Years ago, I sowed a big financial seed into a major teaching ministry. It was the first time I'd ever given such a large amount. The year was 1984 and I had been in full-time ministry for a little over five years.

I'd never met the minister I gave the donation to. I hardly knew a thing about him. In fact, I ended up at one of his meetings only because someone had told me I really needed to go.

Well, it was mid-service and a different man was taking up the offering for the ministry. I'd never seen or heard of him before either. So, I sat there listening to him talk and was considering what I would give in the offering.

As I was contemplating, I heard the minister say, "The Lord just told me that there are going to be several $10,000-givers here today." I thought to myself, "Okay. It ain't me, but Okay."

Suddenly, I heard a voice rise up in my spirit. "Give the $10,000." I cleared my throat and said nothing, pretending I didn't hear it. Immediately the man sitting beside me turned and frantically whispered, "The Lord just told me to give $10,000!"

"Whew," I said, "I heard him tell you, man!" I thought, "Let me get away from this man!"

Then, the Lord spoke up again. "Yeah, I told him, but I told you too."

I couldn't ignore it. I knew God was talking to me.

"But I don't know the guy, God!"

"I know you don't, but I do."

"Then You give him the $10,000," I said. "I don't know the guy. I've never even seen him before in my life. And besides, that's all I've got, God!"

"That's all I asked for. I'm not asking you to stretch your faith, just give me what you've got."

I could hardly believe it. I was saving $10,000 to help get me started on what I knew would be my destiny—evangelism through television. I had planned to use the money to do a television special and purchase some airtime that I thought would finally get me started. Hearing God tell me to give that away was what you'd call heart-breaking. I was disappointed.

"Do you know how hard I'm working for that, God?"

It was all I could think of saying. But I made a decision to give it, however grudgingly, and hoped God would bless me for being obedient.

You see, back then, I didn't know much about how God operated when it came to finances.

When I told Cathy what I did, her response was, "Praise God!"

"What a dumb woman," I thought, "she doesn't even have enough sense to worry. Of course she doesn't worry, she hasn't been out here starving and preaching her guts out. She doesn't have any idea how hard it has been for me to survive doing what God called me to do."

Really though, looking back, I know now that I was the dummy. I didn't have any idea of how to extend my faith for a harvest. I knew just about nothing when it came to sowing and reaping and wasn't much interested in it.

I thought it was wrong for a preacher to be interested in anything to do with money. Consequently, my seed lay dormant for many, many years.

My Dirt-Digging Days Are Over—I've Got A Revelation From God!
I must admit, I was once a "Dirt-Digger." I dug every cent I needed out of the ground. I sowed much but reaped little. In fact, for years I moved that $10,000 seed around and around in my mind.

Whenever I'd think about it, it bothered me. I just felt like I had never really gotten blessed for giving that large amount towards the work of God. Something was wrong. I knew it but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Until, one day I was out jogging. It was 1991 and I was praying as I made my way up the street. Suddenly, the thought of that seed came to my mind and I asked the Lord sincerely what the problem was. And for the first time since I'd sowed that $10,000 seed, the Lord spoke to me about it.

I guess I was open to hear Him on the subject because He immediately brought Galatians 6:7 to my mind: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

He asked me, "Jesse, if you don't know what you're sowing, how are you going to recognize your harvest?"

He reminded me of Haggai 1:6-7: "Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways."

And then, Malachi 3:11: "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."

God began to give me a revelation on sowing and reaping right there as I jogged. My mind raced as I suddenly realized I had not considered my own ways. I was deceived when it came to God's Word concerning finances.

Suddenly, the scriptures God gave me came alive and I got a revelation on the importance of focusing my faith through naming my seed. Suddenly, I knew that I needed to get myself in position so that God could rebuke the devourer, Satan, for my sake.

Suddenly, I knew that if I would believe His Word in this area, He would honor it! He would cause the thief to return what belonged to me seven times over, if I'd only believe (Prov. 6:31). I was on fire!

I turned around and started running, not jogging, for home! I flew up into my attic, went through my old income tax records. When I found the checks that the bank had cleared and sent back to me for my records, I stood up in my attic and hollered, "devil! That is my harvest! You have stolen from me and now, you are going to return it seven times!"

I locked my faith on this revelation and would not budge. I was getting my harvest. I knew it in my heart. I had no doubt in my mind. It was natural that I spoke it out of my mouth.

Within five days I had seventy thousand dollars in cash, because I focused my faith. I stopped digging around in the dirt and started using my faith in God.

I got what I believed! My message, Hey, That's My Harvest, was born on the words God spoke to me that day jogging. And, since then, God has imparted revelation after revelation about sowing and reaping to me.

Do You Know The "Mystery Of The Kingdom Of God?"
Since that day in 1991, the Parable of the Sower in Mark chapter four has come to be one of my favorite passages in the New Testament. After I got a revelation, this parable came to life. I realized that the keys to knowing the fundamentals of God's kingdom are explained in those verses.

There are revelations to be had in this parable. And they're for those disciples of Jesus who are sincere and open towards His Words. Turn in your Bible now to Mark chapter four and read the entire parable for yourself.

Now, when Jesus first told the Parable of the Sower, the disciples didn't get it at all. They asked Him what it all meant. This is how He explained it to them:

Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. And He said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word.
(Mark 4:11-14)

In other words, as disciples of Jesus, they all had the God-given ability to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. And, if you're a disciple of Jesus—a follower of Him and a doer of His teachings—I want you to know that you have been given the ability to know that mystery too. But what is that mystery of the kingdom of God? According to Jesus, it is knowing what this parable really means. It's recognizing that God has a system in place and it works in a certain way. According to this parable, that system is sowing and reaping. Jesus said it best when He told His disciples in Mark 4:13, "Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?" In other words, "Look boys, don't you know what I'm saying in this story? If not, you're not going to understand any of the other ones I'm teaching! If you don't get this, you won't get anything I've got to say!"

The Sower Soweth The Word—But What Is The "Word?"
I am aware that many people say that the Parable of the Sower relates only to the Word. And do you know what? They're right. I don't argue that. After all, Jesus said, the sower soweth the Word.

What is the Word? Is the Word only salvation? Are John 3:16 and all the other "salvation scriptures" the only ones that can rightly be classified as "the Word?" Of course not. There are spiritual, physical and yes, even financial promises included in the Word of God.

Is salvation in the Word? Is prosperity in the Word? Is healing in the Word? Are mercy and grace or patience and love in the Word? I believe that whatever is in the Word can be sown and reaped 30, 60 and 100 fold.

Jesus didn't divide it up and say, "Now I'm only talking about salvation here." No, He left it open that you might seek to know Him and become His disciple. And in becoming His disciple, you would gain the ability to really understand the way He does things. You'd know what it means to sow and reap—in every facet of your life.

The bottom line is that whatever is in the Word is the subject of the Parable of the Sower. For me, the question is how much am I willing to sow a certain part of my life to God? How far am I willing to stretch my faith and believe? What part of the Word will I allow to become a personal conviction?

Whatever You Sow, That's What You'll Reap

With whatever measure you use, that's what God uses to measure back to you (Mark 4:24). Whatever I sow, that's what I'll reap many time over. I don't know about you, but if I'm dealing with healing,

Yet, I've seen many people ask for healing on one part of their body but leave the rest out of prayer's reach because they can "live with it."

Even my own mother prayed in faith and was healed of cancer, but left the diabetes out of her prayers because it seemed easy to handle. But to me, that's not a hundred fold healing. It's about sixty fold—good because she got healed of the cancer, but not the best God had to give!

That's how a lot of people are when it comes to finances. They deal with the dire circumstances and pray in faith when they absolutely need it.

But if they can live with it, or without it, they leave it out of their faith's reach. Instead they dig in the dirt, working by the sweat of their brow for every cent they get.

That is a mentality and I call it "Dirt-Digging." I'll tell you, I dug in the dirt for a number of years. But, now, I'm set free and I'm here to tell you how you can be too!

I believe that for the Body of Christ, it's time for dirt digging days to be over! It is time for all of us to get serious about seeing the seeds we've sown start springing up!

Jesse Duplantis Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.