Exploited: Seed Time And Harvest

Subject: Seed time and harvest. This concept has been exploited to the hilt. A yoke is being thrown around too many people’s necks, and is inducing uncertainty into the hearts of people and down right manipulation by unscrupulous teachers. Yet, some are so deceived, they really don’t know they are manipulating people; they just follow after their deceived mentors.

II Timothy 3:13
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

No where under Jesus ministry was planting money--what is called “a seed” today-- planted so someone could get healing or deliverance from demons! NO WHERE! This thing has been manipulated and twisted to get people to give money to certain ministries, and people move out of fear or just a desire to get an even bigger reward. Too many ministries come up with their own spins, the “latest revelations”, and twist and contort the Word. These false teachers knowingly and unknowingly manipulate people and inject fear into them…the fear that God will not meet their need without them doing something first. And” doing something” usually means doing something for them.

Last year my car went belly up. I had no money to fix it; the transmission was gone along with other stuff. I thought to myself, “I’m stuck”. I did not plant a seed, I did not even pray (although I would have as we should pray for their needs), I did not wear a financial anointing pray cloth (barf bag, please)…I just felt dejected. One hour later, and I do mean literally about an hour after hearing the mechanic’s bad news, surprise, my mother drives up in a nice car I never seen, and said its mine!!! God provided and I planted zip- zero- nada!

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

The scripture above has also been distorted and manipulated for ill-gotten gain. Yes, God rewards those who give to others, but can we direct to Him how to do it? I can truly say, when I have given money to someone and expected nothing, or when no one saw me give to a person or cause, that’s when I have seen the greatest rewards. I have got rewarded when I did something just because it was the right thing to do, nor was I calculating a harvest. I am not patting myself on the back here, I am talking about being rightly motivated and not be motivated just so I can get blessed. Should we be motivated out of compassion or because we expect a “100 fold blessing”?

The Lord knows I fell for this “plant a seed to get a miracle” too often.. I erroneously planted money various times (for several years after I got saved), because I believed the hogwash from false teachers saying your miracle will manifest if you plant a seed. These people usually point to Elijah and the woman and the cruse of oil account:

I Kings 17:10-16

8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11 And as she was going to fetch it , he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Elijah.

Tada…spin and twirl it around and your ministry’s television and radio bills are paid and good to go! Come forth with your financial offering first, then God will meet your need…a greedy and manipulative lie. But in all fairness, many preaching this really believe it themselves. It still doesn’t excuse it. No where did you see Jesus demand money for someone to get healed, to get fed, to get delivered or to get saved! Consider Peter’s rebuke of Simon the sorcerer.

Acts 8:18

18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
20 But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

Many people today are trying to sell the gifts of God. Things Jesus has already purchased for us. People also take Galatians 6:7, twist it around, when it is referring sowing to the Spirit versus the flesh.

Is it possible for God to command you to do something, and reward you for obedience? Sure, it happens occasionally. But is it biblical to imply or say a seed must always be planted for what the blood of Jesus Christ has already purchased? Funny, the ones teaching this are the beneficiaries of such seeds.

What about brother so and so? Sister so and so… planted $100 to Pimp Peddling Ministries and got $10,000. Yeah, what a batting average I say, one per 30,000. Something doesn’t add up here. But I guarantee it, you sure will hear about it, and not the other 29,999. It will be a feature story in next month’s magazine.

Mr. Prophet: Do you suppose the 29,999 lacked faith? My ministry carries a financial anointing and any seed you plant into Pimp Peddling Ministries will do triple somersaults times 150 fold.

Luke 17:7-10

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?
8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?
9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not.
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Perhaps when we give, we should consider that maybe it was our duty to do so, and not expect to be rewarded for what is required of us. God will look after us, and He will reward us in His own way.