And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. — Galatians 6:9
One area where many people struggle is in the realm of finances. Financial stress is one of the most difficult pressures that can be experienced in life. If you’ve ever experienced the stress that comes from financial pressure, you know how difficult it is when you are so strapped that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills.
But I want to tell you that God is always faithful! If you are living for God, walking in holiness, doing what the Holy Spirit has told you to do with your life, and sowing your financial seed into the soil of God’s Kingdom, then you are promised a harvest to meet the needs in your own life. Sowing and reaping is not a fantasy or a fairy tale. This is God’s promise to you, and it always works.
But what should you do when the devil is assailing your finances? I’m talking about those times when you’ve done everything you know to do, but you are still being financially hassled.
During those times when my family or our ministry experiences a financial shortage, we always evaluate several areas to see if we are doing anything that would hinder us from receiving the resources God wants to give us. In such moments, I always carefully examine my own heart, and I ask myself:
Am I harboring any unforgiveness that would block me from receiving God’s blessings in my life?
Am I walking in holiness before the Lord, or am I allowing any sinful thoughts or actions to have a place in me that would block me from receiving from the Lord?
Am I doing what God has told me to do with my life, or am I disregarding His instructions and going my own way instead?
Am I being faithful to sow my tithes and offerings into the Kingdom of God, or have I gotten behind in my giving or forgotten to sow a seed that the Spirit of God told me to sow?
Am I under attack because the devil is against my dream or my mission and is therefore trying to turn off the valve of blessing so I become drained of what I need to fulfill the assignment God gave me?
If I am at peace and sure that I have done nothing to hinder God’s blessings from flowing into my life or ministry, I then proceed to deal with these shortfalls as devilish attacks. I take authority over the devil and tell him to take his hands off my finances. I press deep in prayer until I know inwardly that the blockage has been removed. Often I literally feel that barrier move out of the way as the Spirit of God shoves it aside and makes an avenue for His blessings to flow into my life and ministry. When this occurs, it is never long before my wife and I see a manifestation of God’s blessings.
As we are commanding the devil to move out of the way, God’s Spirit often speaks to our hearts and tells us that we need to sow an extra, sacrificial financial seed into someone else’s ministry in order to break the stranglehold the devil is trying to put on us. For instance, once when we needed a new building and were desperate to find the money to pay for it, the Holy Spirit instructed us to sow a seed into someone else’s building project. “If you have a need, sow a seed” is the message I always share with our congregation and partners.
Therefore, at the time of our own need, we knew it was time for us to sow an extra large gift into someone else’s building program. Although the amount of money was huge to us at the moment, we knew that sowing that seed was essential if we were going to experience the financial breakthrough we needed for our own building. After we sowed that seed, it wasn’t long before doors began to supernaturally open and the next facility we needed became available to us.
You see, sometimes you have to do something that requires extra faith in order to break the vice-like grip that the devil is trying to put on you. That extra sacrificial gift the Holy Spirit tells you to give may be the very act of faith that releases the power needed to rip the devil’s hands off your situation. Could it be that this is what you need to do right now in order to make a bold stand of faith?
In Galatians 6:9, the apostle Paul told us, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Do you see the word “weary” in this verse? It comes from the Greek work egkakao, which is a compound of the words en and kakos. The word en means in, and the word kakos describes something that is evil or bad. When these two words are used together, as in this verse, the new word means to grow weary; to give in to evil; or to let something bad defeat you. It gives the idea of surrendering or giving in to bad circumstances.
This means the apostle Paul was telling the Galatians:
“Don’t let evil get the best of you….”
“Don’t let the bad circumstances wear you down and wear you out….”
“Don’t give in to the evil that intends to defeat you….”
When hard financial times come, that isn’t the time for you to surrender to circumstances — it’s the time for you to put up a fight! Instead of giving in and surrendering to the attacks that are assailing you, you have to “put up your dukes,” heave backward with all your spiritual might, and throw a knockout punch at the face of the devil! Don’t shrink back in fear or worry; instead, make this a critical moment when you sow an extra financial seed! Do something bold that will break that stranglehold the devil has tried to put on you.
Could it be that this is one of those moments when you need to throw all your spiritual weight against the devil and show him that you’re not going to take any more flak from him by sowing an extra seed?
Do exactly what the Holy Spirit impresses you to do. Once you obey His leading, you must then use your God-given authority and command the devil to take his foul hands off your finances! Boldly declare by faith that God’s blessings are yours. You have every right to expect God’s blessings to come pouring into your life!
The only seed I have is prayers. So I will pray for people and ask that the heavens open up to bless on their lives and stop their strife.