A Flourishing Life - Sow Seeds Forgiveness

It's time to start my seeds indoors!

I am always so excited to order my favorite seeds from a trusted farmer I met at an organic farming conference. I choose the tomatoes that always have produced the best in my garden - Cherry, San Marzono, Amish Paste, and Dakota Sport. I also add green beans, peas, squashes, green peppers, basil, and lettuces to my cart. I order my peat pellets on Amazon and then I wait till April to plant these seeds. 

A Basic Principle About Sowing Seeds

In the very beginning God set a sowing/harvest principle in place: Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. Genesis 1:11 NLT

 In simple terms - if you plant a green pepper seed, you get a green pepper plant. 

The same principle work in your life. If you want to harvest joy, plant joy. If you want to harvest peace, plant peace. 

If you want to harvest a life of forgiveness, you must sow seeds of forgiveness. 

A Flourishing Life Sows Seeds of Forgiveness

Then Peter came to him and asked, Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? No, not seven times, Jesus replied, but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22 NLT

The devil is a master at distorting and ruining relationships. He lures people into situations where they end up feeling offended or hurt, then coaxes them to nurture their offense until it mutates into strife that separates even the best of friends and family.

Betrayals have happened since the beginning of time, and even Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples.

As the celebration of the Passover Lamb was approaching, the Jewish religious leaders and scholars of the law continually schemed to find a way to murder Jesus without starting a riot – for they feared the crowds. At that time Satan himself entered into Judas the locksmith, who was one of the twelve apostles. (Luke 22:1-3 TPT)

The devil found his way into Judas' soul, turning him so sour against Jesus that this disciple became His betrayer.  What opened the door for this deception to occur inside Judas?

The Trap of Unforgiveness

The progression that Judas followed to become a betrayer, is the same one that the devil will trap you in if you are not careful.

1. You are susceptible to deception when you are tired. weary or exasperated.
2. Satan waits until someone does something that you don't understand or agree with.
   • In Judas' situation, the devil established a foothold in his mind when Mary came and anointed Jesus' feet with expensive perfume. Judas thought her act of love was a waste of money and took issue with Jesus about it. But Jesus told him to leave Mary alone.
3. Satan will quickly shoot a fiery dart of rage straight into your emotions.
   • During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him (John 13:2 NASB)
   • “Put into” in the Greek means a very fast action of throwing, casting, or injecting something forward. It describes how quickly the devil will inject a seed of betrayal into your heart.
4. Strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, and division will begin to mount in your heart.
5. Your friends and family who once stood side by side with you and cherished each other now stand facing each other as rivals.

BUT you can be free of offense, unforgiveness, and strife. 

• Quickly recognize the times the devil tries to inject a seed of division in your heart.
• Make a decision to resist every temptation to get angry or offended.
• Determine that you will never let any issue get blown out of proportion.

Sow Seeds of Forgiveness

If you sow forgiveness, you will reap forgiveness in the future.

Forgiveness is not an emotion. . .  . Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Corrie Ten Boom

Plant God's Word in Your Life

I believe the absolutely best way to sow seeds of forgiveness, love, joy, and peace, is to plant yourself in God's Word. 

God's Word is ALIVE and ACTIVE and will be changing you from the inside-out and producing a harvest of righteousness. 

But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

James 3:17-18 NLT

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