How To Make The Word work for You

Seedtime

Friend, "to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." There is "a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted" (Ecc. 3:1-2). A time to plant and a time to pluck up simply means seedtime and harvest time. The seedtime precedes the harvest time; if we miss the seedtime, we will miss the harvest time! "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore, shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing" (Pro. 20:4).

The only reason why people beg in harvest is that they have missed the seedtime! King Solomon said, "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand..." Why? "For thou knowest not whether shall prosper" (Ecc. 11:6).

There are different types of seeds! Planning is a seed, preparation is a seed, learning is a seed with a huge harvest return for students. Natural seeds we plant are also seeds. However, Jesus said, "a sower went out to sow his seed" and the seed he sowed is the Word of God (Lk 8:5,11).

Friend, God's Word is a spiritual seed that can be sown! And if it's a seed, then it can produce a harvest! Those who miss the seedtime of the Word miss out on the harvest of the Word. However, does simply planting the Word of God in your heart guarantee that you will have a harvest? No, it doesn't. The seed must be nurtured to prevent crop failure. All these are part of the seedtime.

In the next few pages, I will be showing you how to make the Word of God work in your life! All you need is to find the seed, sow it, water and nurture it, and then patiently wait for your harvest.

The Sower

Friend, "a sower went out to sow his seed," and the seed He sowed was not maize, rice, pepper, or even tomato. He sowed the Word of God (Lk 8:5,11). In Genesis 1, the sower walked into a dark, void, and deformed world, sowed His seed, and the earth became a wonder. He came into the life of a 75-year-old man named Abram, who at that age was still in his father's house. He sowed His seed, and Abram became the founder of a nation.

This same sower sowed His seed through the mouth of Elisha, saying, "Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel..." And in 24 hours, the famine that caused mothers to boil and eat their babies ended.

The sower met a young fisherman named Peter and said, "Follow me, and I will make you." The seed He sowed in Peter made him an eternal entity, celebrated and talked about throughout history. One day, He met a murderer, chief sinner, and accuser of the brethren. He sowed His miracle seed into his heart and turned Saul into Paul.

"The sower went out to sow his seed." The good news is, He hasn't changed. He is still out looking for where to sow His miracle seed. When you are in trouble, what do you think of? As for me, I think of a seed. I believe one seed can turn bitter water into sweet water. It can change an ugly situation into a testimony.

Friend, the principal reason why the sower sows the Word is for us to bear fruits. This is also why Satan comes to steal the Word, to prevent us from producing fruits (Jn. 15:1-8). The Word of God is a spiritual seed that can produce a harvest of miracles when it is sown. May the Sower sow into your heart today!

In Trouble? Ask for a seed

Friend, after my second year in university, I went to the notice board to check my results because, in those days, they were posted on a board in the departmental office. To my surprise, I saw a carryover and a "D" in a course I had put so much energy into. I knew something was wrong. I went to the head of the department and the course adviser and they both asked me to re-write the course. However, I knew God's Word was a miracle seed that could turn my bitter situation into a testimony.

So, I asked the sower to sow a seed into my heart. Sure enough, He did because I asked in faith. He said, "You are blessed and can't be cursed." I won't go into many details, but I paid attention to that word, and kept it in my heart and mouth for several days.

Friend, the "D" and "F" both turned into "A". My point is, what do you think of when you are in trouble? When I'm faced with challenges, I ask for a seed. You see, King Solomon said, "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand..." That's what to do.

When I say, the Word of God is a spiritual seed that can produce a harvest of miracles when it is sown, I know it's true because I've experienced it many times. I learned how to make the Word of God work for me by nurturing the seed God sows into my heart. I had to learn this because I got tired of being a Christian without testimonies.

Friend, are you tired of barrenness? As a believer, do you want to produce supernatural results in certain areas of your life? Then understand how to nurture the seed of the Word. This starts by first understanding that the Word is a 'spiritual' seed. That means it can't be received naturally; it has to be spiritually discerned.

A Spiritual Seed

Friend, the Word of God is a spiritual seed that can produce a harvest of miracles when it is sown! In Luke 8, the parable of the sower, the Lord points out that this seed is sown into the hearts of men. You see, God is a Spirit, and His words are spirit and life. When He speaks, He speaks to your spirit or heart. He sows His Word into your heart!

Romans 10:8 says, "But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart..." The Word is sown in your heart! Luke 8:15 says, "But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." Notice he said, "having heard the word." Understand that "...the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned..." (1 Cor. 2:14). This spiritual seed has to be spiritually discerned.

Jesus said, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 2:29). You need to hear the Word with your spirit to pick the spiritual seed. To do this, quietness and meekness should be your nature because they help you pick spiritual signals. Friend, the Word is a seed that carries miracle potentials in it.

However, to have access to this seed, you need to spiritually discern it. I was in a meeting when I heard the words, "Whatsoever you say to God's hearing, that's what he will do for you." Others heard it, but I picked that Word with my spirit. It was as if God was speaking to me alone. You see, many times prophetic words don't mean much to you because you haven't heard them with your spirit. Learn to listen with your spirit.

Ask For A Seed In Faith

Friend, the sower is still out sowing his seed. Ask, and it shall be given unto you! You can demand for a seed. First, understand that there are different types of seeds: seeds for health, finances, blessings, breaking curses, etc. All these carry great potential for harvest. But until you ask in faith, you may die without a seed.

You see, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mk. 11:24). That is what I mean by asking in faith. You must believe you have received it first before you can have it. Here are a few things to note to help you ask in faith.

1.   Jesus Christ would never tell us to do anything that He would not be committed to doing! If He said we should forgive our brethren 70 times 7 times a day, that means He'd forgive us also. Why? The Bible says, "the things that Jesus began both to do and to teach" (Acts 1:1). You must believe that He is a doer of the things that He teaches.

2.   Now here's what He taught in Proverbs 3:27-28: "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee." That simply means that if you ask Him for a seed, He won't tell you to go and come back tomorrow! The seed is with Him.

A young lady seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost kept on praying, "Lord, baptize me, baptize me, baptize me..." She went on and on until she came to terms with the fact that He would not withhold good from her; He would not tell her to go and come back tomorrow! So I asked her, "Do you believe He has given you?" She said yes. Then she burst out in tongues. Why? Her faith in receiving from God came alive. You see, the Lord said, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mk. 11:24). So, you must believe you have received it before you can have it!

Friend, place a faith demand for a miracle seed concerning that issue today. Say out loud, "Lord, sow a word seed into my heart concerning this issue, in Jesus' name." When the seed comes, then a harvest of testimony is in view.

Words To Speak

Friend, why does the sower sow His Word in your heart? To produce a harvest, yes! But that's not all. He sows His Word so you can have words to speak. You see, we live in a word-created and word-dominated universe. It was created by words. Words are the most powerful forces on earth. When God sows His Word your way, He has just given you the seed of creation, an ability to create and recreate things. However, what you do with the seed matters. Will you keep it buried in your heart, or will you let it spring up out of your heart?

As natural seeds germinate and shoot out of the ground, the miracle seed has to shoot out of your heart. Matthew 12:34 says, "...for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." The Word sown in your heart germinates and shoots out through your mouth! Until you speak the sown Word, you may never see a harvest. Because no matter what you do, you will have what you say. So, if you don't speak the Word, you are far from a harvest. The Word produces in three stages: first the blade, then the ear, and finally the full corn (Mk. 4:26-29).

At the blade stage, the Word is released from your heart through your words. This is what starts you up for a harvest. I remember times when I'd receive a Word and I'd speak the Word in the morning and evening for days until the harvest came. Note that this was not a ritual. I was intentional about it. The Passion Translation says the woman with the issue of blood "kept saying to herself, 'if only I could touch his clothes, I know I would be healed'" (Mk. 5:28). Friend, keep saying to yourself. Get up in the morning, holding your Bible open to that word the Lord sowed in your heart, and keep saying it to yourself.

This is how to make the Word produce in your life! Remember Ezekiel? He prophesied or spoke as he was commanded. God sowed those words in you, not to keep but to speak. And when you do, you keep and have what you say!

Water The Seed

Friend, Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin, while teaching on faith, had a habit of saying, "If you are hearing this for the first time, I'm planting. If you have heard it before, I'm watering the seed to grow." Paul said, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6). He points out that between the seedtime and harvest is watering. This leads us to the second stage of Word production, which is the ear stage. After speaking the Word, you must keep watering it.

You see, what natural water is for young plants is what spiritual watering is for the Word; it keeps it fresh and growing. Hearing and meditation on the Word sown into your heart equals watering the Word. Paul said, "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all" (1 Timothy 4:15). Meditation brings out the profiting from the Word, and the profit of the Word is the harvest.

But what is meditation? It is pondering on the Word, reasoning with God in His Word, and muttering the Word. It is like chewing the cud in ruminant animals. After a goat has eaten in the morning, in the evening it regurgitates the food and begins to chew it again.

Friend, think on the Word. Find other scriptures that relate to the Word, meditate on them, and listen to tapes that relate to the Word sown. It's like adding nutrients to the soil. The seedling responds quickly to the right nutrients. Therefore, don't just ask in faith, speak the sown Word and water it by hearing and meditation. This moves you from weak to strong faith, and like Abraham, you won't stagger in unbelief.

Patiently Wait For Your Harvest

The last stage in the Word production cycle is the full corn; the harvest time. While you are going about speaking and watering the seed by hearing, meditation, and confession, you have to be patient. Hebrews 6:12 says, "That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

We are admonished not to be slothful in nurturing the seed, but we must be patient to inherit the promise. Because without patience, we would draw back from meditating, hearing, and speaking the Word. Hebrews 10:36-38 says, "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Friend, there is no profit in drawing back. Many have lost their harvest to impatience. You would not be the next.

In conclusion, I'd like you to know that the steps outlined here have been tried and proven. It works! The Word works! But this is how to make the Word work for you: Receive the Word, speak it, and move from weak to strong faith by hearing, studying, meditating, and speaking the Word sown into your heart. Be diligent about it, be not slothful in this business. Yes, it's a business, a profitable business. The Word production business!

You can do it; the Word will work for you! The next Word you receive from the Lord will not be a wasted investment. From today, your heart has become a profitable business for God to sow in. Amen.

Jesus is Lord!

Min. Roi