The series is titled “Equipping for the Harvest.”. Pastor has defined harvest from our understanding of scriptures and what God is doing and we understand that there are two kinds of harvest:
Kingdom Harvest
Personal Harvest
Pastor explains that Kingdom harvest is achievable through three sickles of the gospel:
The Gospel,
Intercession,
and Finance.
The first sickle of the gospel is the realization that God does not have any other way or means to save the world outside the preaching of the gospel. What you will preach to the poor should not be different to what you will preach to the rich. Presentation may differ, but the content should be the same because that is the only method God has to save. If your gospel cannot be preached to every man, regardless of his status, education, or level, then there is something fundamentally wrong with what you are propagating.
Outside of preaching, there is the need to understand the sickle of intercession. God relies on our intercession to amplify our efforts. We pray for all men because God has a desire to save all men. Then there is the sickle of finance. From the day Jesus rose, the people in power gave soldiers a large amount of money to spread the narrative that He did not resurrect. That was an attack on the fundamentals of our faith because If Jesus did not resurrect, our faith is in vain. Money was used to attack the gospel, so we must understand the place of finance in the preaching of the gospel.
Then Pastor taught on Personal harvest.
Personal Harvest refers to:
Tangible outcomes and achievements in various aspects of life.
It is individual success and progress in business, career, and finance.
The key thing is that personal harvest involves amazing, incredible, tangible progress where you have something to show for your labor. For harvest to take place, it means you have been laboring, planting, and sowing efforts and we come to a point where our efforts are bearing fruits.
We are using the story of Joseph as a case study. Genesis 37:5 KJV And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
The summary of the dream was that the sun, the moon, and the stars bowed down to him, signifying that he would become a major world leader. That became a vision for him and he was running with that.
We must have a vision for the harvest, if we don’t then we will not know what we are looking forward to.
Proverbs 24:14 KJV So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
If the righteous does not have an expectation, what is he looking forward to?
One of the things that will help you enter the harvest is a vision and some of us do not even believe our income can ever be higher than it is right now. If you don’t have a vision that great things are possible, you will not run for it or trust God for it.
Joseph was 17 years old when he had that dream, and he came into that harvest at 30. For 13 years, he carried that vision. It does not matter what your family pattern looks like; you can break the circle,You can be the one to end poverty in your lineage.
Genesis 37:9 KJV And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
What vision do you have for your career or business?. Believers shout “Amen” too much, but we often fail to look forward to the possibilities of a great life.
Psalm 71:21 KJV Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.
Great people can be greater. If you have money, you can have more. This is not about competition or envy; it is about knowing that with God on our side, we can be better.
Without a vision and a plan, success is just a mirage. Don’t have an “ostrich mentality,” burying your head in the sand to deny reality. Accept where you are and face your journey. You are not too old to develop a new vision.
TOOL KITS FOR PERSONAL GROWTH
Vision
Continuous Improvement
You might think the vision alone brought Joseph to the throne, but vision is not enough. Joseph was known as “the dreamer,” but dreaming alone didn’t bring him to power; growth did. Another thing that helped Joseph was continuous improvement.
Genesis 40:8 KJV And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
Joseph moved from the phase of dreaming to interpretation of dreams. For 13 years, there is no record of him having a new dream in Potiphar’s house or the prison. Instead, he was busy interpreting the dreams of others. He grew in capacity and when the king finally had a dream, a referral happened. Joseph didn’t just interpret; he provided analysis and solutions.
Visions do not come to pass on their own, You must work with the prophecy.
If God has shown you that you will be a great preacher, you cannot just sleep and fast, there is a place for exercise of grace. Many people have “impression” (visions) but no “expression,” which eventually leads to “depression.”. Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Proverbs 13:12 KJV Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
Joyful spirit
Genesis 40:6-7 KJV And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?
Joseph was a prisoner himself, yet he was noticing that others were sad. It takes a joyful spirit to recognize when someone else is lacking it.Please, do not look like your problems, do not look like your troubles. Even in pain, let your countenance be bright. I will not work with. Your vibe and your energy matter. Don’t dress like your problem. Be bold, be joyful, and go everywhere expecting God to step into your situation.
Competence
When Joseph was made Prime Minister, there is no record that Pharaoh ever had concerns about his delivery. Joseph managed the complexity of Egypt well. The reason you are brought on board in an organization is to solve problems and take initiative. You should be a value-adder.
Genesis 41:37-40 KJV And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
Prayer and fasting are not magical. Even if God orchestrates a connection, that connection only gets you in the door; it won’t do the work for you. Once you are in, the “card” has expired, and it is left to you to prove yourself. Competence is crucial.
In contrast to Joseph, his brothers remained stagnant.
Genesis 42:1-2 KJV Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
Jacob, their father, was the one informed about global events while these grown men were just sitting around looking at one another.
They were hinging, not growing. Joseph had called them “stars,” but they only heard “bow.”. Because they didn’t grow, they could not walk into the fulfillment of being stars themselves..
Genesis 47:1-6 KJV
Pharaoh told Joseph, “If you know any men of activity, competent men put them in charge.”
Joseph could not put them in charge because in the 13 years since he had left, nothing had been added to them. They were out of touch and backward.
Competitive spirit and envy blocked their ears. They could have been commissioners or leaders in Egypt, but they remained only shepherds because their capacity was in doubt.
Don’t cut yourself off from opportunities by projecting a “poverty mindset.”. If you are bold and intelligent, speak about solutions and capacity. Be armed with competence..
Superior and functional understanding of God’s ways
Finally, Joseph had a superior and functional understanding of God’s ways and the ability to forgive.
Genesis 45:5-8 KJV Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
The reason you are bitter is often because you are not better. If Joseph was still a servant when his brothers showed up, he might have been looking for a “fight to the finish.”. But because he was better, he could not be bitter. Bitterness is understandable when a denial of help has stunted your life,
Success is the best way to revenge. Don’t allow bitterness to crowd your mind and stop your harvest. Joseph was healed and free.
In conclusion, God is not through with you yet!. Your life is unfolding. Do not let today’s struggle make you doubt God. Your life is in the hand of God, not in any man’s hand. No man can play God in your life.. Believe God. Hold on to God.