From Barren Land to Supernatural Harvest Isaac was on his way to the land of Egypt, following in the footsteps of his father Abraham, when God changed his direction. Look at this most amazing passage of God’s Word: There was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father. —Genesis 26:1-3 Isaac believed that Egypt would sustain and help him, but God said not to go to Egypt and directed his steps in a very different way. And true to his character, he obeyed the voice of the Lord rather than following his earthly desire. Isaac obeyed the Lord and stayed in the land while famine was all around him. Then the Bible says that “Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him” (Genesis 26:12). Imagine this remarkable picture of a man sowing amid the desolation of a stark and barren land. Sowing in the belief that God would provide a bountiful harvest—and in spite of the famine gripping his homeland—must have been an unusual scene indeed. Most likely, his neighbors thought he was a madman to be sowing seed while the land was dry and dead. Yet he relied on the promise of God, who said, “I will be with thee, and I will bless thee.” All we need is one promise from God to change our lives! The Bible assures us, “The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied” (Psalm 37:18-19). We shall be satisfied! The Hebrew translation for this word is “filled to satisfaction.” If we are upright and obedient we will be satisfied, even in the days of famine. Isaac was in a country surrounded by utter famine. The entire Philistine kingdom was in desperate trouble. Even the king was starving. Yet even in those dire circumstances, Isaac did the unthinkable. He stepped out in faith and began planting seed into the seemingly useless, dry soil. He stepped from the natural into the supernatural! Isaac sowed to change his circumstances! Yes, Isaac’s obedience and his willingness to sow to change his circumstances touched the Philistines all around him. King Abimelech, knowing the countrymen were envious of Isaac’s abundance, even in the midst of famine, said, “Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we” (Genesis 26:16). Soon after, as the supernatural outpouring continued on Isaac, his family, his crops, and his flocks, King Abimelech and his executive staff came to visit. Isaac asked, “Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?” (Genesis 26:27). The Philistines wanted to be part of the amazing blessing and said: We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD. —Genesis 26:28-29 They wanted to be close to him. They saw what had happened through his faith as he sowed to change his conditions! Consider these three major points from Isaac’s supernatural harvest: 1. Isaac sowed in times of famine, even when God didn’t tell him to do so. He knew God’s promises in his heart. He sowed when the land was in great famine, where there was absolutely no reason in the natural to do so. Still, he stepped out in faith and scattered the seed on the parched soil. 2. Isaac sowed to change the conditions! He knew from experience, from watching his earthly father Abraham sow seed in times of plenty and in times of need, that if he sowed in faith he would change his circumstances. He was sowing for a supernatural harvest. And although he did not have the Word of God as we do today to be his guide, he acted on the promises of God that he knew, and he sowed anyway because he wanted to sow beyond the circumstances. Even though the land was dead, he sowed, and the conditions quickly changed. 3. Isaac believed God and obeyed Him. He looked to God as his Source. By not looking for help from the world or mankind, he sowed in the supernatural, taking ordinary, natural seed. But he sowed believing in a supernatural God! He didn’t wait for the conditions to change. He sowed so the conditions would change! By so doing, he changed not only his situation but also the conditions of his land and the land of the neighboring region. He knew then, just as we can today, that when you sow in faith, believing in a supernatural God, it will change your situation as well as the circumstances of people all around you! Isaac “had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him” (Genesis 26:14). He began with seed, but he ended up with flocks, herds, and a great amount of workers (husbandry) who nurtured his increasingly prosperous farms. What does Isaac’s supernatural harvest say to us today about sowing to change our circumstances? Economically, we are currently locked on a hot-air balloon ride that could plummet at any moment, causing incredible financial hardships for those who have not invested in the heavenly economy. Our nation’s leaders have worked to pump trillions into stimulating business and employment. Again and again, we have been told that these plans will have a stabilizing and positive impact on employment prospects. At best, the results have been questionable. Our economy continues to founder, despite the best efforts to keep it afloat. Consider that our national debt is now nearly $17 trillion. To put that in perspective, as I type these words, the estimated population of the United States is 316,464,375. So every single citizen of this country has a $53,712.48 share of this debt! And as our national debt rises every day, so it goes around the world. Currently, the national debt for the United Kingdom is $2.3 trillion. For Germany the number is $2.7 trillion. For France, $2.3 trillion. And for Italy, $2.4 trillion. Here in the United States, even the most optimistic economists say that the nation’s future is in a very dangerous condition, teetering on collapse. Remember, Isaac faced a far worse situation than we face now. He was in a life-and-death struggle! Today, you and I have an opportunity to impact not only our loved ones but also those around us. We must not look at the circumstances around us. We must not sow seed in accordance with what our natural eyes see. Our survival and our abundance depend on seeing with supernatural eyes, then sowing seed to change our current conditions. We are told, “The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1), and that He owns “the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). God is about to pour His abundance into your hands, just as He did for Isaac (as well as for Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, the children of Israel, and Solomon). And you are next! It is up to you to sow to change your circumstances! If you look at the circumstances of world affairs, it would seem like a good time to store up, hold back, and play it safe. War in Syria is brewing. Financial markets are propped up by mountains of borrowed stimulus money, making them a bubble ready to burst at any moment. Yet planting your seed toward the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ releases your faith. Planting your seed moves the hand of God. Planting your seed puts you in line for advancement, favor, and harvest. God is ready to change your conditions, and He promises: I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts. —Haggai 2:7-9 You can impact the world as you sow to change your own conditions, regardless of the circumstances. Begin to activate the law of the supernatural harvest that is coming your way! The Bible teaches very specifically: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). God is simply waiting for us to step out and release the seed from our hand, no matter the amount. He wants to bless us beyond measure. So give Him your seed today. Take it out of your hand and place it in His. Give Him something to use—seed to bless you, over and over, in a mighty harvest! Plant your most generous seed today. Obey God now and watch His wonder-working power explode in your life. God truly wants to change barren land into fields of supernatural harvest, and now is the time! Believing for your breakthrough, Benny Hinn
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 03:14:22 +0000
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