Let’s look at the concept of sowing and reaping.  The Lord Jesus taught the people using things they were already familiar with, and sowing and reaping was certainly something they understood.  But do we truly understand how powerfully that concept works in our daily lives?
   Most of us are somewhat familiar how the process works for a farmer:  first off, you need land.  How big a crop you plan to raise dictates how much land you need, so the first step is “get land”.  Then you prepare the land for planting, removing the weeds, rocks, and everything that doesn’t look like what you want to grow.  Then you fertilize the land and plant your seed.  Now, if you’re smart, you’ll keep an eye on things, how your expected crop is progressing, and make sure it gets enough water, and keep the varmints out of it so they don’t spoil your harvest.  Oh yes, don’t forget to harvest your crop.  That would seem to go without saying, yet many people are good at sowing, but not reaping.  So be sure to prepare to reap, unless you really don’t care who gets your harvest.  And that’s what I’m going to concentrate on today.
   You see, your harvest depends a lot on what the seed does.  But you really don’t have to worry about the seed knowing what to do.  Its assignment is built in.  All you need to do is make sure the seed has the proper environment to grow in, and the seed will take it from there.  It goes without saying that you can’t grow carrots from tomato seeds, for every seed reproduces after its own kind. WHATEVER YOU SOW, GROWS.  God didn’t produce seeds to just grow and produce one item, but rather, each plant will grow and produce multiple seeds that will produce multiple plants, from whence prosperity comes.  And all that is nice IF you planted the right seeds.  The problem is, we are often careless in our choice of SEED.  Let me explain.
   The world is full of negativity as we all know.  Now, we are supposed to be moved by the Word of God, but often we find ourselves moved by what is going on around us.  And if that isn’t bad enough, we have to start talking about it, and before long, we have forgotten to do what the Bible tells us in Philippians 4:4-8.  Or am I the only one it’s ever happened to?
Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Php 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
    Now, let’s suppose that SEED you just planted is fear.  We all know some seeds grow more abundantly than others, like crab grass for example.  Fear does not come from God, but from the devil.  Let’s define fear:  False Evidence Appearing Real.  Oh, how am I going to pay the bills this month?
    And pretty soon you are not only worried, but you’re telling everyone else you know about it.  You’ve planted a seed, and believe me, the devil will water it well, for he wants you to have an abundant harvest of fear, right?  WHATEVER YOU SOW, GROWS comes into play here.  Are you sowing fear seeds, or are you thinking on what Philippians 4:8 says to think on?  For whatsoever you are thinking about will eventually come out in your words, and what you say goes into your ears, into your heart and mind, and it GROWS there, multiplying into more and more words, and by your words you are planting, and planting, and planting.  Friend, all those seeds are going to grow!  Are you prepared to deal with the harvest?  Or do you think it will just go away with no further action on your part?  Now, a farmer can plant seed in a field and just walk away and never return for the harvest, but words don’t work that way.  Your harvest will FOLLOW YOU wherever you go.  You can run, but you can’t hide, for your harvest is held in store for you.
   Knowing this, if you find you’re continually reaping that which you don’t want, then quit planting the seeds!  If you don’t want to reap fear and poverty and strife, start planting God’s Words instead!  Let’s say you’ve just got a bad report from the doctor.  The field is empty and unseeded at this point.  Now, what will you plant?  Your first thought is to tell everyone you know what the doctor said, but little are you paying attention to the harvest, for it may be for a while yet in the future.  If you’re smart, you won’t plant those seeds, for if there’s no seed, there’s no harvest.  Instead, what does the LORD say in His Word about your situation?  Isaiah 53:4-6 says:
Isa 53:4  Surely he (Christ Jesus) hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
    Here you are presented with a choice, you can worry about and speak about what the doctor said, or you can speak what God said.  Depending on the words you sow, you will reap in like kind, and abundantly, I might add.  So, like I said, choose your seed carefully.
    Moving on; you can plant the right seed, yet still lose your harvest by neglect, in that you can start off confessing the Word of God, then corrupt your harvest by speaking words that do not line up with the Word of God.  Consider the tares among the wheat that the Lord Jesus spoke of in Matthew 13:24-30:
Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
    Here we clearly see the tares were planted by the ENEMY, that is, the devil.  Jesus said the thief came to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  So the devil is out to corrupt your harvest, and if at all possible, keep you from reaping ANY good thing.  Now it’s not a sin to get negative thoughts, for the devil will surely try to put them in your mind, but it’s a sin to tolerate them!  Rebuke them in Jesus’ name and think on Philippians 4:8 instead.  In this case, the sower got to harvest SOME of his crop, but the tares took up some of the ground, robbing him of a full harvest.  Your corrupt words will seed your field with tares, and unless you are purposely intending to raise tares, this isn’t what you want.  Keep your seed pure, and guard your field from others who would sow weeds into your harvest, simple as that.  You know what I mean by that.  Simple, but yet most of us don’t do it.  But it’s up to you what you reap, for God will not do your sowing for you.  That’s your job.  And by this, you can’t blame God if you find yourself reaping destruction instead of blessings, for He gave you complete freedom to sow your field as you will.
   I said all that to say this: CAREFULLY consider the seed you sow, the thoughts you allow yourself to think, and the words you say.  In closing, consider Deuteronomy 30:19: I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:  God has put your future in your own mouth, and those words you say today you will one day eat, so speak what you want, not what you don’t want, for WHATEVER YOU SOW, GROWS!