ON THE VANGUARD

SEEDTIME AND HARVEST part 3
“And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, ‘Lift up thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to the seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.’”
Genesis 13:14-17

We end our series today with the final two principles of seedtime and harvest from the Genesis 13:14-17 passage. To recap what we have looked at already, we find the first principle as needing to leave Lot, or anything not of God, behind. God must be the God of our life as opposed to anyone or anything else. Secondly we must change our focus and lift our eyes up to see God in the right light. Third, our vision must be updated to where we see the promise in faith in order to receive it in reality. Fourth, even though our physical position may not match the promise God had given, we must still hold on to the words of God, for they are life. In order for this to happen we must be prepared for distractions. Related so closely to the fourth principle is the fifth that states we must endure.
Now with ourselves caught up we look at number six in our list of principles that states we must learn how to operate in God’s system. Once you realize the enemy is trying to keep you joined with Lot, or keep your eyes down, or even distracted, then you will also begin to see the traps the enemy uses to make you forfeit the word given to you by God. But what the enemy knows, and we sometimes forget, is that a system goes into place when God makes a promise to us. Our end result is tied to how we possess that promise. Two systems already exist. A worldly system is working to split us from God while a system of God is based on a faith in the word of God. An example of this can be found within our finances. The worldly system encourages us to save. While there is wisdom in this, the system God works on tells us that He is our provider and that we are to give it away, helping the orphans and widows, seeding into the Kingdom of God, and doing things unto the least of these. Keep in mind that you can be a Christian in the world’s system, or you can live by faith according to what seems like upside principles.
I am not saying we must be broke financially, but that our dependence should not be in our money and the world’s ways. To be honest, this is where I struggle the most. My car may have a major issue that I do not have the funds for. The kids may need braces. Hospital bills may be populated overnight based on some freak accident. I have this tendency to want to save, save, save for the what-ifs. It is the lack of balance that causes the error. The world shoves the balance all the way to the save and riches end. Many preachers preach the other extreme of poor life. The balance is in finding the ability to fully have faith that God already knows about these things, and already has the answer in the works concerning these things. This is my challenge. As such, it makes it hard for me to obey and give away when He prompts me too. But I have seen the benefit of such a thing over the past two months. As scary as it can be, I am encouraged to continue.
So then we come to what I have found is the final key. Abram was told by God to walk the land and everywhere he placed his foot would be his. Simply put, God declared, “’… for I will give it unto thee.’” Abram had to do his piece in walking to have his inheritance. We then are challenged much the same way. In Matthew 6:33 the words of Jesus read that all these things will be added unto us. That is the promise of the inheritance, but what is our part? Our part, the walking, is found in the command, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…” All that we need to live, be productive, and enjoy life comes from God, not our savings account. He will bless us with life and enjoyment if we walk correctly according to His standards.
In applying these principles we become farmers. As the farmer expects a harvest for his work, so we can expect a harvest in applying these principles within our own life. Do not forget that God’s desire is to bless us and prosper us, in body and soul. If we are not living right, however, we damper that. Recently I wrote that the enemy wants to scare us into believing that living for God is more dangerous than living for the enemy. In this aspect it is so true. The enemy wants to wave his carrot before us in hopes that we will see it and be satisfied. But in the end he will only tease and taunt us. God, however, waves no carrot. His promise for our prosperity is true but will cost us obedience and faith. Whose will you decide?