Reaping What You Have Sown
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:7-8, KJV).
For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again (Matthew 7:2, KJV).
I once ministered to a person who noticed that throughout their life things always seemed to go wrong. A team and I had covered the basics (where curses and accidents are involved) by taking them through repentance prayers from things like Freemasonry and stolen blessings etc., but even after dealing with these things they were still affected by mishaps. I again sought God for the root of these mishaps and misadventures. He revealed to me that another reason for mishaps, accidents and misadventure in people’s lives are from a direct result of them reaping what they have sown. Many times people are unaware that their actions could be one of the causes of their adverse circumstances. This can even happen in the lives of born-again believers.
Many people who have been treated poorly throughout their lives can develop a wound of hurt and bitterness. Our actions or reactions to how we have been treated can determine what we in turn will reap. Even if you are actively forgiving and blessing the people who hurt you, if at any time during the time of being hurt (before you were able to forgive them) you reacted badly out of that hurt (even speaking ill against them which can become a curse) then you could reap what you sowed by your actions against them. The wound that was caused by the hurt can also remain unhealed until you repent for your fleshly actions. Every time another hurt comes if you keep reacting from that wound of bitterness it enables that wound to grow and fester and your sowing and reaping actions can then become greater and greater. In other words if our initial actions and reactions come from the flesh at the time of the hurt it can keep that wound from healing and our ungodly fleshly actions can cause the reaping consequences of what we have sown. Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears (Hebrews 12:14-17, NKJV).
The Bible is quite clear that when we sow to our flesh we reap corruption. Although we may be speaking forgiveness and praying blessing in our daily prayers to the people who have hurt us we still need to repent for our fleshly actions and reactions at the times of the hurt – no matter how justified we think we were at the time. I can think of many times I have been hurt and reacted out of the flesh (especially with my mouth) only to practice forgiving them once I have calmed down - but forgetting to repent for my initial fleshly reactions that could result in me being affected negatively through my own actions. It is our reaction that activates the sowing and reaping effect – even if we practice blessing and forgiveness to that person afterwards. What we have spoken, what we have done initially is already set in place until we repent. “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:37-38, NKJV).
The Bible says that when we can’t forgive then God can’t forgive us. In regards to unforgiveness God once showed me how you can tell if you have truly forgiven someone. He told me to imagine the person that had hurt you and imagine Him blessing them with all the blessings imaginable. How do you feel when this person receives financial blessings, healings, recognition, fame and love? If the vision moves you to feel resentful then you haven’t truly forgiven and you need to ask Jesus to help you forgive. True forgiveness is when you want that person to be blessed beyond measure. Sometimes to help one forgive it is good to ask God to show you the brokenness of the person who has hurt you, and why they acted a certain way that lead them to hurt you in the first place. Many times you can see that they are reacting out of hurt too and it can help you to understand their actions and forgive.
When you walk contrary to the moral law of God you can still get afflicted in your flesh. How is this when the punishment system caused through the curse of the law is what Jesus removed at the cross? The 'curse of the law' was the penalty system of punishment for those that failed to keep the law. A 'yoke of bondage' which is the penalty for breaking the Law. There were many penalties including 'being unclean to the evening' (Leviticus 11:24-28) to 'making an offering' (Leviticus 5:5-6) to being 'cut off' (Leviticus 7:27) and 'the death penalty' (Exodus 31:14). Keeping the Law was all about trying to earn favour with God, and trying to earn our own salvation. It was about performance orientation and good works to try and please God. The ‘curse of the law’ is the punishment system of failing to please God because of entering into sinful practices. When we receive the Holy Spirit at the beginning of our salvation, He dwells within our spirit. This is the seal that you are no longer bound to all these things. Being saved is a free gift given by God to all who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. There is still however a natural consequence - the law of cause and effect, a sequence of events that are affected by our decisions when we walk in the flesh. The natural law of physics is also intertwined within this Heavenly principle. The law of physics is ‘For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. God is righteous and has a Heavenly code of moral conduct of right and wrong that He wants all His children to abide by. When one makes a decision there will always be a consequence to that decision. The consequence will either be good or bad. It is our choice to make these decisions. It is God's natural law of disciplinary action taking place. It was designed this way. For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? (Hebrews 12:6-7, NKJV). We have a choice to bless or curse ourselves and others! The good news however is even though this natural law of cause and effect affects us in our flesh and circumstances, it does not affect our relationship with God, and neither does it affect our salvation status. The punishment that dictated both those things is what Jesus removed at the Cross of Calvary! God took away punishment and left behind love, grace and discipline.
This is what God once spoke to me in regard to reaping and sowing; “Every man and woman is required to live a life pleasing to Me by following My moral law of right and wrong. My law is My Commandments of what is right and wrong and is written on your hearts and in your minds. When you follow the law of God you reap good things. This however does not mean that following the law of God saves you, heals you or justifies you – you are saved and made whole only through faith and belief in Jesus Christ and what He achieved on the cross for you. Only through His Blood can the sin be remitted unto you. Pain and suffering can come as a direct consequence of reaping what you have sown. If you cannot actively walk in all the ways of God due to weakness in your flesh does this mean you are destined to live a life of pain? Absolutely not – the key is to yield and surrender to the Spirit. As you yield and surrender your life to Jesus and allow Him to put to death those things that are contrary to the law and commandments of God all will be well with you. Walking in the ways of God is never easy. It requires a life of discipline. Not everyone who enters in can walk in this disciplined way of living. Many are bound up in iniquity and need to be set free to live a life pleasing to God. Jesus died so you can be set free from those things that bind you. I do not expect My Children to instantly be able to walk as Jesus walked when they are first born-again. They are entrapped within the worldly system and the worldly system is binding. I am calling you to be separate from the world which means I have come to remove the bonds of the world from you. Grace doesn’t give you the freedom to walk contrary to My ways without consequence but it does give you the means by which to become free from the entanglement of the world. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted (Hebrews 2:18, NKJV). Jesus saves and delivers you through faith and belief in Him through the sanctification process - while following the law enables you to stay that way. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14, NKJV). My grace alongside faith in Jesus enables you to put to death those things that rise up against My law. In your weakness you cannot overcome. My strengths (Grace) enable you to overcome those things that you cannot. When you accept Me you come under My grace which is an empowering strength to change you. Grace does not let you off the hook when you sin – instead Grace is power you have in you to help you to overcome the sin! Those things you cannot change yourselves means My grace empowers you to change them. Without the grace of God you cannot keep the moral requirements of God. Only God’s grace working through your members causes you to keep the law of right and wrong. When Jesus, through the Holy Spirit who is within you, removes the sinful nature and the desire to sin, the law will no longer have power over you because there will no longer be sin within you for the law of God to arouse. When you no longer give in to sinful desires the principles of cause and effect can no longer render negative consequences because you are no longer entering into them - instead of death, you reap life.” For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death Romans 8:2, KJV).
I believe part of the dying to self-process is also an outworking of all the negative things we have sown to our flesh. Repentance for these things can go a long way to breaking any assignments or curses that are in place due to the reaping of our negative actions. The Good News in Christ however also shows us that this law of reaping and sowing can also exert a positive effect. When we sow good things we also reap good things.
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you (Hosea 10:12, KJV).
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not (Galatians 6:9, KJV). I believe we are coming into a season of reaping the good things in the Kingdom of God in accordance with what we have sown to the Spirit.
(PRAYER) – “Father God in Jesus name I repent for all fleshly actions and reactions that I and my ancestors sowed due to wounds of hurt and bitterness. There are Godly actions and ungodly actions and no matter how justified I felt at the time for my fleshly actions, there is no excusing them. I repent for every cursed word I uttered, every lie I told, and every action I entered into against those who hurt me. I break any curse and enemy assignment against those people and against myself as a result of the reaping and sowing effect I and my ancestors sowed in Jesus name. I bless these people and I forgive these people. I forgive and bless myself. All demons of hurt, resentment, bitterness, hate, self-hate unforgiveness, unforgiveness of self, revenge, murder, anger, memory recall, jealousy, envy, suspicion, distrust, selfishness, retaliation, destruction, spite, sadism and cruelty I command you to leave immediately in Jesus name. I pray Lord Jesus that You would heal these wounds of hurt and bitterness within me. Help me to sow to myself in righteousness so I can reap mercy. Help me to not grow weary in doing well for in due season I shall reap the rewards. In Jesus name, Amen.”
By Tania Francis