Mouth Power by Anthony ThompsonParaugs

Day 4: Words as Seeds

Title: Cultivating Your Future

Key Scripture: Galatians 6:7 - "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."

When I was little, food choices were nothing like they were today.

It seemed much more simple. You had the basic white bread vs brown bread debate. You had the soda (or pop if you’re from the Midwest) vs juice debate. And then there was the sugar debate, which basically was - try to eat less sugar.

As a kid, I wore “husky” jeans, which basically meant - I was chubby.

As I reflect back on those days, I ate way too much sugar and drank WAY too much pop. The worst part about eating too much junk wasn’t the fact that I wore husky jeans; it was my appointments at the dentist.

My mouth was a cavity factory. I felt like I had cavities in my teeth that didn’t even exist. I was sowing sugar and soda in my mouth, and I was reaping the consequences.

This verse in Galatians highlights the rewards or repercussions based on your actions.

Allow me to bring you into another childhood story regarding sowing and reaping.

“Anthony, just remember, you reap what you sow.” This was my mom yelling across the backyard at me. My parents had thrown another epic summer party at our house in the suburbs of Chicago.

There were probably close to a hundred people over at the house.

We had a pool and it was packed with people. Being a teenager, I loved to “stir up” the parties by pushing some of the adults (and my friends) into the pool.

At a previous party, I pushed in the wrong guys.

These guys were given full permission by my parents to help me understand what SOWING and REAPING really meant. They beat me up real good, and I was SORE.

So, when my mother saw me curiously looking to push people in again, what she was really saying was, “Don’t be an idiot and sow the wrong things in your life.”

Whether it’s our actions or our MOUTH, you and I are sowing seeds every single day. We are seed factories. The moment you grab onto THAT concept - is the moment you understand EVERY decision matters.

How you treat people matters - you are sowing seeds.

How you talk to people matters - you are sowing seeds.

How you talk to yourself matters - you are sowing seeds.

How you talk to your spouse matters - you are sowing seeds.

An old-time preacher friend of our family used to come and speak at our church every year. His name was Charles Capps (the inspiration for this devotional), and he is now hanging out full-time with Jesus.

As a kid, I found him to be a VERY BORING preacher, and he was hard for me to understand.

However, one of the things I remember Charles talking about was farming. He was born and bred in farming.

Charles would tell all these stories about planting and harvesting. One of the most important things I remember him saying was, “Sow your seed based on the harvest you desire.”

He would go on to talk about how he desired (or wanted) cotton, therefore he sowed cotton seeds. He planted what he WANTED.

The same rings true for you and me with our MOUTH. What type of harvest do you want your mouth to produce?

My guess is you want abundance, prosperity, health, favor, and good things. I don’t think anyone is reading this thinking, “I want more death, destruction, lack, worry, anxiety, fear, loss, or bad things.”

If you desire GOOD things or God things - then you must AUDIT your mouth. What SEEDS are coming out of your mouth?

If you are unsure - take a moment now and reflect on your current life situation. Take some time and think about WHAT you say.

Think about all of the seeds you have been sowing. Do you want to reap what has been coming out of your mouth?

I’m asking the Holy Spirit to bring to your remembrance any words, phrases, or beliefs that are causing BAD harvests for you.

Begin to write them down, take inventory, and bring them to the Lord. Ask the Lord to forgive you for sowing the wrong seeds, and ask him to clean your heart, mind, and mouth.

I want you to see harvests of GOOD things that the Lord has for you. Even as I type now, I see acres and acres of beautiful harvests. This is what God has intended for you.

Your mouth is a seed factory - I challenge you today to begin sowing the RIGHT seeds so you can reap an abundant harvest of GOOD things.

Thought-Stirring Questions:

• What kind of harvest are you preparing for with your words?
• Identify and replace any negative confessions with positive declarations today.

Daily Confession:

"As I plant seeds of faith with my words, I prepare for a harvest of blessings, fully expecting the best outcomes."