By Funmi Komolafe

To God be the glory.  We have come to the last Sunday in the month of September. 

In quite a number of churches that hold  harvest  thanksgiving services, they commence such programmes in the month of September.

Who can harvest  and what is to be harvested?  It is only those that have sown that can harvest.

Sowing may be physical, it may be spiritual.  The question is what  have you sown?  If you haven’t then do not expect to reap.

Do  you know that when we  pray and  sing  praises you are sowing seeds that are expected to bring results?.

We have a good example in the life of Cornelius  as recorded in Acts of Apostles 10 vs. 1-4 ( NIV)

“ At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian regiment.

He and all his family were devout  and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed regularly.

One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision.  He distinctly saw an angel  of God, who  came to him, and said, “ Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “ What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered , “Your prayers  and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial  offering before God”. Brethren, how regularly to do you pray?   Ask yourself how many hours do you invest in prayer?

It may seem that your  prayer is not being answered  but you are wrong.    Your  prayer is a seed that  may take some time to yield results.  Why? It is because only the Almighty God knows the appropriate time  for the manifestation of answers to  your prayers.The Bible scripture we read described Cornelius and “ God fearing, one who gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly”.

Can you say this about yourself?

The scripture tells us it wasn’t just Cornelius that was prayerful, it stated that “ his family was devout and God-fearing”.  Even if your family is made up of a couple, can your family  be described as God-fearing ?

In other words, do your activities portray you as God- fearing? If not, you need to change your ways.  Pray regularly and give to the poor.  All of these,  put together attract the mercy of God.

No matter what you might have done before you became born- again or what someone has done to you to delay your childbearing life, when the mercy of God  shows  up for  you,  you  will have a big testimony.

Why am I discussing giving? It is to remind us that  sometimes  we need to give to receive.

The Holy Bible  gives us a lot of lessons about giving that if we put into practice our miracles could  manifest  sooner than we expect.

Deuteronomy 15 vs 7& 8 :” If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns or the land  at the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother,

Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs”. Brethren, we are in the ember months.  You don’t have to wait till the end of the year to give to the poor.

We are taught that God that sees you give secretly will reward you openly.

 Proverbs 19 vs. 17 :  He who is kind  to the poor lends to the LORD, and  he will reward  him for what he has done”.

Brethren you may have been praying and praising the Lord,  it is time to add giving to the poor .

The poor here includes, widows, widowers, children in orphanage etc.

Luke 6 vs. 38 : “ Give and it will be given to you.  A good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”.

This Bible passage encourages us to give generously.  

By taking such steps we are not just lending to the LORD we are showing mercy.

We are told in Matthew 5 vs. 7: “ Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy”.

When you receive the mercy of the LORD,  conception will take place and  you will be on your way to the delivery room at the appropriate time.

Brethren, give so that you will receive from the LORD.

Let it register in you  that it is only God that can give you children.

 God  has  the ability to  remove any challenge that has been making your life unfulfilled.

God loves children and the LORD wants us to reproduce our kind  but  some negative forces work against  child- bearing in the life of some persons.

However, because the Word of God never fails, your body will produce your children  in Jesus name.

Psalm 127 vs. 3-5 ( KJV) “ Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are the children of the youth.

Happy  is the man that hath his quiver  full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate”.

Brethren, your case is not hopeless.   I’ll  share with  you some of the testimonies  at the September Holy Ghost Congress of RCCG.

A woman testified that God gave her a baby after 9 years of waiting .  The baby came after medical science had pronounced her a bad case with fibroid but because God is greater than fibroid, she held on to God  in prayer and the yoke of barrenness was broken after nine years of waiting.

Another woman testified to  the birth of a set of twins at the age of 53.   Medically, 45 is the age of menopause when according to scientists  the chances of conception are slim or totally impossible.

However,  because God is beyond science and He intervened in the case of  this woman who had been married for 23 years. 

Many would have written her off as far as the issue of child- bearing is concerned but she  held on to her belief that nothing is impossible with God.

According to her, she took an act of faith.  She joined others to pray with baby materials.

She must have continued praying with those materials pleading for the mercy of God.

Her efforts were not in vain.  God rewarded her with a set of twins. Brethren, pray, praise and give  to attract the Lord’s mercy. Giving could be within your church, it could be outside your church.

As the year draws to an end, it is time to move closer to God in prayer, attract his mercy by giving to others and acknowledge his awesomeness   with praises and thanksgiving.

The Holy Bible tells us givers never lack.  It means you will never lack anything that could make your life fulfilled.

You will never lack children in your home in Jesus name.

Brothers and Sisters, fear not the ember months.   It is a period of last minute miracles.   God may decide to favour you this season as you continue to remain righteous.

I advise you to show more kindness at this time.  

Make  donations to  the poor, to those in orphanages and the needy generally.

As you show others, mercy, the merciful God will show you mercy.  The Lord would visit you when you least expected and your miracle would surprise you. Gifts are  seeds  for  expected miracles  and you will get one in Jesus name.

Brethren,  as the year winds down, you would be moving closer to your miracle with prayer, praises and thanksgiving.

May God grant your heart’s desire this season in Jesus name.