ARTICLES ON SUCCESS

DATE:  30 December 2001
SPEAKER:  Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
TITLE:  How to have a happy new year - Programming yourself for success from January to December. Part III: What you sow is what you get
TEXT:  JEREMIAH 29:11

Galatians 6:7,8 "…Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap…"
"Don't be under any illusion: You cannot make a fool of God! A man's harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows" - J B Philips
About 10 years ago, a concept was developed in the computer industry called WYSIWYG - "What You See Is What You Get" The principle behind this concept was that people who produce documents on a computer should be able to tell exactly what it would look like before they ever got to print that document.
Long before computer engineers developed their own WYSIWYG, God had His own. "WHAT YOU SOW IS WHAT YOU GET"
Life only gives to you a harvest of the seeds that you have sown. You don't need to look far to find out what the New Year will be like for you - just look at the seeds you have been sowing in the current year.
Imagine an empty piece of farmland. Now, imagine a farmer walking up to the piece of land and saying "Field, I need to have some potatoes, I need corn, I need some wheat, please have mercy and give me some" Would the field open up and deliver his request? No
Now think of your life as that field - it does not respond to your need or your wishes - it responds to your seed.
Taking this scenario one step further, what if by mistake, you planted barley seeds but you really wanted to plant wheat, can you go to the field and say "you know what, cancel the barley harvest, what I really want is wheat, so please give me wheat"
The law of seedtime and harvest has been woven into the constitution of the earth - everything is programmed to produce after its own kind. Two monkeys will not give birth to a cat.Two giraffes will not produce a zebra.
Genesis 1:11,12,24 , 8:22 This law is not limited only to plants and the animal kingdom. It is woven into every aspect of our lives, Everything we think, say or do is a seed; therefore, it will yield a harvest. Mark 4:26-29
Matthew 12:33 "… A tree is known by its fruit"… You do not need to be a seasoned agriculturist to recognise an apple tree or a pear tree or a papaya tree. All you need to do is look for its fruit.
However, it takes an experienced farmer to distinguish different kinds of seed. If you want a specific harvest in life, you must learn to identify the seeds you need to sow in order to produce that particular harvest.
Learn to be selective when life is still at the seed stage. It is too late to choose after the harvest has arrived. At that time, the cry will be "This is not what I expected!"
It is better to cry, "This is not what I am expecting" at the seed than to say, "This is not what I expected" at the harvest. You can determine the harvest you want in the future by carefully choosing the seed you sow today.
If you do not like the harvest you have been getting hitherto, change the seed now. Remember this:
IYAD,
WYAD,
YWAG,
WYAG
"If you always do,
What you've always done,
You will always get,
What you've always got"
One definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result each time"
Your seed is whatever God has given you today to create the future you desire. There is no such thing as a person without a seed.
Isaiah 55:10,11: As long as God's word is available to you, you have been given a seed. Now, you have the responsibility of recognising your seed.
2 Kings 4:1-7: This widow had the raw material to create her future, yet she did not recognise it.
Exodus 4:2: Moses held the instrument of deliverance for God's people in his hand and did not even know it.
Proverb 18:16 : When you recognise your seed and you begin to sow it - it will make room for you and bring you the future you desire.
THREE KINDS OF SEEDS YOU MUST SOW1.The Seed of Desire (Proverb 13:12)
Desire is a passion that drives men with fury. People have loved, hated, killed, died, sacrificed, overcome the greatest obstacles in life all on account of desire.
What we want the most takes priority over what we want the least. Our desires show up in our actions and our words. Your desire will determine what you will give up and the price you are willing to pay.
Pursuit they say is the proof of desire. Learn to determine your desired harvest and then select your seed wisely. Give up today's desires for tomorrow's desires.
2.The Seed of Discretion (Proverb 2:10,11)
Some translations use words like "Prudence", "Thoughtfulness", "Good Sense", and "Sound Judgement".
◦Discretion means stopping to think about the consequences of your actions or words before carrying them out.
◦Discretion means just because you can do something does not mean you are supposed to do it. Just because you can afford something does not mean you are supposed to buy it.
◦Discretion means "others may but I can't"
◦Discretion is educated self-restraint.

3.The Seed of Discipline (I Corinthians 9:24-27)
The best things in life are not available to everybody - they are reserved for a select few who qualify. You will receive the crowns and trophies of life to the degree that you are able to discipline yourself.
You cannot do what you want to do and expect to get what you want to get - something must give. You cannot eat your cake and have it.
Ask yourself: "What must I deny myself today in order to get what I want tomorrow?" The answer to that question is the beginning of discipline.
Remember IYAD, WYAD, YWAG, WYAG
Do what you have to do as soon as you can, so that you can do what you want to do as long as you want. Pay now, play later - or play now, pay later.
Today, you are the result of the seeds you sowed yesterday. If you want a better tomorrow, sow better seeds today.
A happy New Year will be the result of the co-operation between you and God. God will do His part, are you prepared to do yours?

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