The Secret of Sowing

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:7-9).

Perhaps the most common struggle of Christians, when it comes to the secret place, is to feel like they’re “spinning their wheels,” that their time in prayer and meditation is accomplishing nothing. It’s very tempting, in those times of seeming powerless- ness, to just move on to something else with a shrug that says, “Well, maybe it will be better tomorrow.”

Some of us have become so discouraged with feelings of inef- fectiveness that we have fallen into a slump of neglect. I hope the secret of this chapter will help to get you back on track!

Here’s the awesome secret of Galatians 6: When you sow to the Spirit by giving dedicated time to the secret place, you will eventually reap life in the Spirit. Eventually. We have usually applied this text to the grace of giving financially, but it applies equally to the grace of seeking God in listening meditation. It is

Secrets of the Secret Place

impossible to sow to the Spirit without reaping a corresponding harvest.

When I speak of sowing, I am talking about giving of your time to the secret place. I am talking about establishing patterns and habits that enable you to spend significant time with God in the secret place on a daily basis. This kind of sowing will produce a harvest in your walk with Him. It will change you and, in turn, begin to affect everything around you.

This secret has carried me at times when I was very tempted to give up the intensity of my pursuit of God. When I’ve been on fasting retreats, for example, I’ve often been tempted with feeling like my fast is accomplishing nothing in the Spirit. Just when I’m tempted to quit, I remind myself that if I will continue to sow, one day I will reap. I take my focus off my current frustra- tions and assert my confidence in God’s word that a harvest will come my way, in time, if I persevere. I’ve often experienced the secret of this chapter. Many times I’ve thought my time in the secret place was rather dull and uneventful, but later perspective showed that it had been, in fact, a powerful time with God. The actual impact of the secret place, I’ve discovered, is usually not evident until a later time.

We live in a culture that evaluates its priorities based upon immediate results. The voices of the world are demanding that we produce. Now! The race to produce can rob us of investing properly in the secret place. We must not evaluate our spiritual progress based upon how many projects we accomplished or deadlines we met today. Our devotional life with God is more like the planting of a garden. When we arise from sowing into the secret place, we will not usually be able to point to immediate results or benefits. What we sow today will require an entire season of growth before the results are manifest.

Sowing is usually extremely mundane, boring, and menial. Rarely are the benefits of sowing seen at the time. Usually, it takes a period of time before the benefits of the sowing start to become self-evident. Authentic spiritual harvest is rarely instantaneous. The wise believer who understands this will devote himself to arduous sowing, knowing that at the right time he will reap if he

The Secret of Sowing

does not lose heart. “He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread” (Proverbs 12:11). To have a harvest, you must till (prepare) the soil of your heart and then implant God’s word into your heart. God’s word is powerful seed which will eventually produce a mighty harvest if the soil of our hearts is right.

Every moment you spend in the secret place is an investment. You are investing into eternal realities. God makes note of your labors and considers how He will honor your devotion. And seeds are being planted in your heart that will bring forth a harvest in your own heart—if you continue to persevere in faith and love. So whatever you do, don’t quit! When you feel ineffectual, get stubborn and invest even more. The word being sown into your heart today is going to germinate, sprout, send roots downward and branches upward, and produce fruit. Catch the secret: He

who sows will most assuredly reap!

Secrets of the Secret Place

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Дата добавления: 2015-10-23