Ecclesiastes 3:2, says; “A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted.” This Scripture brings my attention to an activity that happens within a time frame. It says; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted. These two activities are summed up and determined by seasons. It is a foundational principle that binds every man as long as the earth remains. So, when it is rainy season; what is demanded of your time is planting. You can’t wish to plant when the season of planting is over you simply align to the next activity the season demand and require of you, which is time for harvest.

In the previous verse of this chapter, the Scripture began by saying to everything there is a season, then it says a time for every purpose under heaven. Note what this Scripture says; it began by saying there is a season and a time; Then I realized that it separated season and time even though we could see that they are interwoven. But the preacher mentioned them separately. So, it is one thing to understand a season, it is another thing to understand a time. It is your understanding of the times and what you ought to do within a season that determines fruitfulness and harvest. So, it is not enough to know that there is rainy season but what you do with the rain in that season of rain that determines the quality and quantity of your harvest. So, if you desire to have a great harvest, you must be determined to sow when the season of sowing is upon you.

Let me buttress this point with an analogy; when rain begins to fall, people take different approach to it, some could bring buckets out to collect water, others could choose to dance or play in the rain, while another group could choose or love to sleep while it’s raining. After the rain, there is one common factor that will happen to these three groups of people. It is called thirst. It won’t be a thing of surprise if the one who collects water has an advantage over the ones who choose to play, dance or sleep while it rained.

Let me put it this way; it is possible or easier to understand seasons and find it difficult to know the times and what ought to be done. See what the Holy Spirit said to me; you may know that you are in your season of preparation, but it is possible for you to be ignorant about which area you ought to be deliberate about in your preparation. See what Jesus said in Matthew 16 verse 3, You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, it will be stormy today, for the sky is red and has a threatening look, but cannot interpret the signs of the times. Meaning that seasons are easily discerned but times and what to do with time is what is most difficult. This is a knowledge that can only be revealed or given by the Spirit of God. Pharaoh could see the seasons but it will take a Joseph to give an interpretation of the times. The reason is because there was a spirit that gives understanding of the times. The sons of Issachar went beyond understanding seasons to the understanding of times. It will take a Joseph to give details of how 7 cows represent seven years. That talks about time. Haven understood the seasons and the times, the next challenge is what ought to be done within that seven years? See what he said; and it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.

So, what you ought to do in a season is bound by time, and what determines what you ought to do in a season is the understanding you have about what your time should be spent on within that season; this is what begins to inform your ‘doings’ and activities. This is the first of the secrets of fruitfulness. So, it is possible that you had missed your season a long time ago, here is another opportunity to utilize and maximize the season that has opened unto you. As far as destiny, purpose and manifestation is concerned, they determine the rightness and wrongness or misplacement of priorities.

The second secret was showed to me in 1 Kings 18 verse 41, It says; “And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” This is a declaration of a season, a spiritual calendar marking the outpour of rain. I want us to note this word; there is the sound of heavy rain, a rain that hasn’t fallen for a while, an experience that has not been witnessed for decades. It takes an ear to hear a sound. And your approach to this sound determines how fruitful you would be at the end of that season. The amazing thing is that what was heard was as clear as what has been seen. This is the realm of faith. He said I see the cloud becoming dark and heavy drawing our attention to an event that is about to happen even in our time. This kind of rain is such that has never been seen before or experienced in recent past and there would never be anyone like it. Eyes have not seen it, ears have not heard it, It is going to fall to prepare men for the harvest; great harvest.  Heaven is preparing, the earth should anticipate.

When rain falls from the sky, it leaves an impact on the ground; and one of the primary impacts it makes is that it leaves the ground wet thereby creating a flood. But to what end does the rain fall? Why does God allow rain to fall? The answer is clearly written in Isaiah 55 verse 10, it says “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud”

So, the rain does two things; number one it waters the earth, number two it activates seeds; that is what leads to the seed bringing forth and budding. What is fruitfulness? It is the ability of a seed to bring forth and bud. Rain according to Wikipedia, is a liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then become heavy enough to fall under gravity. I want us to keep this definition at the back of our minds we will soon be coming back to it.

One thing we must note about rain is that it determines the beginning of a season. Not a harvest season but a planting season. Let me digress a little here; it is important that you know your season not just your season but what you must or ought to do in that given season and seasons are peculiar to individuals. So, if you are in your season of sowing, you must quickly discern it, select the kind of seed to sow, where to sow and how to sow because this is the posture that ultimately leads to fruitfulness. Are you ready for the rain? It’s coming! When it comes sow into it, that is what is required of you.

So what is this rain? What is the season unfolding before us? It is the season of revival, a season of the outpouring of the Spirit of God. You must prepare your heart because this requires urgency and absolute preparedness. This is not the time for religion, this is the time to be clothed with power and spirituality.

Genesis 2:5 says; “Before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground.” Now let us come back to the definition from Wikipedia I gave earlier about rain; it says it is a liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then become heavy enough to fall under gravity.

I want us to note that word “fall under gravity” that’s the power of intercession. Let us look at that verse again. It says God did not cause it to rain on the earth because there was no man. So, will it be right to say God withheld rain because there was no man? The answer is yes. See what verse 6 says; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground. So, when there is no man to pray what the earth will experience will be mist. The prayers of intercessors who so much desire to see the days of His great outpouring is about to be answered. It means without the interplay of the forces of gravity the rain will not come down. It is clear that this is the agenda of God for this season, but there must be men who will act like the force of gravity, pulling down the rain via prayers, men who will hear the sound and declare it to their generation. These are spiritual matters being explained with physical concepts. The Scripture we just read says; God did not cause it to rain on the earth and as a result of that there was no man to till the ground.

You may want to ask, why was man mentioned there? The answer is simple there is no rain. It means a rain is required for the ground to be softened. A rain is required for the ground to break. So, the Scripture says in Isaiah 32:15, “Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest.” Now we see the kind of rain that was been referred to here. It is the season of the outpour of the Spirit. Haven had this background, having discerned the season that is upon us; what must we do in order to be fruitful consistently and perpetually?

#. Fruitfulness begins with sowing. What do you sow? You sow your heart. Imbedded in your heart is sacrifice and love. The Scripture says unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it abides alone. This concept cannot be over emphasized. Whenever you find barrenness it can simply be traced to the refusal of a man to fall down and die. And this requires sacrifice. It takes sacrifice to sow, and it takes sacrifice to be willing to be sown. Perhaps you are asking how do I sow myself? How do I fall to the ground and die? The answer is simple; consecrate your heart. Let the heart of stone be removed and replaced with the heart of flesh. The heart of flesh is a heart that loves and it is only a heart of love that can conform to the death and resurrection of Christ, having it an as an experience.

#. Sow time for the secret place. Lack of fruitfulness is a function of your failure or refusal to dwell or stay in the secret place. The secret place talks about a location in God, a place where you interact with God intimately so much so that you carry His presence. It is by so doing that you become fruitful. Psalm 92 verse 13 says; Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God. Flourishing talks about fruitfulness and it is a function of your connectivity with Christ the vine.

#. Sow the word of God. The word of God is the primary raw material for fruitfulness. It determines your seasons, your location and what you access in God. The Bible says the word accomplish what I-the Lord please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I-the Lord sent it. Another word for fruitful is prosperity. So the word is responsible for prospering and fruitfulness.

#. Sow to the Spirit. You can also sow to the Spirit just as you can sow to the flesh or to the earth. and the best place you can sow and fruitfulness is guaranteed is the Spirit. The Bible says in Galatians 6:8; “If you sow to the Spirit you will of the Spirit reap eternal life.” Galatians 5:25 says; Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. This is what fruitfulness truly is in the kingdom.

Thanks for the gift of your time, Apeh Francis Abah!
Feel free to share your thoughts or testimony in the comment box below. I promise to respond as soon as possible!