Written by Dr Sim Choo Jek
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Is the Seed Still in the Barn?
A few months ago, I was speaking in an overseas finance seminar with Pastor Peter. When we arrived at the airport, the Pastor of the Church met us. He was very quiet the whole time, didn’t smile, didn’t speak very much. I thought to myself have I come to a wrong church.
On the first night Pastor Peter was very excited and spoke evangelically to the church. The church was a big church with a huge screen and a large choir. As they were worshipping God, God impressed in my spirit the following words: “There is no limit to what this church can do.”
When I heard the word, I didn’t feel a total release and a total understanding of the above prophetic word. I felt there was more that God wanted to say.
Pastor Peter shared on the first night, that this church was a great church that God wanted to add to the growth of the church and the church will be a light in the community in East Malaysia.
However I felt the Lord still had something more to say. If you have had or heard prophecies and they have not come to pass, we have to meditate on the prophetic words and hear what more the Holy Spirit has to say.
Please turn to Psalm 49 V 1 – 3
Meditate means to ponder, to muse, to reflect, and to pause.
When I meditated on the word that I received for this church I had two streams of thought. The first one was based on Genesis 11 about the Tower of Babel where man can do anything without God and the second stream of thought was we need God.
We must be a faithful deliverer of the Word of God. We have to be so sharp in the Spirit. We must be on the cutting edge with the Holy Ghost. Then God can trust us and can release us to go anywhere in the world to speak a word in season. We must not simply speak but speak in accordance with what the Holy Spirit wants to say. When you say exactly what the Holy Spirit says He will back you up.
The next day I was to speak at the Church. When I went into the Church the choir was sitting down and the song leader was praying in the Holy Spirit. I sat down. As I opened my eyes to see the stage it was like an open vision. I saw the angels literally coming across the stage pulling racks and racks of coats. I was amazed. The angels were all dressed up in suits and they were pulling racks and racks of coats. Straight away the Lord gave me the interpretation “I am putting on My people a new stature.” I said “Wow”. I looked up at the screen but I could not see it. All I could see was step after step after step to the Throne of God. The sister leading worship said after a while “The Throne of God is in this place.” I said “Wow”. This sister was so sharp in the Spirit. She was always praying.
God gave me understanding and clarification of the Word He had given me. When you see angels and see the Throne of God, you know that the word was positive, not negative. There is no limit to what God can do with that Church. God was affirming to me by vision. God will affirm His Word to you through dreams, visions, and a word or by angels.
This word is not for that church only but for all over the world. God is putting a new stature on His people now.
After the meeting and after I had shared, I went back to the hotel room and prayed. We prayed all the next day. As we were leaving to go to the meeting that night, God spoke this message to me from the book of Haggai.
Haggai is a very rich book. Israel had committed idolatry and sin to God. God allowed the Babylonians to take them into captivity for seventy (70) years. God spoke to Jeremiah and Daniel saying that after seventy years these people will come back from Babylon.
Whatever God does in your life there will be a restoration. God will never abandon us. He is a wonderful Father. He loves us. Sometimes He sanctifies us but He brings us back again. He will never leave us in some place and forget about us. His desire for us is to come back in repentance for restoration, for refreshing, for growth and for His goodness.
Sanctification is a process. Salvation when you received Jesus and were born again is the first phase. The second phase is a sanctification process and is a daily process of obedience to His word and Spirit, till we grow into His likeness.
God said “After seventy years I will bring you back.” Exactly after seventy years God brought them back.
God will not fail you. He has a good memory and will not forget you. You may be on the loneliest island but He still remembers you. Wherever He asks you to go He will always be with you till that what He wants to accomplish through you is completed.
God told Daniel. Daniel was an intercessor and prayed alongside to make those things happen and Israel came back.
They started building the temple. They started out well but opposition came.
Whatever you do with God, please understand that there will be opposition. You don’t have to pray for it, it comes.
There was opposition and the people stopped building straight away. They stopped for sixteen years. All the material was there. All the resources to build were there but the people lost the vision to build.
When we lose the vision, God will stop the flow. One of the ways God gets our attention when we lose the vision is that He will stop the flow of resources so that we will re-examine ourselves again. We will ask God “What was my purpose in coming here? What did you send me here for? What is the vision you have spoken to me?” God has to use this to awaken us.
Please turn to Haggai 1 V 5 – 6
After sixteen years, God has to send a prophet back to make them consider their ways.
Some people ask why have they not seen a return even though they have tithed and sowed. One of the reasons is that we are not in the vision of God.
The Israelites instead of building the temple were building their homes. They had lost the vision.
It is important for us to stop now and look where we are heading. It is imperative as more and more things happen that we pause and make sure we are on track because God wants to bless us.
Examine your cause, your priorities and what you are doing. There are some things God did not ask you to do. We must re-orient and re-adjust. Some things may be good but not the best for your life. It is only when we are on course that God can bless us.
As I was leaving the hotel room, God gave me the following verse to ask the Church. “Is the seed still in the barn?”
Please turn to Haggai 2 V 17-19
All the time God wanted to catch the people’s attention. The people had all the timbers supplied to them. But this time around Haggai had to tell them to go to the mountains and cut the timber.
There are two possible reasons why this was necessary.
- After sixteen years the previous timber had now rotted and can’t be used. Or
- All the timber that had been supplied, they used to build their own houses.
The first temple we have to build is our body – the temple of the Holy Spirit. We must grow into the likeness of Jesus. Revelation 21 V 22 says there will not be any ‘temple’. God and His man is the temple. Our growth in Him is our first priority.
The word ‘consider’ is the same as meditate, think about what you are doing, and reflect. You need to set aside a time to be quiet where you can think about where did we come from and where are we going.
The Holy Spirit will pace you. We are not to be hasty. God is doing a quickening work but He is not hasty. He is building us precept by precept, line upon line for what is to come. If the foundation is not right we cannot keep building.
The next word in this verse is ‘but’. “But” is a turning point, a turn around. In everything God says there is a turning point, a restoration. God does not say something and leave you in a quandary. God tells you what is not right but then gives a solution. He tells a way out, that is the word ‘but’.
God is saying if this is the right season, why have you not sown? If you keep your seeds under your pillow, they will not grow. If you keep the seeds in the barn, they will not grow or germinate. The only way the seeds will grow is they must make contact with the soil.
God says the time for unprecedented harvest is now. The time is here now. The season is right. The weather condition is right. Come on it’s time to sow.
God said to tell these people, you can keep the seeds in the barn. You can do your own investing, but when I bless you it will be greater than your own investing. I have learnt by the grace of God over the last twenty so years that supernatural supply supercedes my natural ability to supply.
Many Christians are living subnormally normally. They are not living supernaturally.
Whenever Jesus was walking on the earth if He could do it in the natural He would do it. But what was not available, the supernatural miracles will intervene!
Jesus fed the 5 loaves 2 fish with 12 baskets left. Some say that the 12 baskets left had not been served. It was not the leftovers. It had not been served.
When God blesses you, He blesses you abundantly. So when the supernatural increase comes it is far beyond your ability to earn.
Why are you keeping the seeds in the barn when the season and everything is right?
A key of success is sensing the timing, sensing the season, knowing what God wants to do and moving with the Holy Ghost. It’s not what we want to do but what God wants to do and listening to the Holy Ghost. Sincere faith is obedience.
Please turn to Haggai 2 V 20 – 23
Whenever you go to a restaurant people ask “What is your signature dish?” In other words what is your specialty? What makes your restaurant unique?
God wants you to be His signature on the earth. God says He wants us to be His signet ring. Whenever people touch you they will be blessed. Your life should be a message.
The season is here. The time is now. You must hear the man of God speak and obey. It is not a pressure. It is not exploitation.
When asking God for something you don’t simply ask. You are specific. For example you might say ‘I need a debt free home.’ Likewise don’t simply give. You must give what God tells you to give. Be specific. We must do in accordance with the Holy Spirit and give God our best.
This is the season. This is the double portion. God is putting a new stature on you. If you want to see the breakthrough you must respond to God.
Is the seed still in the barn?
Postcript: Re beginning of message
Should you be wondering about the impressions I formed on first meeting the Pastor, it turned out that he did not want to colour my message to the Church by telling me of their situation. After my sharing he was overjoyed that God allowed me to speak the exact word they needed at that time.To God be the Glory!