While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Genesis 8:22

The concept of the seed offering has widely been promoted by many, including the late Oral Roberts).  In fact, it is said that he has considered it as one of the greatest revelations of his life and ministry.  As with a natural harvest, what is sown in finances, time, or any other resource will always produce a harvest, a yield, some thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold, so long as it is sown in “good ground”.

For sure, this revelation has run through the church, and helped to encourage the body of Christ to give, knowing that they are more blessed in the giving, and that, quite plainly, we will surely reap whatever we sow, for good or ill (Galatians 6:7).

In particular, Oral Roberts often advocated, especially towards the end of his life, the naming of one’s seed for a particular harvest.  That is, if one is looking for a particular breakthrough, you can exercise your faith over a particular offering, as with prayer, that God would extend grace and mercy in a particular area that the needed breakthrough might come.

Many are the accounts of breakthrough and situations turned around based on this principle.  The simple exercise of faith, an offering with a pure heart, and prayer to God have changed countless circumstances through this simple principle from the Word of God, going all the way back to the creation itself.

While this is certainly a powerful tool for accomplishing a necessary breakthrough, let us consider the outcome only living by such a principle.

If I only sow for the breakthrough that I see that I need, and I had perfect faith, I would only guarantee that I would only ever get the breakthroughs I was looking for.  If I only had faith for what I knew that I needed, I would never have faith to see the things of which I could not conceive.  Suppose you were failing to see a necessary breakthrough several miles ahead down the road.  What would you do then?  However, if you let God be God, and let Him direct your “funds” to whatever account, you may not always get what you think you wanted, but you would always have what you need!

Now, if God is showing you you need to release an offering in order to move something, by all means follow Him.  But, if your only method of giving was naming every seed, and God honored it 100%, how would He use an offering to bless me in a way that I did not foresee?  If I accounted for every bit of giving completely, especially if I did so only in the visible, tangible, and recognizable avenues of deliverance, I would short-change myself from the greatness of God, the majesty and mystery of God, and His perfect ways.

At the bottom of most church envelopes, there is a disclaimer stating that funds designated to a particular area will be used however the church sees fit, to meet whatever need comes first.  That way, if there is a short-fall in missions and everything is tagged for building fund, funds can be diverted.  If most of the finances were tagged for general salaries, the church could still see fit to designate a portion of that for a guest speaker.  The same should go for God!

While I might make suggestions, I ultimately wouldn’t want to force God into doing things my way by insisting that an offering go to a particular area.  I appreciate the faith step, but I always try to remember that little disclaimer at the bottom of the envelope, that He may use the funds however He sees fit.  The release of the thing is in the faith alone, and not in the seed.  So long as the seed brings you to faith, it’s a tool, but the moment it distracts, throw it out.

Who knows, perhaps my vision, the thing I think I’m aiming at is simply too small for Him!  Perhaps, He’s saving up some of my offerings, or some of every offering, for a much Bigger blessing down the line, to use this carnal mind of thinking!  Honestly, the greatest blessing and reward is the Lord Himself.  Out of a prosperous heart, the Lord delights in bringing prosperity to His servants.  Yet, He also tests them.  And, with each step of faith, He requires every bit of our courage.

You see, ultimately, God is after our hearts, not our possessions, anyway.  For many, it is a good thing to see God move in the realm of their finances, for that is a very real part of their every day life.  It can seem like life or death, at times!  But, the reality is that it all belongs to God.  If He can have your heart completely, whether you’re rich or poor, it doesn’t matter.  If He wants you to live, He will bring you food.  If He wants you to die, may it be according to His will.  Whether we eat or drink, or live or die, we do it to the Lord.

It is a good thing to sow in faith, and it is a good thing to trust the Lord that He is all knowing.  When we know it is the Lord’s will, we should and must do all we can to pray, sow, and see a thing accomplished.  Yet, in our day-to-day life, when we do not know the full counsel of the Lord, we do not lose by not knowing everything that we are sowing into, praying into, and preparing for.  We can simply sow to the “general fund”, and He can take care of the difference.

In the larger scheme of thing, this world is pretty small.  Yet, faith, the living germ of the Spirit, lasts forever (1 Corinthians 13:13).