One of the major reasons many people miss the will of God is they don’t understand that God’s kingdom works through process. Look at this passage from Matthew 13 and I’ll explain further.
31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
Jesus compared God’s kingdom to a mustard seed, which is one of the smallest seeds in existence. Once this seed is planted, it will produce a tree that is so large birds of the air can build nests in its branches. Here’s the catch; this doesn’t happen immediately.
It takes time for a mustard seed to grow into the tree because it has to put roots down below the surface of the soil before it can bloom above soil. Once it establishes a healthy root system well below the soil, the tree can sprout up quickly and be sturdy. Conversely, if the seed only established a one inch root system below the surface and the tree grew to 10 feet tall, it would blow over easily during a storm or strong wind.
Often when God is revealing His plan to our lives, He will give us the seed of His word that we must plant in our heart and steward in order to see the full blown vision. Let me explain. Imagine God promised an 18 year old that he would be the founder of a large business that will make millions of dollars and employee hundreds of people. The promise is God’s seed for his destiny.
What’s the young man’s next step? It’s not to open a company. His next step is to go to school and/or work for a similar type of company that he plans on founding so he can begin to gain experience. This is how he establishes roots so he has the experience and character to support what God wants to do in his life. If the young man started a company without any experience, he would get out of sequence with the way God’s kingdom works.
Unfortunately, many people do not discern the process involved in the word God speaks over their life so they get out of sequence with God. This is how people rush into careers, marriages, and ministries. They don’t take the time to prepare so the promise either doesn’t come to pass or they only bear some of the fruit that was destined for their life. Think about many of our heroes from the Bible. Many of them got a word and it took years for the promise to be fulfilled. These heroes include Abraham, David, Joseph, and Paul.
Another aspect about the kingdom coming as seed many Christians miss is Satan will come for the word that God speaks over our lives. Look at Matthew 13:20-21:
20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
God’s word over our life attracts attacks from the enemy. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it is a reality we all must deal with. I do not say this to glorify the devil because we will win if we are persistent in believing God’s promise, but I do say this to highlight why all hell breaks loose sometimes when we get a word from God. If all hell breaks loose, continue to believe and then rejoice because the word is working. This is why James says to count it all joy when we fall into trials because the testing of our faith produces patience and if we let patience have its perfect work we will be perfect and complete and lack for nothing. You can learn more about this concept in this message.
The last aspect of God’s promise coming like seed is the concept of the thorny ground Jesus shared in the parable of the sower. Look at Matthew 13:22:
22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
Many people don’t bear fruit to maturity because they get distracted by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things. Think again about the example of the 18 year who God spoke to and promised them they would start a large multi-million dollar business that would employ hundreds of people. Imagine they got distracted by hanging out with their friends too much, being consumed by hobbies that don’t help them fulfill their purpose and ended up not going to college to get a business degree. Would they miss their destiny? Probably. Why? They didn’t steward the word of God over their life. Unfortunately, many people don’t discern their preparation season associated with the prophetic word over their life and then look back years later and wonder, “Why hasn’t God’s promise come to pass?”
It’s important we learn to stay in sequence with God by recognizing how He speaks. The tree He promises us is contained within the seed of the word He has given us. Our responsibility is to steward the seed and establish roots so we are positioned to carry the promise He has made for our lives. I hope this article has enlightened you and encouraged you. If you’d like to learn more, check out this teaching I did at Grace Life Church called “Right Call, Wrong Season.”
