Understanding the Basic Fundamentals of Bountiful Harvests
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest ~ John 4:35.
Introduction
It’s a new year, and a new season of our lives! I seize this moment therefore to say happy new year to all my reading audience, and I pray that God’s mercy will accompany you all the way through, in Jesus name. Amen.
Meanwhile, good understanding is a major pathway to favour (Proverbs 13:15). In all spheres of life, whatever you don't understand well doesn’t work well for you. Hence, we must understand the basics of converting the opportunities of the new year into tangible blessings.
It was good understanding that gave Solomon the incredible stability he enjoyed in his reign (1Kings 3:9). Abigail, the wife of Nabal, also had it and his children were spared from the wrath of David the anointed (1Samuel 25:3). Happily, all those who cherish the commandments of God enjoy a free bestowal of good understanding (Psalm 111:10).
Every new year is a new beginning, offering a new set of opportunities for fresh starts to be the best for God and to fulfill the assignments of our lives, excellently.
Nevertheless, instead of struggling and fighting with the present, we must jump-start our new year expectations through positive actions. We must start well by piling its foundation with strong and virile structures of wisdom.
Now, it’s very clear in my spirit that this is our year of bountiful harvests (2Corinthians 9:6-8)! We all need abundant harvests to be able to do and be fulfilled in the work of the Lord, and to live out His promises in bringing His Word to our hurting world (Zechariah 1:17).
God delights in causing us to blossom and flourish (Psalms 35:27). His passionate plan is to increase us on every side, to the end that even the blessed shall see us and call us blessed (Psalm 115:23-14)!
Increase is good, and it is a gift from God (Psalm 85:12). Bountiful harvest is a sure part of His unfailing promises to all believers today (Amos 9:13)! It’s a certain destiny of the righteous, which is empowered by God Himself (Psalm 92:12-13; Proverbs 10:22).
The devil may not like it, but that’s more than too late in the day for him! Right in the middle of any hopeless situation, God shows up to give His people bountiful harvests (Genesis 26:1-13). Once He’s involved, His favour performs it!
Understanding Bountiful Harvest
Ordinarily, harvest is a process of gathering the results, benefits and/or consequences of our earlier actions (Exodus 23:16). It’s the gathering of fruits resulting from things that individuals, families or nations have sown.
There are many actions a farmer takes prior to harvest. Some of these actions actually take place before planting (e.g. tilling, harrowing, ridging, etc.) and some after the seed had been planted (e.g. weeding, pruning etc.). It’s after all these that any meaningful harvest can be expected.
Planting seeds and, thereafter, harvesting the crop is the way things work here on earth (Genesis 8:22)! And, this is true in the spiritual realm as well as in the physical realm.
At this stage, it’s imperative that we understand the main thrust of this discourse, and the best way to go is to see what Jesus Christ meant when He spoke of the harvest: seed-sowing and its desired results.
In John 4:34-38, He mentioned “harvest” (v35), “reaping” (v36-38), “fruit” (v36) and “eternal life” (v36). Thus, we can safely confirm that the “harvest” is the “reaping” of “fruit”, and its most important form is the harvest of souls, bringing the lost to the Saviour so they might receive eternal life.
Jesus further spoke about this in Matthew 9:37-38, where He clearly laid it out that the harvest is plentiful, precious, perplexed and perishing. Thus, He commanded that we should make harvest our urgent priority.
Meanwhile, in our practical day-to-day dealings, each of us is a real walking warehouse of seeds! Everything we have is either enough (your harvest), or it’s the seed you must sow in order to produce your more-than-enough harvest (Luke 8:15). Albeit, the seed could be good or bad.
For example, an individual walking in sin, unforgiveness, bitterness, disobedience, rivalry, disrespect for the anointing, etcetera, and speaking negative words, is sowing bad seeds.
Contrariwise, obeying the Word of God and living right by faith, preaching the gospel to the lost, walking in love, showing mercy, treating others with respect, speaking kind words of encouragement, giving to support just and righteous causes, etc, is sowing good seeds.
To use the more common agribusiness language, a “bountiful harvest” is a “bumper harvest”, arising from a bounteous yield of the seed planted.
Notably, bounteous yields occur when an improved seedling, is sown on a well-watered fertile ground, and it’s well-managed, properly shielded from pests and rodents, with other environmental factors, like sunlight and good ventilation in its favour.
We harvest the fruits of whatever we sow, and the more we plant, the larger our harvest will be, good or bad. However, quite happily, the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf makes a huge difference in this critical details of our lives (1John 4:9-10)!
Anyone can now receive pardon for sins, and not reap the harvests of death and failure he deserves, if he repents and believes the gospel (Galatians 3:13; 1John 1:9). Afterward, he must start to sow rightly for his desirable harvests!
Perhaps, hitherto, you have toiled all day and night, and have nothing to show because of the activities of toiling demons around your harvest field. Just trust God that His undercurrent favour will fix your situations this year.
Even if you haven’t been sowing towards your desired harvest, it’s not yet too late! For as long as there’s life, it’s never too late to do what is right, and to start planting towards your desired harvest.
The wise course of action is start giving what you would like to receive (Luke 6:38). Gather your seeds, go to the field, prepare the ground and plant again! Someone said, “the best time to plant a tree was 20years ago, the second best time is now” (anonymous).
Begin to sow, consistently! The widow woman in 2Kings 4:1-7 had only one pot of oil, it was her seed. As long as she had extra pots, the oil kept flowing! Be cheerful as you believe God for your own bounteous harvests. Be patient also: some precious seeds take time to mature.
Friends and brethren, as you sow this year, you will reap bountiful harvests. You will have more than enough, with blessings on top of blessings. Your land will yield luxuriantly, and the trees will be loaded with fruits long after the normal time!
Please believe it, our season of bountiful harvests is here! There shall be no lack in your life again. You shall eat your fill, live safely and God shall fulfill all your godly desires (Leviticus 26:3-5).
Indeed, the Living Water of Mercy from the springs of heaven has watered this year for us. Our in-gatherings shall be large, multifaceted and very generous in quantity. Our carts shall overflow with abundance, and the hills clothed with gladness (Psalm 65:11-13).
There shall be shouts of great joy, broad laughters and great songs of thanksgiving flowing from your abode. The One who knows the end from the beginning will carry you through! You won’t miss it, in Jesus Name. Happy First Sunday!
____________________
Bishop Taiwo Akinola,
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Connect with Bishop Akinola via these channels:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bishopakinola
SMS/WhatsApp: +234 802 318 4987
