Don't Give Up, Your Harvest is Coming

All summer as I've been praying for this school year, giving it to the Lord and seeking His voice in it all, I've felt Him encourage me that an abundant harvest is coming. Over and over again, that's been pressed into my heart, that a harvest is coming. One night though, after a particularly long day where my flesh was louder than I would have liked, I came to the Lord sorrowful. It felt like all of a sudden, after gradually feeling like my Spirit was being refreshed and awakened, I was discouraged and honestly acting out of sin instead of righteousness. In a season where so much pruning has been happening, I felt like that fruit was completely absent from my heart and my life.

I brought this to the Lord, and for a moment I was met with silence. So I began writing down my gratitude and praying over Koa and I, when I realized something so significant. This is probably obvious, but it felt like such a lightbulb, weight off of my shoulders moment.

The enemy doesn't want you to experience your harvest, so he will do everything in his power to distract, discourage, and weaken you before it comes.

Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Paul knows (and God knows) that this Christian walk can be tiring. Goodness, life can be tiring and overwhelming! But a harvest is promised to those who are faithful and steadfast in our walk. When we endure pruning and hardship, God assures us that we will see fruit. We will see what He is doing, and even if we don't get the full picture, we'll get glimpses of the blessings and abundance He has for us.

Of course Satan doesn't want us to experience that! Because when we experience the fruits of our labor and the goodness of God, we are encouraged to remain faithful - and that is the opposite of the enemy's mission! He wants to pull us away from the Lord and cause us to believe that the world will satisfy (which it never will). So before the harvest comes, he will pull out all the stops to get us to take our eyes off of Jesus and onto our discomfort or lack. And oftentimes, the very areas that are about to see breakthrough feel the most under attack.

And gosh, that is so frustrating. During long seasons of wilderness and pruning, distractions, discouragements, and attacks feel even heavier, but perhaps its a sign that we're doing something right. The enemy feels threatened by our devotion to God, and he wants to stop that. And even though it can feel harder than ever, this is the time that we need to dig in to the Father, cling to the hem of His garment, and remain steafast. The harvest is near, if we don't give up.

I think that recognizing it and calling it out in our life is the first powerful step we can take to taking the enemy's grip off our life. He would love to work in the shadows, undetected and unquestioned. But when we call him out, recognize that the tension and discomfort we're feeling is actually something deeper and more spiritual, we can run to the Lord and rely on Him for help. We can pray intentionally and against every attack, seeking God for discernment over the situations in our life. Nothing is coicidental, and sometimes the hardships we face are trials for pruning, trials caused by sin or the brokenness in the world, or trials sent from the enemy, but no matter what, we need to be abiding as close to the Father as we can to navigate those situations. We need Jesus, and we are utterly helpless without Him. But when we are weak, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9), and His glory can shine even brighter when we have to fully depend on Him with everything we have.

That is so encouraging to me, friends. On the days when the fruit of the Spirit did not show up in my life as much as I want it to, or the days when I feel beaten down and discouraged, there is grace and strength waiting for us at the foot of the cross. Our God is gracious, and He wants to pull us closer and call us higher. We're so close to the harvest, so close to seeing what the Lord has been doing all this time, and we have to keep clinging, keep trusting, keep surrendering. Even when the tension is getting stronger, this is not the time to drop out of the race or give up; this is the time to lean into the discomfort, lean into the Father, and watch how He will use our obedience.

And ultimately, this isn't about earning a blessing. It's not about holding out from sinning long enough for God to give us what we want. It's about clinging to our Savior so tightly that the enemy's tactics don't cause us to waver. This is about desiring the Lord's presence and honor above all else that we don't let anything take our eyes off of Him or what He's calling us to do. We need to long for Jesus and to become like Jesus more than anything in this world, and when we do, we will throw off everything that hinders to chase after Him.

Jesus is the blessing. Jesus is the ultimate gift, and I desire Him more than anything else in the world. Jesus is the only one who satisfies and fulfills, and sometimes, the most difficult trials and temptations are how we get to experience His presence in the deepest ways. When we have to fight to lean into Him and abide, when it's not easy or convenient, we get to know the Lord in a more intimate way, and that is worth more than anything else the world could offer.

So if you're feeling discouraged today, if you are feeling under attack or like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, I want to encourage you not to give up. Don't become weary, but remain faithful. When we are weak, the Lord is strong, and your weakness is a vessel for Him to move in even more miraculous and glorious ways than we could ever imagine. And your harvest is coming. An abundance of His presence, promises, and faithfulness is on it's way, and I want you to experience that. Hold on, and you'll see how every word He has spoken is fulfilled.

The God we serve is so good, and He is doing good, good things in your life.