As I was in prayer and asking the Lord what is on His heart for those who are going through financial uncertainty, the Lord spoke to me prophetically and said, "Seed time and harvest." I asked the Lord to explain and He took me to the Scripture in Genesis 8:22 where it declares: "While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." The Holy Spirit said that while we are in times which the Bible calls "perilous times" (2 Timothy 3:1), and what the world calls "crisis, pandemic and destruction," they are also times of revival, breakthrough and awakening.
This season has created panic! In addition, there has been a financial hit that many have gone through. Many business owners, entrepreneurs, startup companies, ministries, churches, and families are looking for financial relief. It appears that we are in a financial drought. How can we navigate through these challenging days?
Is it possible to live a victorious life in Christ while in an enduring any kind of hardship, be it financial set-back or when the world around us seems to be in a crisis? The answer is "yes" and found in the Word of God. The Lord spoke to me, "Hakeem, we are in a famine!" At the time, when I looked at empty streets, grocery stores, gas stations and places of business, it confirmed that we were definitely in a famine.
Many ministries, churches, businesses and educational systems have moved to the digital, virtual and electronic to practice social distancing. Many small and large businesses have been forced to close and some may never reopen. Unemployment is skyrocketing and financial relief is needed. The government has introduced stimulus packages to come to the aid of the desperate cries of many, but even that's not enough.
"Favor in Famine"
God started to speak to me about "favor in famine." The Holy Spirit said that there is a key that will release heavenly stimulus in a time of economic drought. He took me to the Scripture in Genesis 26:12-15 where it says:
"Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth."
We can see that in a time of famine, drought and economic uncertainty, he activated the supernatural faith to sow and reap in that land and time. The Lord says that this is a season of accessing supernatural favor, harvest and financial breakthrough, but you must implement and invest in what the Word of God says.
Isaac planted or sowed seeds in a time of famine and reaped a hundredfold blessing in the same year. This is not the time to save as we have been taught. There is a biblical principle that will unleash the stimulus of Heaven, bringing the dew and rain of Heaven on your life. There was something that happened to Isaac when he sowed in famine; he activated, in a time of drought, a famine-preventive protection plan:
1. He possessed sacrificial seeds to sow, plant or give.
2. He reaped in the same year a hundredfold harvest.
3. God blessed his seed.
4. He became rich and grew richer.
5. He became very wealthy.
6. He was given possessions of flocks and herds and a great household.
7. His enemies envied him.
I love that it says that Isaac become wealthy and rich. We can see that when he sowed in famine, Isaac's seeds produced a sudden harvest in the same year. God blessed his seeds and he became not only rich but wealthy. Also, he had so many possessions, and his household was blessed.
God is saying that you will survive the famine. God is saying that as you sow your seeds into community outreaches, missions, the elderly, authentic Kingdom projects, ministries, churches, homeless shelters, valid prophetic ministries, or anyone that is in financial distress or dire need, you will begin to see that supernatural favor in famine extended to you. When you are faithful in famine, not only will you see favor with the resources and seeds you sow, but the heavens will open over your life.
Keep in mind that this message is not about prosperity or everyone becoming rich and wealthy. However, God doesn't want us to be beggars but lenders. He desires for His children to be the head and not the tail; first and not last. The Bible says in Psalm 37:25, "...[Y]et I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging for bread." (Photo via Unsplash)
We also know that the poor will be with us, always. So it's not about being rich or wealthy, but God desires that our souls prosper while being financially stable, and reaping divine, financial blessings that come out of working biblical principles. 3 John 1:2 declares it like this: "Beloved, I desire that in all things thou shouldest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers."
Moreover, the Bible says that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). We as Believers must understand the currency of Heaven, how it works and how to obtain spiritual, natural and financial breakthrough blessings in times of famine or pandemic. We must know that this is different than being rich and being wealthy.
What matters to some seeking wealth is not just how much money they can make, but how much money they can keep, as well as how long that money can work for them. The real question is...Can one's wealth sustain him/her and pay for all of his/her bills for the rest of his/her life?
The wealthy can afford all of their essentials as well as an abundant lifestyle with no worries of money. Many who are wealthy know how to produce or accumulate a lot of residual income or financial streams, causing their money to grow exponentially. In the same way, for those who are "wealthy" in the Kingdom, it is time to sow seed into your future here and now! Now is the greatest time for creativity and ideas to come forth!
God wants to shift us from a pandemic to a "plan-demic." What do you plan to do with your seed of faith? We can see that when Isaac sowed in famine, he became rich and richer to the point of great wealth. We must know that money will work for us and not the other way round. God wants you to be a benefactor to bless others, not a just a beneficiary to receive from others!
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38 KJV)
Pray to the Lord that He would send givers to sow into your bosom, and that you would become a giver to sow into other's bosoms. Isaac became a benefactor – a giver, sower and planter in famine! Furthermore, we see that Isaac had many possessions, and that meant that he had acquired excess, which kept him going and doing what he could in famine for as long as he wanted, and his financial blessings and excess did not get diminished. Isaac had the blessing of the Lord on his life because of one faithful act of seed sowing in a time of famine, causing him to possess infinite wealth that sustained him after the famine was over.
Favor in famine is connected to your faithful obedience to take what you have and sow it into someone or something beyond yourself. God has me sow many financial seeds sacrificially to prophetic voices, ministries, people in need, churches and wherever He instructs. Supernaturally, in return, God has sustained me in these times.
God wants to release supernatural favor in famine. Do you feel like you are in a financial or economic drought and need divine relief? Well, here is something God said to me in prayer. He said, "This is not the time to save, but to sow!" Sow in unusual times and seasons like Isaac did, unlocking the floodgates of Heaven and opening the earth to yield a hundredfold blessing in the same year.
Do you want to receive your harvest in the same year? If you answered yes, then the principle and secret is in taking advantage of this season to sow. Find someone or something to sow into. Your seed has the potential to produce the destiny and future you want. The Bible says it like this in Proverbs 18:16, "A gift opens the way and ushers the giver into the presence of the great."
In other words, our charisma will not bring us into the presence of greatness; but the Bible says our gifts do! Are you a giver or an eater? In this time of famine, are you giving, sowing and meeting the needs of someone else? This is key in receiving favor in famine. The Bible says that it is better to give than to receive.
"In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Acts 20:35)
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
I love what the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (Photo via Unsplash)
Notice that the reason the Lord makes grace abound toward us is so we may also abound unto every good work that we are called to do in Him? Keep in mind that favor in famine is not just for you. The harvest is to sustain you and those you are called to and who depend on you. I believe that prosperity is not just for us. It's so that we may bless others. That is true Kingdom prosperity; following biblical principles in giving as a priority.
There are those who will read this and disagree because their wealth and possessions are what makes them who they are. They forget the One who blessed them. However, I am reminded of the story in Matthew of a rich young man who asked Jesus what actions bring eternal life. First, Jesus advised the man to obey the commandments. When the man responded that he already observed them, and asked what else he could do, Jesus added: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me" (read Luke 18:18-34).
Many people believe prosperity is all about greed, and that's why they oppose it. But true "Bible" prosperity is there so we can be a blessing to others. The mindset that states, "I've got enough. I would never ask or desire for more," is the wrong mentality. That's selfish. That's basically a 'taker' attitude, and not a sower. If you are a sower, God will bless you with a supernatural abundance of finances that will more than supply your essential needs and enable you to sow freely as you are led of Holy Spirit.
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." (Ephesians 4:28)
This above Scripture is stating that the reason we work is so that we can give to those that have need. Favor in famine is connected to your faithfulness to God to obey and sow into others with what He blesses us with. However, there are those who would misinterpret this, believing the reason we do work is so that we can provide for our own needs and pay our own bills. But that's not what this Scripture above is sharing.
The purpose for us working is so that we can bless others, and bless others regardless of whether or not there is a national crisis, pandemic or drought. I can just hear people reading this saying, "But what about my needs? Doesn't the Lord want me to be blessed as well?" Of course He does. But the way to blessing isn't in trying to just meet your needs. It's also in meeting the needs of others. The Bible says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Lastly, I am reminded of the the story in 1 Kings 17, which introduces the prophet Elijah and gives the account of his encounter with a widow from Zarephath. The chapter notes that the Lord was withholding rain from Israel (verse 1). Due to Ahab and Jezebel's rampant idolatry in the nation, a famine was the judgment of God sent through the prophetic voice in Elijah. In verse 8, God instructed Elijah to go to Zarephath, a town outside of Israel, where a widowed woman would provide him with food. In obedience, he found a woman gathering sticks.
Elijah instructed her to bring him a little water to drink and a morsel of bread to eat (see verses 10-11). As we know, the widow was equally, herself, in a position like Elijah's. She responded, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die" (verse 12).
She was certain she and her son would die of starvation, and that she only had enough for two, not three. They both were in survival mode. Elijah's response to her was surely a test of her faith. Later, he instructed her to make some food for him first, anyway, using her only essential ingredients for him in an economic drought.
He then released a prophetic word of hope to her: "For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth'" (1 Kings 17:14). The widow's faith was evident in her obedience, and it released favor in famine.
We can see that later, supernaturally, the Lord was faithful to His prophetic word by the prophet: "...And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that He spoke by Elijah" (verses 15-16).
The widow's food supply was supernaturally extended, as promised. Elijah stayed there for some time, living in an upper room of the widow's house. The woman's son eventually died of an illness and, in her grief and disbelief, oddly blamed Elijah for his death – assuming the Lord was judging her for her sin (verses 17-18). But Elijah cried out to the Lord: "Lord my God, let this boy's life return to him!" (see verse 21). And the boy was revived suddenly through prayer. When the woman saw this, she said, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth" (see verse 24).
Favor in famine comes by obedience, in giving sacrificially to meet someone else's needs. In the case of the widow, she took little and God supernaturally gave her more than enough – not just for the two of them but for Elijah as well. They needed each other and survived the famine with heavenly favor!
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Hakeem Collins
Hakeem Collins Ministries
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Website:Â hakeemcollinsministries.com
Dr. Hakeem Collins is a part of a new generation of world changers. Gifted with a unique dual apostolic and prophetic call, he is a sought-after conference, church and ministry speaker who has traveled extensively throughout the United States preaching the message of the Kingdom. He is the author of: 101 Prophetic Ways God Speaks, Heaven Declares: Prophetic Decrees To Start Your Day, Prophetic Breakthrough: Decrees That Break Curses & Release Blessings, and Command Your Healing: Prophetic Declarations to Receive and Release Healing Power.
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Hakeem Collins is not only a powerful prophetic voice...he is full of wisdom...and in his recent word you're going to receive a lot of wisdom to benefit you in this challenging time.
