Don’t Stop Growing

Welcome to March!  As we enter the month where we say goodbye to winter and hello to spring, Pastor Nathan’s message entitled “Don’t Stop Growing” was very timely in the natural, but also in the spiritual realm where God promises us that in due season, we shall reap a harvest if we faint not!  Galatians 6:7-9

For those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, we know that Heaven is our home; however, we all have an assignment to complete while we are here on this earth.  Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  God is not impressed with our “works.”  Faith is what pleases Him.  Stepping out in faith pleases God.  In fact, the Word of God will often call us out of our “normal.”  When we respond to God, it is called faith.  We choose to believe God is who He says He is and that he is a rewarder when we seek Him diligently.  When we step out in faith and give Him everything, we prove that the Word works.

Galatians 6:7-9 goes on to talk about sowing to the spirit versus sowing to the flesh. We are no longer enslaved to the devil and sin.  As believers, we now sow to the spirit, and we are promised a harvest if we do not quit.  Of course, it is the devil who does not want us to succeed.  He sees you growing and wants to stop the work God is doing in you.  One of his greatest tactics is to get you to believe that your harvest will not come.  The Word of God is called the incorruptible seed in I Peter 1:23. The devil knows that if the Word of God is planted in good soil, a believer’s heart, it will produce fruit.  He knows that the seed of the Word of God is supernatural; therefore, he desires to destroy our harvest by discouragement and weariness.

In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus taught about the planting process.  The first step is breaking up or tilling the soil, getting it ready for the seed (Hosea 10:12).  The seed must then sprout and grow.  There is much time which will pass before harvest.  Jesus said it this way.  “For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”  (Verse 28)  Between the time the seed is planted and the time of harvest there is a time of growth.  Such is the case in the human heart.  We hear the Word and receive it, but between then and the harvest is a time of growth.  We are growing taller and stronger.  In our walk with God, He will often show us the end at the beginning.  It is then up to us to take the Word planted and walk by faith.  We continue to water the seed, pull the weeds, watch for predators and bugs which might destroy the plant prior to our harvest.  This requires work on our part and faithfulness.  We must keep believing God’s Word.  We must keep speaking God’s Word.  We fight off weariness and discouragement because we know the harvest is coming if we faint not, if we refuse to give up.  We must keep our seed in the ground and protect it, water it, nurture it, protect, it, and not give up on the promise of harvest!

Patience and perseverance are an important part of reaping a harvest!  Habakkuk 2:3 states, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”  Luke 8:15 NIV says “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”  And finally, James 1:2-4 NIV says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

In conclusion, from the time the seed is planted in the ground until the harvest, there is something that many of us do not like.  It is called TIME.  Though the vision may “tarry,” we must never give up on the harvest.  God says it will surely come, right on time!  We must keep going and keep growing.  We  must never allow the devil to discourage us or cause us to faint.  We keep walking by faith.  We trust the process of seedtime and harvest for “at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!” Galatians 6:9 NIV