297-Sowing Seeds of Hope#
297-Sowing Seeds of Hope
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The topic we are sharing is called: Sowing Seeds of Hope.
Mark 4:26-28
26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps by night and rises by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for preparing this wonderful time for us to listen to Your words together. May the Holy Spirit lead and renew our thoughts and minds at this moment, allowing us to receive Your provision. May You personally reveal insights to each person, so that we can read Your words with Your revelations and apply them in our lives. Holy Spirit, help and guide everyone to receive something, in the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Our topic, sowing seeds of hope, reminds us that at the beginning of each year, we set a goal or expectation. Surely you have your thoughts; before this thought is realized, we must first sow the seeds of hope. In Jesus Christ, we must first see the results spiritually and listen to what Jesus wants to tell us. Jesus uses the world He created to teach us the principles of bearing fruit. You set a goal and hope to realize your dreams; you must sow seeds to expect the season of harvest to come.
If you do not sow now, there will be no harvest. In the spiritual realm, we should not exaggerate God's principles. I once visited a place where the people did not accept Jesus. One reason was that there was a believer in their village who thought that after believing in Jesus, there was no need to sow seeds; just pray, and God would grant him a bountiful harvest in the season of harvest. As a result, when the harvest season came, he gained nothing. Was it because God did not bless him? No, it was because he did not sow seeds.
God can turn the nonexistent into existence and raise the dead; these are all true. But do not always focus on one or two miracles. During Jesus' three and a half years of ministry, did He pray every day for food to come down from heaven? Or did He send Peter to fish every time taxes were due to get money from the fish's mouth? No, many people always focus on those one or two special things and treat those special events as ordinary. We should look at how God’s principles are reflected in our lives: through all things in the world, we can see God's principles of sowing, growing, and harvesting, all in due time.
Ecclesiastes 3:10-11,
10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Did Adam need to do these things before he sinned? Was there any labor? No. Are we living in a cursed world? Yes, we are the descendants of Adam, who fell. Do not say, “I want to live supernaturally, without sowing, yet still reap.” In the future, in the kingdom of heaven, one can live like that, but now you need to follow God's principles; otherwise, God would not say that everything becomes beautiful in its time. This proves that all living things created by God have their time. In summer, when the plum blossoms, how does it bloom? Just by blessing it every day? It cannot bloom if it is not the right time; it blooms in winter. Everything created by God becomes beautiful in its time. Through these things, we can see that God gives everyone eternal life and hope for eternity. Amen!
So, it says here that He has put eternity in their hearts. Everyone has hope for eternal life, but how do we obtain it? However, the work of God from beginning to end is incomprehensible to man. What does this mean? You can cultivate all kinds of plant seeds, sow them, and when the time comes, they will bear fruit. Is it you who makes the seeds grow? No matter how advanced human wisdom is today, it cannot make the seeds grow; it is our God who makes the seeds grow. You must first sow seeds, and after a period of time, you will reap; this is God's timing.
Ecclesiastes 3 says that everything has its time, which is set by God. Since everything has its appointed time, we should consider whether we need to sow seeds of hope at the beginning of the year. Both humans and animals reproduce and multiply through seeds. Do you remember the miracle of the five loaves and two fish? Where did the food that fed five thousand men come from? Was the five loaves and two fish a seed? Jesus used that seed to multiply, perhaps by five thousand times or even ten thousand times, allowing everyone present to be filled. God first works through a seed.
Genesis 1 has been read many times. Looking at verse 11, God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself.” And it was so.
Brothers and sisters, what do you see? You may have read this many times, but I want to tell you through this verse that God said this time is the creation from nothing to something. After God said this, how did things come about? The earth brought forth grass and the herb that yields seed. Why must there be seeds? God initially created some grass and herbs that yield seeds, and afterward, these herbs reproduce and develop through these seeds. How can a bare mountain have vitality? Does someone need to plant seeds? Planting saplings is sowing seeds, and then planting various grasses to start reproducing, multiplying more and more... Some wild fields also expand from a single seed; this is multiplication and reproduction.
Then it says, and the fruit trees that yield fruit. We can understand bearing fruit, but God says each according to its kind, and the fruit contains seeds. Here, all living things include seeds; whether humans or plants, they all reproduce and multiply through seeds. Are humans not born from a single seed? We come from a single seed, and after growing up, we start to sow seeds, and people increase more and more, now filling the earth. It all started from one couple, this is God's principle: to reap, you must first sow seeds.
In the creation of the world, everything operates on the principle of seeds. For example, if you want to create a small garden in your backyard, you cannot just raise your hands and pray, saying, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, let all kinds of flowers fill my backyard.” No matter how great your faith is, this will not happen; it may just end up being a patch of grass. You must first sow seeds. If you want various flowers, you must plant those seeds, and in due time, you will reap. You pray for God to bless this land; you must first sow seeds; otherwise, even if you fast and pray every day, it will be of no use. You must first sow seeds; after sowing, you can pray, and then you will see the results you expect.
In nature, every living thing operates on the principle of seeds. However, in the spiritual world, many Christians spend their time on supernatural miracles, saying, “Lord, please heal me; Lord, please make me prosperous.” Many people say, “I have prayed like this; why is there no effect?” If you are just mimicking someone else's words, there will be no effect. Do you understand what I mean? Two people pray for someone, and one says, “In the name of Jesus, I command you to rise and walk.” That person stands up and walks. The other person says, “Now I know how to heal others.” When he goes home, he says the same words to the sick person and finds no effect. Is there a difference? One has the seed, and the other does not. The one with God's words as seeds can achieve results. Amen!
Why do Jesus' words always come to pass? Because they contain seeds. We are not just mimicking how others say things; that will not yield any effect. You need to know that sowing seeds is in the words. It is actually very simple. When you say this, what is your basis? Is there a biblical basis? If you pray to God for something, you need a biblical basis. Many people say, “What basis? Whatever I think, God can accomplish.” Yes, you can find such a basis in the Bible, but it must have context. What you think cannot exceed God's promises.
One person asked me, “Teacher Ren, can you pray for my marriage?”
I said, “Sure, what do you want?”
She said, “Nothing in particular.”
Brothers and sisters, do you know this is the hardest? She said nothing in particular, but in reality, she has the most requests.
Later I said, “Since you have no requests, I happen to know a brother who is fifty years old and still unmarried; how about I introduce you to him?” “No, no, no, that won't do!”
I said, “Didn’t you say you have no requests?”
She said, “That won’t do; he has to be someone I like.”
This became troublesome. I said, “It’s best to pray about this yourself.”
Later she asked me, “If I pray, will God definitely fulfill it? Can I pray to marry the highest leader of the country?”
Brothers and sisters, isn’t this speaking without seeds? Many times, prayers do not come to pass, not because God does not fulfill them, but because we pray aimlessly, without biblical basis or God's promises. God fulfills His words, not our words, so we must speak Christ's promises. For example, if someone suffers from insomnia, can we pray for her? Is there a biblical basis? Yes, there are many: “The Lord loves, He gives sleep.” God does not want us to be insomniac; He truly wants us to sleep peacefully.
You must know that when you say this, you must have a biblical basis; it is not just whatever you want to say. Many people feel disappointed and angry because they have prayed and sought God, believing they have done everything they should, yet see no change. One possible reason is: they just recite phrases like others, praying every day, “Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!”
I have really encountered some people who treat this phrase as a catchphrase. One time an old lady said, “Thank you, Lord! Today my child went out and got brushed by a car.” Have you encountered such people? This is clearly not something to be thankful for, yet she says, “Thank you, Lord! Today I was bitten by a dog when I went out.” I thought, what is there to thank the Lord for? In fact, she unconsciously said such words because she has already treated “Thank you, Lord” as a catchphrase. Every religion in the world has its own catchphrases; we cannot live like this. We must know what these words represent; they must contain seeds, and seeds represent vitality. Amen!
Many people do not value God's words; they only want miracles and supernatural reversals. They may know some of God's words, but those words are not in their hearts. The words are not what they eagerly pursue; they only pursue the results. But do you know? If you pursue God's words, God's words can produce countless miracles. The previous verse mentioned, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground; he sleeps by night and rises by day, and the seed should sprout and grow.” Is this not God's work? This seed is actually God's word, and God's word still sustains this world today.
You can read Hebrews chapter one; it has already told us this. He upholds all things by the word of His power. That is, the words spoken by God at the beginning of creation to those plants, animals, and humans are still effective today. As long as seeds are sown in the soil, God will cause the seeds to grow according to the words He spoke at the beginning, ultimately bearing fruit. Today, people are too clever, wanting to grow all kinds of flashy things; that will not work; it cannot violate God's principles.
For example, if you fry very good seeds and plant them in the soil, they will have no life; you cannot destroy that seed. The kingdom of God mentioned here is like a man who sows seeds in the ground; this refers to God's words. When they sprout and grow, you see the results, but you do not know how the process happens. So, brothers and sisters, you do not have to be the smartest person for God's words to work in your life; it is not related to your efforts, your finances, your race, or your gender; it is only related to God's promises. So the focus is on God's words, not on us. What you need to do is sow this seed in the ground. Your task is complete; sowing cannot be done by God; you sow, and God makes it grow.
If you are sick, you say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus, heal my sickness.” Believe that the words you speak contain God's promises and God's power; this is the living seed that has been sown. The next thing is for God to do; expect God to show you the best results. The seed must be sown in your heart, not just in your mind. If it is only in your mind, it is useless.
Humans have been producing fruit through seeds for thousands of years, but to this day, no one knows how seeds grow. We know the season for sowing, weeding, and watering; you can do these things, but you cannot make them grow; it is our God who makes them grow. This is a miracle, a gift from God that no one can understand, but that does not mean you cannot use it. You do not need to know how this seed grows; being able to use it is enough.
It is like when you buy the most advanced television; you do not need to know how it is constructed, whether the screen is LED or LCD; perhaps you do not have expertise in this area, but you only need to know how to use the remote control, and the results you want will come out. Today is the same; you need to recognize God in His words, sow God's words in your heart, and then expect that this thing is alive. The seed created by God has strong vitality.
I have watched some documentaries, and many people study Egyptian culture. After excavating some things from the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs that are thousands of years old, they found some seeds. These seeds, after four or five thousand years, can still bear fruit when planted. This is the vitality of what God created; do not think that time is too long and that it may not survive; this is just human thinking. When wheat is harvested, it is already dried, and there is no difference from being dead, but once that seed enters the soil, it is remarkable; the vitality will manifest. If you place God's words in the Bible, it has no effect; even if you have the Bible all over your house, it will have no effect.
When I was young, I was reluctant to believe in Jesus for other reasons; the teachings at that time seemed quite ridiculous. My mother often got angry and could not sleep, and people in the church said, “If you put the Bible under your pillow, you will be able to sleep because you are sleeping on God's words; how could you not sleep?” My mother tried it and still could not sleep. Was it because there was a problem with the Bible? Could changing to another Bible help? No, it is not about that; the point is not how many Bibles you place in that spot.
Some European and American horror movies depict ghosts coming, and they hold up a glowing cross, and the devil is afraid... Is that thing effective? No, they forget that it is the seed inside that matters, the effect of God's words. Brothers and sisters, you must know that the food you eat comes from seeds; the meat you eat also comes from seeds; everything you have eaten comes from the seeds that God originally created. You must believe that God's words make these seeds grow strong.
However, many people do not think this way. If you can believe, you will gain insights from this. What kind of insight? Meditating on God's words can produce extraordinary power. If you understand how God's words operate in the kingdom of God, just like seeds grow in nature and in the soil, once you understand this, when you need something, such as healing, you do not necessarily have to find a sermon about healing to receive healing; just hearing about Jesus' name and what He has done can bring healing.
How many Christians think: I have a sickness, so I will look for which pastor has preached about healing to listen to. This can yield results, but it is not because he preached about healing that you received healing; it is because he preached about Jesus, the power that comes from this seed not only has healing but also prosperity and can solve other problems. You need to find the core; the truly living part is the seed inside. You need to enter into God's words, take up God's words to meditate on, and through such meditation, the blessings you hope for will surely come. Amen!
Just like today, when we plant a peach seed, we cannot expect a gourd to grow; we expect that planting a peach seed will definitely grow into a peach tree; this is what we should look forward to. Jesus' words are different; when you meditate on Jesus' words, they can produce the blessings you hope for. Amen! The blessings you hope for must be within God's promises. To emphasize again, for example, if you hope to be healthy, if you hope for your sickness to be healed, which verse should you meditate on? There are many; I will find one for you to sow this seed of hope.
1 Peter 2:24-25,
24 Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
This passage is what you need to meditate on. Why will you be healed? Your healing does not come from how pious you are or how many days you kneel before God; it comes from meditating on God's words, and His vitality is manifested in you. How does it come? Jesus bore our sins on the tree; you should replace “we” with “I.” To clarify further, replace it with your name,
Jesus bore on the tree the sins of (your name_____), that (your name) having died to sins, might live for righteousness.
You live in righteousness; God does not want you to still think of yourself as living in sin; if you believe you are living in sin, there will be no assurance of hope in God. You are a person living in righteousness. Amen!
What hope is there afterward? Because of Jesus' stripes, replace “you” with your own name, “(your name) has been healed,” this is grounded and based, right? You must firmly place this seed in your heart. When God's words are sown in you, the result you will receive is healing; healing is a fruit.
Brothers and sisters, what is the seed? It is the words mentioned earlier, Jesus being hung on the tree, allowing me to receive the fruit of healing; the process in between does not require you to pay a price; God has already done it. How God completes this matter, you do not need to know; you only need to know: I can receive healing because Jesus was hung on the tree, He bore my sins, and I live in His righteousness, so I am healthy today. This is grounded and based. Amen!
Should we sow this seed of hope? If there is no seed, we do not know why we can be healed. Others may say, “With your condition, do you still expect to be healed? How long have you been attending meetings? Do you give offerings? Do you serve God?” When you think about it, it seems like you have not done any of that. The key is that you sow this seed; God will make it grow and bear fruit.
For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. Brothers and sisters, no matter how you were in the past, you say, “In the past, I failed in every aspect, and my health was poor.” In the past, you were a lost sheep; now you are a person with a sense of belonging, as God's words have already told you. So you often meditate: I belong to Jesus Christ; He is my Shepherd, and I am His sheep. There are many verses to meditate on, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” From there, you can meditate on many results you need, and all of these have God's basis. Now do you understand? If you want healing, there are many such verses; you must have God's words as the seed inside, as the core, and meditate on them!
Let me share a second point: prosperity.
In fact, healing and prosperity are goals that almost everyone needs to set every year, especially those who are sick and those who are in need. How do you achieve this goal? If you want to be prosperous, you also need to take up God's words and meditate on verses about prosperity; God will give you wisdom and the ability to gain wealth. How many people expect to just want money, saying, “Don’t tell me anything else; just tell me how to make money quickly.” God tells you, “I will give you the ability to gain wealth.” Once you have this ability, you will not lack money at all. Go and see what successful people say: “Making money is actually very easy.” They say it is so easy, but why can’t we make it?
A few days ago, I watched a recent speech by Jack Ma; he said making money is actually very easy. We say, “You succeeded, so you say it is easy.” You will find that every successful person says, “If you focus on money, you will not earn money; think about how to benefit others, and you will gain.” What is success? They say, “Accomplishing others’ goals is a lasting achievement.” In fact, they all follow a principle of God: it is not for oneself; when it is truly for accomplishing others, God will make you successful.
Let’s look at a verse to see what God's promise to the people of Israel was at the beginning. Deuteronomy 8:11-15,
11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14 when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and a thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock.
Why did God warn the people of Israel like this? Here it says that when you have eaten and are full, whose credit is it that Israel is full? God. But many people say, “That is the result of my hard work in sowing, fertilizing, and pruning.” You did those things, but it is God who makes them grow; otherwise, try planting southern fruit seeds in the Arctic; can they bear fruit? I once went to Harbin, where they also planted apples, which were quality apple seeds, but the fruits produced were sour, small, and inedible because the soil temperature was not suitable. Many people say, “That is the result of my efforts.” You worked hard, but if God does not bless it, if it is not within God's principles, your efforts will be in vain.
God made the people of Israel full, allowing them to build beautiful houses to dwell in, and their herds multiplied, their silver and gold increased, and all that they had increased; is this not God's work? But when do people easily forget God? It is when God has given you everything, and you become proud and forget the Lord your God. Do not say, “Impossible; if You make me the richest person in the world, I will not forget You.” Was Solomon like that?
You say Solomon had great faith at the beginning! To what extent did he look up to God? “Lord, give me wisdom to teach Your people to know You.” At that time, Solomon, so young, asked for nothing else but wisdom; that was enough to rely on God, right? God said, “What you have asked is good; you have not asked for the destruction of your enemies, nor for an increase in wealth; you have only asked for wisdom to teach My people. Since this is so, I will give you what you have not asked for.” Wealth, unprecedented; status, unprecedented.
From a human perspective, Solomon had lived successfully enough, right? But after his success, did he forget God? Because he felt that it was all earned by his own efforts. Once a person feels that it is earned by their own efforts, they will forget God's works. God often reminds them: It is I who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Why does God always mention the house of bondage? It is actually to tell the Israelites who have already received: your past identity was a slave; have you forgotten how you were oppressed by others? Today, you are successful; do not oppress the poor. God tells them in His laws to be kind to the strangers; it is to tell you: I can bless you like this, but you must understand My will; you must help others, comfort others, and provide for others.
Now many people do not understand God's principles; they only think, “Lord, bless me, make me successful, and let me prosper.” Many people, once they become prosperous, forget God; I am one of them, so I understand what this means. God keeps emphasizing: I led you through that great and terrible wilderness, with fiery serpents and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water; I brought water for you out of the flinty rock. It is to tell the people of Israel: no matter what results you want, you should believe that all of this is blessed by Me. Today, after you set your goals, believe that it is our God who will make this goal successful; what we need to do is sow seeds and then expect the results. In the end, we succeed; this is God's work. Amen!
Deuteronomy 8:16-19,
16 Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end, 17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18 And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
This is an exhortation to the people of Israel, telling them how to live. The Ten Commandments do not require us to follow them to be blessed; today, you believe in the redemption completed by Jesus on the cross, fulfilling the law, and you are already a blessed person. But you cannot escape these principles; if you forget that all your blessings are given by God, and you think wealth comes from your own ability, you will surely squander it; if you believe that it is God who blessed you, you will have a generous heart, and God will give you more.
Verse 18 is also for us: you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth. Today, this word applies to Israel and to us; you need to ask God for wisdom, saying, “Lord, give me the power to gain wealth.” He gives it to you, to make you remember what God has given you, to make you a supplier for others. If you forget God and think you gained wealth by your own efforts, you will surely forsake our God, and at that time, you will surely perish. There are many unjust gains; for example, someone buys a lottery ticket for two dollars and suddenly wins five million. Such people generally do not have good endings; there are really not many good endings. Do you know why? It is too easy, so they do not cherish it and start to squander it, and soon they are worse off than when they did not win.
So God says, if you forget God's works and serve and worship other gods, you will surely perish. This is my warning to you today. Therefore, in two aspects, you need to know where God will bless you, whether in health or prosperity; you need to understand that all of this is given by God, meditate on His words, and let these words become your seeds. You need to nurture the seeds you have sown. You cannot sow seeds today and dig them up tomorrow to see if they have sprouted.
This is the meaning of the article: the man sleeps by night and rises by day, and the seed should sprout and grow; he himself does not know how.
If this person sows the seeds and digs them up the next day to check, what will happen? The seeds will not die; nothing will happen. If today you dig them up and find they have not grown, and then you plant them again, and the next day you dig them up again... If you do this every day, that seed will never sprout; the seed still has vitality; it does not die; it just will not release its vitality.
If I prayed for you, and you say, “Teacher Ren, I have a sickness; can you pray for me?” I say, “Sure, I prayed for you; in the name of the Lord Jesus, you have been healed; by the stripes of Jesus, you have received healing.” Has the seed been sown? The next day you say, “Teacher Ren, can you pray for me again?” Are you digging the seed up again? Then I pray for you again: “In the name of Jesus Christ, you are healed.” You say, “I believe,” and the next day you say, “Teacher Ren, can you pray for me again?” Are you digging the seed up again?
When will you see the fruit appear? The growth of the seed is unseen in the dark, but that does not mean it is not growing. You need to believe; believing is that this seed contains miracles and life; even if you cannot see it, you must expect that sprout to appear. Amen! This is called faith. So when you pray for yourself, can you believe like this? Do not be so anxious to dig it up to see; sometimes what your eyes see is not necessarily true. Changes must first happen inside; these seeds all begin to grow in the dark. Amen! Just because you cannot see it does not mean the seed is not working; the seed is already beginning to split.
If you sow God's words in your heart, you must believe one thing: it has already begun to grow supernaturally. You must ensure it remains inside; do not dig it up with doubts. You may have encountered such people; you tell them to believe in Jesus, and they say, “I believe; I will go to church with you.” This person really believes; do you think that is your achievement? Perhaps many years ago, someone already sowed seeds in him; it is just that this seed sprouted later. Today, at the right time, you say, “Believe in Jesus,” and he says, “I believe.” You are just the one reaping. Do you understand? That is not your ability; this seed has been growing, and the dark period has passed; now it is beginning to sprout, just in time for you to see it.
Many people just stay around God's words but are unwilling to meditate on them. Today I want to tell everyone: In the new year, no matter what kind of seeds of hope you sow, you must let God's words sprout and take deep root in you. This means that when people around you speak negative words, you should not be affected. Many people, as soon as those around them speak negatively, start to retreat and lose hope. Every time you do this, you are digging up the seed; do not do this.
Genesis 26:1-3,
1 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
When God made a covenant with the people of Israel, He also said, “I will establish the covenant I made with your father Abraham.” Here, God mentions again, “I will establish the oath I swore to your father Abraham.” Is this not also a covenant? Your hope must be grounded and based. You believe that God will surely fulfill this dream because you have a covenant with God, and this covenant is related to Jesus. The people of Israel hoped: God will surely accomplish this for me because you have a covenant with my ancestor Abraham. They sowed seeds with this hope, receiving God's promises, while you live with the hope of Jesus Christ. Amen!
At this time, there was a famine; they originally wanted to go to Egypt because Egypt has the Nile, and other lands are affected by famine; Egypt is not affected. God personally appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land I tell you; dwell in this land.” Is it Gerar? But clearly, this place also has a famine; what should be done? When what your eyes see does not align with God's words, what should you do? Can you believe? At this moment, the power of the seed inside you must take effect; now this seed looks dead, but it contains vitality: even if I do not understand, I know that if I plant it in the soil, it will take effect.
Isaac believed this. “Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you.” Is this not God's words to Isaac? Now, does God have promises for you? The problem is that God's promises are here, but when you look at the environment, “No, this place has a famine; if You do not let me go down to Egypt, what should I do?” Now there are two choices: first, go to Egypt; if it does not work, I can buy some food in Egypt and stay here. This is human wisdom, right? Second, Lord, if You do not want me to go down to Egypt, I will not go; I will stay here and firmly rely on Your words. Let’s see what Isaac did.
Genesis 26:6, Isaac dwelt in Gerar.
Genesis 26:12-13, Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.
This is Isaac's process of success; you can also understand it as Isaac's process of prosperity. How did he prosper? He first sowed the seeds of hope. If you do not believe God's words, how can you sow seeds? It is clear that this place has a famine now; who would want to sow seeds that might yield nothing? In a year of famine, who would be willing to risk losing all their seeds? But the problem is that God spoke to him, “I will bless you; I will make you and your descendants great in this land.” Isaac believed and began to sow with faith; this requires your faith. In verse 12, he saw the results; that year he reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him. After that year, Isaac had more seeds, so he kept sowing and reaping in that place, prospering more and more.
Today, too many people think: I hope to have a dream tonight and become a billionaire tomorrow. God can compress time, so I also believe God can shorten my time. Do not build your faith solely on supernatural miracles. Look at how Isaac, Abraham, and Jacob became prosperous; they all did it step by step. Amen! In this process, God wants them to experience the reality of His words. Everyone's understanding of God's words is different; some sprout faster, some slower, but you must believe, God will make us grow and bear fruit. Amen! Today, sow seeds, set goals, and do not be anxious or doubt whether they can be realized; you must believe that God will help me achieve the best results. Today, when you plant an apple tree, do you know how many fruits this tree will bear? You will never know; even the most capable farmer does not know how many fruits this tree will bear in its lifetime; that is God's business, but it will definitely exceed our imagination. When you sow seeds of hope in Jesus Christ, the fruits you will reap will surely exceed your imagination.
1 Peter 1:23, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.
You must sow this seed in your heart and believe that this is an incorruptible seed, which is God's word. Do not set a deadline for it; hold on to God's words, meditate on God's words. Whatever aspect you hope for God's blessing in, find the verses related to that aspect, read them daily, and meditate on them. This seed will begin to sprout in you. Amen!
You can meditate on verses about prosperity to receive God's blessings; meditate on verses about healing to receive God's healing; if you meditate on being used by God, He will give you His anointing and power. Do not say, “I have been meditating for a month.” Do not be anxious! The growth, sprouting, and bearing of seeds all take time. Amen!
God's words are powerful; you can choose to leave God's words on this podium, meaning I have finished speaking to you, and that is it; or you can leave them in the church, thinking that every time you come to church, you can receive God's words; or you can plant them in your heart every day, often meditating on them, your hope will never be in vain. Amen!
You must believe, first sow it (God's words) in your heart, and then it will begin to sprout and bear fruit. The verse we just read says that the earth yields crops by itself; it is actually talking about you, you are that piece of land. God knows how to create you and how to make you grow. Good land does not depend on what seeds are sown; as long as it is good land, any seeds sown can grow. What is feared is that the land is not good; even if it is good land, if thorns are sown, they will also grow strong. The key is to believe that because of Jesus, you are good land; good land yields thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. The key is what you will sow now.
If you always think negatively, saying, “Everything I do in my life is a failure,” you are sowing seeds of failure, and you will surely reap a hundredfold. Do not sow such seeds because you are planting thorns, using good land to plant thorns, and it will also grow vigorously. If you sow wild grass, what comes up is all wild grass, and it will keep growing with the spring breeze, still not dying. In other words, if you plant corn, potatoes, or other seeds that can bring blessings to your life, will they bear fruit? Yes, they will! So starting today, you must hope and expect God's words to have good results. First, believe it with your mouth and speak it out.
For example, if you want to become a prosperous person who can support the church and help more people, from today on, say: “Lord! I place the verses about prosperity in my heart; I often meditate that I am prosperous, and I have God's words as my basis.” Amen! Healing is the same; if you place God's healing verses in your heart, believe it, and say: “Lord! I am healthy; no matter what others say, I am healthy.” What you focus on will dominate you; it will grow. If you always meditate on fear and negative things, allowing others to speak bad things into your heart, those things will begin to grow inside you and dominate you.
You must know that not only good seeds will grow; everything you focus on will grow. If you always watch gossip news, who cheated again, who divorced... rest assured, it will also create fear in your marriage because the seed you focus on will sprout and grow inside you. Do not meditate on this; it is of no benefit. The eye is the lamp of the body; it is where your focus lies. If you focus on good things, on God's words, you will bear the fruit of God's words. Therefore, what you focus on will grow quickly; it will continue to grow. The verse we just read says, first the blade, then the head, and afterward the full grain in the head; this is the process of growth. Do not expect to plant seeds today and have fruits tomorrow; it is impossible; there must be a process: first the blade, then the head, and finally the full grain.
Romans 12:2, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
God's will comes in stages. The verse we just read says, first the blade, then the head, and finally the full grain. Many people always say, “Lord, let me become a world-renowned evangelist; let me become a pastor of a church with thousands of people; let me become the CEO of an international company!” The thoughts are good, but they have never done anything, made any preparations, and have not even sown seeds; how can there be any harvest?
This is why many Christians fail; it is in this area. Things do not operate this way. First, you must go through the blade, then the head, and finally bear full grain. If your head is only that long, how many fruits can it bear? The head must grow longer to bear more fruit. Here, I want to tell everyone, if you want to become a famous international pastor, if you have never shepherded a small church, you will not have the ability to shepherd a large church. If you have never managed five people and managed them well, you cannot manage a company of fifty thousand people, just as Jesus said.
Luke 16:10, He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
God's principle is that you must first experience the blade, then the head, and only then can you bear full grain. Seeds do not suddenly mature overnight; they do not suddenly grow into a big tree and bear abundant fruit; it requires a process. So, brothers and sisters, this year you have set goals; starting today, take steps toward those goals. Growth occurs in stages; one day you will look and see a small sprout; that is a good thing.
If you want to become an internationally renowned pastor, start by shepherding a small family. Do well in the ministry given to you by the pastor of this church. Good! God will lead you to connect with a church of a hundred people, then a thousand, and then ten thousand; it will be no problem. If you tremble when preaching in front of three people, you will not dare to go on stage in front of thirty thousand.
Today, after setting your goals, start praying to God for wisdom: “Lord! In my first stage, help me achieve it; lead me so that by the end of the year, I can see that I am bearing much fruit.” Amen! Thank and praise the Lord! I hope today's sharing can bring some help to you. Take out the goals you have already written down, and from now on, prepare yourself to do the preliminary work, sow seeds, seek wisdom from God, and meditate on His promises; He will surely lead you into the blessings He has prepared. May all the goals you write this year be fulfilled. Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Thank You for helping every brother and sister today through these words. We need to sow seeds of hope; we have hope because Your words will never fall short, Your promises will never fall short. We sow seeds in the ground, and You will make them grow. We sleep at night and rise in the day, and this seed will begin to grow; this is Your work. I believe You will bless what I do this year. I set goals, and every day I will water and fertilize them; You will make them grow.
Lord! Please help me experience this process of bearing full grain. Thank You and praise You! You prepare me to be a vessel for Your use. Please lead me so that we can all gain something before You, grant us wisdom, and become a help to more people. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!