed that allows them to reap the harvest of salvation.

Unfortunately, money and the principle of seed faith is not often discussed in churches.  People get upset when it is talked about, but yet without it, the world does not move.  Some do not have a problem with the supply of funds – so they don’t talk about it.  Ministries and those who do talk about it attract huge criticism from both non christians and those who don’t understand the importance of seeing God’s people move out of their situations of poverty and into a financial harvest.

Mike suggests that the message people don’t like being taught is that you can receive a forty, sixty or hundredfold return from God.  The fact that you should expect something from God and that maybe God will prosper you in return for your giving is a message that people don’t like preached.

Expectation.  When we sow, we should expect something back from God.  When we ask for forgiveness or mercy, we expect God to give us that.  When we pray for something, we should believe that God will answer us.  Why then, should we not expect that God will honour His word when He says He will give a hundredfold return.  God tells us we shall reap what we sow.

To be continued…

 

Day 26 – Recognise your enemy

This is a summary, from chapter 26, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock.

Day 26 – Most people fail to recognize the enemies of their harvest and prosperity

Everything good has an enemy.  “Your enemy is any person or influence that endeavours to stop you from achieving a worthy dream or goal assigned by God.”  The enemy uses people to distract us.

The goal of the enemy is to rob God of the pleasure you or I generate for Him.  Satan fears us.  He is aware of God’s plans for us, our potential and our success.  “You have a relationship he formerly enjoyed with God”.  Your God given dream and instructions from God is your goal.  Your destruction is his goal.  We have an enemy who shows no mercy.  Our financial harvest also has an enemy.  We need to discern our enemy early (Eph 4:27).

If there is continuous conflict or continuous problems, this reveals the presence of an enemy you are permitting (James 3:16).  If you have the same problems over and over, then somehow you must be permitting the enemy to be there.  Evaluate your life.  Where or what are the problems you have over and over again?  Face your enemy immediately.  Become serious about overcoming your enemy – poverty, lack, whatever it is.  A financial harvest is the biggest fear of the enemy.  A church with financial resources can advance the gospel, send missionaries, reach more people and touch more lives.

Three enemies of the harvest:

1.       Wrong relationships. Your friends are fuelling your dreams or doubts.  Decided and discern those that are helping or hindering.  Some will criticise, some will encourage, some will doubt you and some will compete with you.  Don’t trust the wrong people.

2. Wrong teaching. Somebody is always imparting wrong information.  Gal 3:1a “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you?”  Mike uses this example:  Many people say that if you get lots of money, you will backslide and go away from God.  But if this was the case, then why isn’t satan giving you loads of money?  To destroy Job, he stopped the flow of money into his life rather than increasing it.  Learn God’s principles about finances.

3. Wrong words. Your words are powerful and creative (Prov 18:21).   They decide what grows in you (Prov 10:11).  They should be spoken at the right place, with forethought and be encouraging and uplifting.  Don’t discuss your flaws with everyone.  You are a child of the King.  A giant killer.  Talk like it.  Don’t continue with your negative, doubting, fearful words.

Your mouth is your deliver, weapon, motivator.  Use it wisely.

Day 25 – Be thankful

This is a summary, from chapter 25, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock

Day 25 – Millions are unthankful and do not appreciate what God has already given to them.

Thankfulness is a magnetic attitude that brings joy, draws others toward you and brings you into the presence of God (ps 100:4).  Thankfulness occurs when you remember the good things God has done for you (1 Thes 1:2-3) and there are many, many things He has done for you.  He is a good God and has blessed you with so much.  Be thankful about all things – and you’ll begin to see that what you’re most thankful about will multiply in your life.  Be thankful your friends and they will increase, be thankful for opportunities at work and you will find you will get more.  Give a gift of thankfulness to those around you.

Don’t allow unthankfulness to come in and take root.  It spreads quickly – within yourself and to others around you.  Unthankful people will demotivate and discourage you.  How many times do you find yourself with unthankful people who are complaining – and before long, you find yourself becoming ungrateful and joining the complaint session with them.

1.       Unthankfulness is a sin.  Recognise and repent

2.       Don’t discuss things that don’t build up others

3.       Focus on the wonderful blessings evident in your life

4.       Cry out to God when you sense unthankfulness rising in your life

5.       Believe your trial will cease and God will give you deliverance

6.       Keep a picture of the miracle you are pursing in front of you

7.       Don’t hang round unthankful and argumentative people

Don’t be blind to the blessings of God.  Begin to thank Him for some things and you’ll find your eyes opened to more blessings that you can be thankful for.

Unthankfulness is one of the biggest reasons that people don’t see their financial harvest.

Day 24 – Sow consistently

Day 24 – Some reuse to sow consistently

When you sow consistently, your harvest will become continuous.  When you sow inconsistently, your harvest will become erratic.  Look at tithing for example.  God commands us to tithe.  It is not an experiment – He even tells us to test Him in it.  We can’t tithe inconsistently and say that it doesn’t work.  That’s akin to calling God a liar.  He says if you tithe, He will open the windows of heaven (Mal 3).  It is a law, or principle of God.

Learn the power of rhythm, routine and consistency.  There are seasons for sowing, waiting and reaping.  It is a continuous cycle – as consistent as the seasons of the year that God has made.  Create a schedule and set aside funds each week to give away (1 Cor 16:1-2).

We know we should sow consistently.  But why don’t we?  Our faith and confidence in God wavers.  We make commitments while we sit under the anointing, but when we are out of that environment we let the enemy sow seeds of doubt.  Your seed is what you sow.  Your faith is why it multiplies.  Sow with faith.  Whether it’s finances, healing or something else – believe God that He will do what He says He can do (Rom 4:9b).

Don’t let other people rob you of your faith.  Don’t let them plant seeds of doubt.  Don’t stop sowing because you want to use the money for something special – that’s just like borrowing from God.  Sometimes we don’t give or tithe because we don’t feel like it.  Really, if we didn’t feel like giving, that would probably be most of the time, but all we do is allow ourselves to go through seasons of loss and devastation.  Don’t just sow when you are being blessed, but sow when you are in crisis.

Sow into many ministries – “Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth” (Ecc 11:2).

Enter into consistent giving and sowing – and watch what God can do.

This is a summary, from chapter 24, 31 Reasons people do not receive their financial harvest, written by Mike Murdock.