Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Breaking Free from Worldly Traps - (#1050 - CST)
Title: What Field Are You Sowing Into? – Reaping a Kingdom Harvest
What field are you sowing into? It’s a question that pierces the heart of our faith walk and daily choices. In this powerful episode, we unpack the truth of Galatians 6, where Paul writes: “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” This principle isn’t about luck or fate—it’s about intentional living, eternal perspective, and spiritual accountability.
Through honest conversation and biblical reflection, we challenge the many ways Christians unknowingly sow into barren or broken systems—pursuing things that promise success but leave us spiritually dry. Whether it’s being enslaved to consumer debt, caught in the workplace grind, or trapped in religious routines that lack purpose, this episode helps you pause and ask: Am I investing in the temporary or the eternal?
We share our personal journeys toward financial freedom, offering real-life insights into what it means to simplify, downsize, and reorient your life toward kingdom living. This isn’t a prosperity message—it’s a freedom message. We believe Jesus wants His followers to live unburdened and ready to move when He says, “Go.” As we explain, “Everyone has something they can sell or simplify.”
Our discussion also dives into the lives of Elijah, Jonah, and Moses—men who wrestled with redirection. Sometimes, sowing in the wrong field looks like staying too long in a place where God has moved on. Other times, it’s ignoring His call because the cost feels too high. How do we know when a season is over? And how do we respond when God is shifting our direction?
We close by focusing on the ultimate sower—Jesus Christ, who sowed His life on the cross and reaped a harvest of salvation for all. His model of sacrifice, obedience, and purpose challenges us to re-evaluate where we’re investing our time, energy, and finances.
Are you tired of pouring yourself into things that never produce lasting fruit? It’s time to break free from worldly systems and plant your life in kingdom soil—the kind that produces peace, freedom, and eternal impact.
Listen now to join a community of believers who are choosing to sow differently, live purposefully, and walk in the freedom Christ offers.
Galatians 6 sowing and reaping, kingdom living podcast, breaking free from debt, sowing into the right field, biblical financial freedom, Christian stewardship teaching, discerning God’s direction, Moses Jonah Elijah obedience, podcast on spiritual realignment, kingdom-focused living, Jesus sacrificial sowing, Christian response to worldly systems
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
https://www.rbchristianradio.net/
Good morning. Good morning, it is hashtag Christian straight talk. We are here, we are behind the mics, we're on YouTube and other platforms that we are streaming to at this moment in time. Good morning, it is Thursday morning, the 29th of June 1041. Youtubers, hello and welcome, and anybody that wants some more content. Where can they go, simon? What can they find us on?
Speaker 2:They can find us on a platform called Patreon, ben, and we've been doing that now for I don't know, maybe a couple of months, ben, so there's a massive amount of content on there and it's really good our Patreon platform. We're encouraging on this platform, but our Patreon platform is all about encouragement. It's all about being together, all about standing together and being part of something that's bigger than yourself, Ben, really.
Speaker 1:It is, isn't it? It's all about you.
Speaker 2:We encourage you to look at that. Just get onto the Patreon website, put in Christian Straight Talk and join us. Subscribe. It's only a fiver a month for the top level, isn't?
Speaker 1:it. I don't think you can get a coffee and a croissant in some of the coffee houses for that, can you? And look what we're throwing out across the table.
Speaker 2:I know. You could be fed forever. Yeah, this is you know. This will feed your spirit and feed that hunger there inside of you. Yeah, it's great stuff. It's good stuff and we've got our usual content and usual laughing and joking and light-hearted stuff as well. So if you want to see more of our faces, then that's the place to be Put. Crime Watch on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we do have good faces for radio, don't we? Fantastic radio faces, fantastic radio bodies. We are literally radio models. We are absolutely fit and ready to go behind the scenes. But good morning also. We've got to mention everybody in the world of podcasting. Thank you to all those on YouTube, all those that are on the live stream broadcast and for everybody on Buzzsprout. We want to say thank you for Buzzsprout and we want to say thank you to Spotify. You know also Apple. When you look at Apple's podcasting platform that they got out, you know it's fantastic.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of changes going on. They're saying podcasting is a new radio and we've been podcasting now for a good number of years and generally we've done like 650 episodes, 10,000 or more full downloads. We're absolutely phenomenal and we just want to put it out there this morning. Episodes, 10,000 or more full downloads were absolutely phenomenal and we just want to put it out there this morning. If anybody and obviously you do you do enjoy what we do because we're seeing it through the stats Could you jump onto Patreon? Could you just take a moment to jump onto Patreon and just go and find hashtag Christian Straight Talk on Patreon, subscribe. We've got behind the scenes, stuff. We've got loads of stuff on there and we really would appreciate that, and we thank you to everyone on the social networks. Good stuff, isn't it, simon? I'm just thinking to myself what's coming out of like before lockdown. We got together, didn't we Quite a while. We've been podcasting. There's a lot going on.
Speaker 2:Ben, when I listen to this stuff back, I think to myself where's that come from? And it's not come from us, has it? It's the Lord's. Just as people are downloading, you know, the Lord's downloading stuff into us so that we can banter across the table about his son, Jesus and all the biblical stuff. And we are straight talking and we do shoot from the barrel of the truth and we don't mess about. No, we don't. We're not coming at stuff from a theological standpoint. It's not at all. It's from a standpoint of life.
Speaker 1:It's how the Bible and how the life of Jesus affects you in particular and us in general, living in a nation that is not for God whatsoever, and even looking at the mainstream church, I think where are we spiritually? Where are we physically? What is going on? Everything that's happening across the world, you know. So we just come straight out of our way. Our hearts are on that day, don't we? Whatever we talk about, we're open, we're honest, we don't hold anything back, we're not frightened talking about our feelings, we're not talking about how much we love Jesus. And this morning we've got an interesting word, isn't it?
Speaker 2:The word sowing Ben this is a huge subject this morning.
Speaker 1:It's a big one, it's a wobber.
Speaker 2:We reap what we sow, ben don't we?
Speaker 1:In every way, in every shape and form?
Speaker 2:In everything we are a consequence of our choices and decisions, aren't we Ben?
Speaker 1:We really are. Yeah, Decisions, our thoughts, our physical stretch, our money, our life. You can look at this, can't you? In such a massive way, sowing and reaping, but what does the Bible say about sowing? Where should we be sowing as a christian? What is the key?
Speaker 2:have a look at uh, we'll have a look at galatians 6, 6, 7 and 9 ben. Um, it kind of points us in the right direction, doesn't it? We started it started at 6. It says be generous and do good. It says wow. So that's galatians 6, 7 and 9. And it says let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. He says do not be deceived, god is not mocked. So he starts off pretty powerful, doesn't he, ben? He does, he's not messing about understand this.
Speaker 2:God ain't joking about? No, he's not. He's not being mocked. No, he says for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life. And then he goes on to say and let us not grow weary while doing doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
Speaker 1:So yeah, would you make it happen? Well, you know we want to encourage you, wherever you are, on whatever platform. You're listening to us, you don't give up, you don't give, but you sow into the kingdom of God. And then the question is, what is the kingdom? Into Christ, into the word of God, you give everything you've got and you put your whole life, you put every ounce of energy, everything you've got, into doing good for Christ, following Jesus, and you will keep away from destruction.
Speaker 1:So if you look at the state of the world and everything that's going on, when you sow into certain things of the world, you'll reap what the world is giving. If you sow into the kingdom, you will get what the kingdom is giving, and the kingdom gives so much more than what the world does. But so often we want to sow into the world as christians because we look at materialism. We see a lot of stuff happening in the church. We sow what into what the world is doing and then that comes and filters into the church and then really we are reaping what the world is doing when actually the kingdom is not as big as it should be within the church and in our own lives.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you will only. You know, a farmer will only harvest what he plants, exactly so if he plants, for example, cabbages, he's only going to get cabbages. He ain't going to get potatoes bananas, is he Do? You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:So I have to so my life, I have to put my life completely in the kingdom. I have to put everything I've got on God. I've got to give him everything. I've got to find that freedom, you know, financially, relationship, Every area of life. I have to give him absolutely everything. I've got to be a slave to righteousness, and that can be really frightening. You reap what you sow and it's like what you say in a farmer. A farmer will not get nothing back if he doesn't put in the effort and plant whatever seed he has got, If he doesn't do the work on the field, If he doesn't do the work on the field, if he doesn't do the work in the harvest he. So, as Christians, we have to go into that living word of God. It's not about going to church, it's about sowing your heart and giving your heart to the word of God and living for Jesus.
Speaker 2:Well, ben, you know you only get out what you put in. And you, living for Jesus, well, ben, you know you only get out what you put in. And you know you may think if you buy a lottery ticket, you've got a chance of winning, you know a few million. But in life you only get out what you put in. And it's exactly the same, and more so in the kingdom, because if you're not putting and funny enough, I was having this conversation I was up in a place called Norwich in the UK talking to a good friend of mine, and there was a couple who should have been at this meeting. They weren't there and I said where are these two people, man and wife? And he said well, they're always moaning about how they're attacked by the enemy. They're always moaning about nothing's going right in their lives. And when I dug a little bit deeper, they're just not in the word in the prayer. And so you're going to reap that, aren't you? So we have to sow day after day after day.
Speaker 2:This is not a one-time thing. We have to sow day after day, every day. We've got to have some spiritual discipline. Yeah, you've got to. I know people don't like that word, but you've got to have spiritual discipline to, as you said, read the word, get into prayer, get into fellowship, seek the things of God.
Speaker 1:It has to seek ye first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else shall be added unto thee. But afraid, and not afraid to say the church is reaping what the world is giving. Because the church is going down the gender route, it's going down the money route, it's going down the business route. So what you put your effort into you will get through the front door of the church. You will get that.
Speaker 2:When was the last time you heard a sermon? I know you probably preach a couple, but what about Numbers 32, 23? It says be sure, your sin will find you out. Oh lord help us, jesus, yeah if you reap in that field, you're gonna you're gonna get caught if you, if you sow in that field, you're gonna reap in that field that's right.
Speaker 1:So you, you've got to sow in the field of of god, you've got to give your life. And the bible says all have sinned and fallen short of your glory. We are sinners, saved by grace, but it's what am I giving my time to? That is the question. Because that is it work? Is it business? It certainly won't be family, because I tell you why it won't be family because we're all caught in the money drive. We're all caught in the money. I've got this, I've got that, I've got a commute, I've got X amount of pounds to earn. So you sow yourself to the world as in, I'm a slave to money.
Speaker 2:And the Bible. Jesus makes it very clear, and the Bible makes it very clear. It's not hard, it's simple. Yeah, but we don't want to listen to it, do we? No, we don't want to listen. You know, Jesus says you can't serve two masters.
Speaker 1:No. So it is critical when we're sowing, we sow in the word. We give our lives to Christ. You know, I'm on a really interesting journey at the minute about literally asking God to strip me back of everything, to refocus, to recalibrate my thinking, my understanding. I want to be stripped back of everything. I don't want to have one foot in the world, one foot out of the world. Doing this, doing that, I literally have got to be completely in Jesus, completely in him, completely surrendered, living by a faith, completely trusting him and seeking the kingdom of God, because we have to give him 100% of our heart. It can't be, it can't be 50-50. It can't be 80-30.
Speaker 2:We've said it, you know, we've said it time and time again. You know you can't be 80% faithful to your wife, can you? All right love can't be 80%. Faithful to your wife, can you? All right love? I'm 80%. I'm with you 80% of the time, but 20%. You know, come down the old massage bar or whatever you can't do it. It can't happen.
Speaker 1:You have to be completely into Jesus.
Speaker 2:Ben look what Jesus says in Luke 6, 38. He says give and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be put into your bosom, for with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:It makes it quite simple. You know, whatever you put in, you'll get back, and do you?
Speaker 1:know what you know whatever you put in, you'll get back. You'll get back. And do you know what? When you put into the kingdom of God, it is very different to what the church and religion portrays it to be, because the church and religion makes it all glitz, glamour and hype and all that sort of stuff. The Bible is very clear. We are servants and when you serve, don't expect to get any pats on the back. Don't expect to get all that. You do it in in the cover of night. You can't do it in the cover of no one's looking at you. You are doing it because you love god so much and you're not interested in the back.
Speaker 2:You're exactly right, because there's a caveat to that, yeah, to what Jesus said. There is that if you're doing it just to get stuff back, then I'm afraid it's not even counted, it's not on your side. You have to do it as a daily thing, just as a matter of course that you love the Lord, you love Jesus, and so nothing's too much trouble. So when he asks you to do something. Oh no, it's all right. Jesus, I did that yesterday, you know I went to church yesterday.
Speaker 2:Imagine this Come on, it's got to be kingdom living.
Speaker 1:If Jesus said to you right, I want you to drop all your social networks, I want you to drop all the platforms that you're streaming, to Drop everything that you're posting on, drop everything and become nameless and faceless, and I want you to do the work that you're doing and not get any likes, any YouTube thumbs up, nothing. Just go and do it for me. How would that be? That would make all of us think, wouldn't it? Well, hang on a minute, I'm going to do what I'm doing under the radar, completely off grid. I'm going to go and serve the Lord and take no one with me, but I'm going to sow into the kingdom. Because when you look at church and we have to be careful here in everything we do, be really careful that we don't get the pat on the back that makes you go. Hang on, it's I now. It's I instead of…. Well, there's a fine line in there, ben, that thin line, that line of crossing over.
Speaker 2:So I was out talking, I've got a few talks coming up and you always get people come up to you and want to say you know, well done and all that sort of thing, and I think you can take the encouragement. Take the encouragement you have to give God the glory, because without him, you know you ain't nowhere. And see, the thing is, if we sow in the field of the flesh, then we will reap in the field of the flesh, like we said, but you'll never have peace?
Speaker 1:No because you're always chasing the tower of the flesh, isn't you? Yeah, you've got to sow in the kingdom. The kingdom of God gives you peace. You know my God shall supply all my needs according to thy riches in glory. You know, we've all got jobs. We've all got places where we've got real money. Everyone's got to put bread on the table. We've got to pay the gas bill, the electric bill. Everyone's got bills to pay, haven't we? You pay the electric now, do you? No, it's actually tapped onto the neighbour's electric.
Speaker 2:You're still knocking him Still knocking.
Speaker 1:The electric man and the gas man no gas here, sir, you know. And then you think to yourself so you can easily get caught in the world of work, can't you? You can easily get caught, as a Christian, in the world of business, and then suddenly you're building your business, you're building your life, so you're sowing into your own stream rather than sowing into the kingdom of God. When you sow into the kingdom, I actually wonder how many people are working in places that they shouldn't be working in and finding it really difficult, because God has said this is where I want you, this is the door I want you to walk through. But we are sowing our energy and our life into other areas of the field rather than sowing into the kingdom field.
Speaker 1:You know, and I wonder if that's why so many Christians are so unhappy and so tired and weary of life, because they're not sowing where God says look, this is your field, this is your field. If you sow in this field, in this prominent land, you'll have everything you've got. But it takes faith, doesn't it, to go. I'm going to cut this stream off and I'm going to go to this field where no one knows me, and I'm going to sow into this other area. I tell you what sowing and reaping is like.
Speaker 2:It's. Yeah, it's really interesting because it's a huge subject and we're not going to do it absolutely justice in one podcast. But you know that comes because the blessing is where the Lord wants you. You know so if you're hanging on to something and you're not letting it go and the Lord's told you, the door is shut on that.
Speaker 1:The door is shut. Now that comes to a question, doesn't it when? Change seasons? Shut? Now that comes to a question, doesn't it when? When change seasons? The bible talks about seasons, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:Farming is all about season preparing the ground, letting the ground rest, planting, watering, harvesting. So that's the same as the kingdom of god. But why do we, as believers, and humanity, get in the same job and we'll stay there for years. We'll live in the same house, we'll do the same thing day in, day out, and actually we're not happy because it becomes very robotic and we wasn't created to be in the same tower block hour after hour. I honestly believe that we need to be careful that we don't miss the season that God is offering us, and we're in a season of darkness, of worry and fear, because God is saying I want you over here, but we're too frightened to react to that voice because we're trapped in this season and we've reaped and we put everything we've got into the business into the kids going to this school, in that place, this place, all over the place. So we are sowing. So when you take the word sowing, it's what you're giving, what you're throwing into the ground.
Speaker 2:It's interesting, because what is it? You're in hospice on a regular basis. You're speaking to people who've only got literally days or weeks to live.
Speaker 1:Hours to live what is it they say? I wish I hadn't worked so much, I wish I wish I should have done this I wish I'd done this. I wish I'd done that and don't. Why didn't I do?
Speaker 2:this what we're saying to you out there. Listen, this don't be a wish I'd done that person, don't get to that point of a few breaths you. You're the same, ben, and you're going through that now. But you know, I've been involved in all many ministries and suddenly I've just felt the Lord saying it's time to walk away. And I've been involved in ministries where it's been amazing. You've just turned up, you know the dates and times are set for you to speak and all that, but the Lord's just gone. No.
Speaker 1:So that's also being obedient to walk away.
Speaker 1:It's really tough when you do that it is really tough, because when it's going good, you think that that's it forever and a day. But actually to walk away from something that's flourishing because God is calling you into something else that will take a lot to do, because we are pushing in and it's looking good and it's building and it's moving, doesn't mean to say that that's exactly where God wants you to be, because that's what's happened to Moses, wasn't it? Jethro said to Moses delegation If you don't stop Moses, if you don't stop, you're going to kill yourself, you're going to wear yourself out but another example is is Abraham with his sons.
Speaker 2:You know he was told he had to get rid of Ishmael. You know, let him go and that's his son, his own flesh and blood, because of blessings with Isaac, goodness gracious. So you know, there are times in life where You've got to let people go, and you've got to let business go. You've got to make sure it's from the Lord, because it's no good just selling out and disappearing to See it. Fred the Lord's told me, you're off. Disappearing to Africa or somewhere, is it?
Speaker 1:No, now this is a real, quite a deep and complicated conversation actually, because how many people are in ministry sowing from the pulpit and not reaping anything because they shouldn't be in the pulpit? But you can do anything. When you've got someone sitting in a congregation with an open checkbook, keep fueling it because money will run. You know, money will bankroll anything.
Speaker 2:Well, it will go. It will only go so far, ben. It will go the worldly route. If the blessing is not on it, if the Lord's not in it, then it will eventually.
Speaker 1:It will dry up, the well will dry.
Speaker 2:The Lord will still use it, but the real blessing's not on it.
Speaker 1:That comes back to Jacob's world, where the lady from samaria and came up to jesus and he said why are you still drawing from this world? She said because we've always done it, we've always drawn, we've always got water from this world. Jesus said well, the water, the world's drying up. I can give you living water, but but, jesus, we've always come to this. Well, jacob built this. Well, my dad was the pastor of this church. Uh, my mum sat in this chair. I, I was brought up in this church. This was our family business and I've got to keep it running, and but the world is drying up and but you know what the thing is there ben that as if you're doing that, if you're sticking in somewhere where the Lord's told you to let go, you won't have any peace.
Speaker 2:There'll be no peace.
Speaker 1:And I've experienced that and I know that and I know that feeling and you will literally. We're talking about sowing and reaping, but you will fight to keep the doors open of that organisation, of that church and clearly it is game over over and you are doing everything you can so that you keep that moving. Let me ask you this, ben.
Speaker 2:Do you think you're fighting God? Then 100% so.
Speaker 1:You are fighting God. You are fighting God. He doesn't let go, does he no?
Speaker 2:And then he's going to push you and make you and all of a sudden you you know you're blaming him because things ain't going right, but really all he wants is for you to lay that down and move in the direction that he wants you to be.
Speaker 1:Exactly. Look at that great prophet from Mount Carmel, Elijah.
Speaker 2:We don't go off podcast to mention old Elijah do we Look at him.
Speaker 1:God said what are you doing over there, ben? I told you, but, lord, you fed me. You fed me, and I ran for 40 days and 40 nights. I ran like a warrior. I was anointed, I'm blessed, I'm still blessed, I'm still anointed, but God went. What are you doing in the car? What? I'm still anointed, but God went. What are you doing in the cup? What are you doing here? You've come the wrong way. And what did God do? He took him back that route. So sometimes we have to go backwards.
Speaker 2:We have to go back. There's an even bigger example in the Bible. You know our friend who got swallowed up by a whale didn't we?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Look at that. So what we're talking about? Jonah. He ran from the Lord, didn't he?
Speaker 2:I'm not doing it. When you run from what the Lord's got to do, the enemy will always provide a boat for you. He'll always provide a transport, he'll always provide an aircraft, because he don't want you doing what the Lord wants you to do, which is provide the first-class ticket. No.
Speaker 1:So the question is isn't it, we ask ourselves, isn't it? Are we like Jonah? Are we like Elijah? Are we like the prophets of old? Are we like King David? David was sowing and reaping in areas where he wanted to, when he had a niche. You know Jacob, another character. Moses, another character. Moses, another character. You look at Joshua, you look at all these characters of the Bible and you can see that it is such a fine line of sowing in the kingdom or sowing in the world.
Speaker 1:There's a blurred line isn't there between the field of Jesus and almost the field of the world, because where's the line?
Speaker 2:I think you've got a good point and I think, if you listen to this, wherever you are, it's time to look at your life. It's time to look at your life and see where it's going and see what direction it's taking. Is it time? Does the Lord want you to get out of what you're doing? Yeah, you know, and we see it all the time, where people want to get out of what you're doing. Yeah, you know, and I see it all the time. We see it all the time where people want to get out of their jobs and jump into ministries. Well, god wants people in every walk of life.
Speaker 1:He wants you in every walk of life.
Speaker 2:That is 100%, and so maybe if you're in a ministry and you're scratching around and you're coming alongside of people and your first thought when you meet someone is not the kingdom but is, well, this geezer, give me a couple of quid to support me. You know, we have that network over the network Christian networking can be as cutthroat as any other network. So always the Lord saying no, start to sew a few tents up, like Paul did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, go and lay a few bricks.
Speaker 2:I want you to work, you know, go and deliver supermarket deliveries and all that sort of anything really yeah. Is he calling you into something different or are you just beating yourself up because everyone you meet, you want them to give you a few quid every month To fund your lifestyle, to fund your lifestyle, to fund your lifestyle.
Speaker 1:So that is the question, isn't it? Because God says I shall supply all your needs according to thy riches in glory. So it comes back to a few things Identifying who you are in Jesus. What field am I sowing in? What field am I walking in? Is it barren? That's another area to look at, isn't it? I'm sowing into a field that is barren.
Speaker 2:Well, it's because the Lord doesn't want you there, or he's called you into that area just to give you a little test, yeah, just to see how patient you are, do you know? But be careful, because this is a book we don't like to read. From Hang on and I think we, probably you've ripped it out of your… Bandit, the book of Job 4.8,. It says Even as I have seen, those who plough iniquity and sow trouble reap the same, help me, jesus, so you know, if you're…. Here's another one, because there's so many routes this goes down. If you can't help yourself gossiping about people, you're in trouble. Because if you gossip about someone, especially someone, especially the Lord's anointed Touch, not nine anointed you could you know you're going to reap from that, aren't you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, without a doubt. The question, the stuff that's bubbling around in me so much when you're talking about all this, is that does my, where I live and where I do what I do, is this where God wants me to be? Where does God want us to be? Because how many of us are sowing into fields and the field isn't producing any fruit, it isn't producing any harvest. We are sowing into so many things, all of us. We sow all day. We sow into the system. The system gives back we, we. What are we sowing in the field of god?
Speaker 2:our heavenly father sows into us, doesn't he sows? Into us yeah, and he sows into his life and, and it's very interesting, uh, when jesus spoke about the parable of the sower right, so he was talking about someone who was sowing seeds, yeah, and he talked about four categories.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Three categories went nowhere and one category reaped a hundredfold. That was on good soil, good soil. So I mean we can do a podcast, a whole podcast, on that bit of Scripture, but what I'm trying to say here is that only 25% of the people that hear the word will reap, because the rest are all….
Speaker 1:So 75%, 75%, when you look at the percentage….
Speaker 2:So there's a narrow road, isn't it Ben?
Speaker 1:Now look at the church in the nation. So 75% of what we would call Christianity are not allowing or the word is not falling on good ground, but there's only 25% of Christianity that the word is landing. The seed has gone out and it has landed on their heart and they've received it and they're acting on what the word of God says. Then we come to the question well, why is there such a 75% difference? It's because the sowers are not sowing the Word of God as well.
Speaker 1:The preachers and the teachers, the farmers of the.
Speaker 2:Word. So what we're saying is mate them. Seeds aren't being watered, are they?
Speaker 1:No, so they're not being watered. Them seeds aren't being watered, so the seed actually isn't being given out of the word of God.
Speaker 2:You know, we see these big conferences and big meetings. Everything going on and they do an altar call and you know, maybe it's a Saturday night and a bit of emotion. People rush forward to give in inverted commas, say a little prayer, give their lives to the Lord, don't we? But what happens next?
Speaker 1:Where do I go from here?
Speaker 2:Because if that seed ain't watered, if that seed is not watered, it is going to be like one of those free seeds it's going to hit a rock or a hard place, it's going to start growing and then be taken away by the birds, or it's going to grow and the life and the world is going to choke it. If it's not watered correctly, you ain't reaping correctly are you so?
Speaker 1:how do I water? How do I get water? You know, the bible is very clear and it says you're like a tree planted by a stream, so you've got to be planted. God has got to plant you. So sowing and reaping, farming and agricultural language that Jesus used is really important because the audience that he was reaching were farmers and fishermen and they understood the language.
Speaker 2:We'll move on to the pruning of the vine.
Speaker 1:Another time the gardener. So you've got to look, haven't you, lord? Who am I in you? Who am I? That is one of the questions. Because, lord, where I'm sowing, I don't seem to be getting a return. I'm sowing so much, I'm giving everything I've got, but then Jesus will say, well, where are you giving it? Where are you giving your time? Where are you giving your finances? Where are you giving how much time we can?
Speaker 2:all examine ourselves on that. Ben, that's a simple thing. We can do Deep stuff.
Speaker 1:But it's simple.
Speaker 2:It's simple, but it's deep, yeah, right.
Speaker 1:So where do I give my time in the course of the day? Where does the Bible come in my life? What do I think about when I'm sitting in church? Am I clock watching, or am I listening? Oh dear that's you.
Speaker 2:You're eating some big bombs there, Ben, aren't you?
Speaker 1:Am I sowing?
Speaker 2:What am I thinking about in church?
Speaker 1:What am I thinking about in church? Certainly not listening to what's been going on, because what's coming across the pulpits are not real seeds, so there's a circle of issue going on. People don't know who they are because the church, the majority, massive area, is embracing the alphabet people.
Speaker 2:Look what he says, Ben, in 2 Corinthians 9, 6-7. He says but this I say he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Oh Lord help. And he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity, but God loves a cheerful giver, and God is able to make all grace abound towards you that you always, having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work. Thank you, Jesus. So what he's saying has been you know, and we're not just talking about money and you brought that point out and I think you brought it out well we're talking about time, Time, Effort, energy, we're talking about all of that.
Speaker 1:That is the biggest commodity that you can't get back time. What are we? Because everything we do, we are sowing our lives into something and time you can't get, get back, you can't buy it, but we give ourselves to time into some situation business, life, children, families. Where is the biggest time? Where are we sowing the time?
Speaker 2:well, we need to be sowing into the kingdom. That needs to be the number one, doesn't it? You know? Seek, yeah, first the kingdom, and, and, and that's the number one, isn't it? You know, seek first the kingdom, and that's the number one commandment, isn't it? Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart. So that has to be, and everything else will fall into place. So if you sit with someone down and go, you know, tell me where you spend your time, at what time you give them to the Lord and you know the people that sow the least time to a Lord reap the least from the Lord.
Speaker 1:Exactly you know you… it's so difficult when you look at this subject, sowing my time business got to leave the house at silly o'clock in the morning because I've signed on the dotted line to certain things in life and I'm a commuting, I'm going at the ivory towers, I'm a slave to the matrix.
Speaker 1:You're a slave to the matrix, and there are many people in work, now listening to this stuff, and I know and Simon knows how you feel, we know that feeling of being so trapped by work, so trapped by a choice, a knee-jerk reaction to something because I've got an opportunity. We get another five grand a year, we get another 10 grand a year. I'm going to be a CEO, I'm going to be an owner of a business, I'm going to be this, I'm going to be that. So you sew yourself into that. Do you know what? We all know this, we all know this, that the system and the business, if you dropped off the peg tomorrow, there'd be someone sitting at your desk tomorrow.
Speaker 2:We always used to say it in the police force, you know, because people used to give their heart and soul, life, to the police force, give their self. What we used to say is it's like when you leave. It's like because you know you move from different department to different departments and it's like putting your fist in a bucket, bringing it out and there's a little ripple. Then all of a sudden it goes. It's calm, it's gone and a few months later people go. Oh, do you remember that? Who? Oh?
Speaker 1:no, no. Who's that? Who's that? What? So? Never think so. It's quite a frightening thing really that me, you and all of us have given ourselves timelessly.
Speaker 2:We've given ourselves to the man.
Speaker 1:To the man We've given ourselves. So we're sowing time to a man or a system. We said it, the other week, didn't we?
Speaker 2:Ben, you know where your treasure is, so is your heart. So we should be sowing for the kingdom. We should be sowing for the kingdom. That's a massive thing to do. Imagine when your time comes and you're standing before the Lord.
Speaker 2:Well done good and faithful servant. Yeah, you've done great for the kingdom, Ben, because, don't be deceived, God is not mocked Whatever you sow, you will reap. So if you're you know and it's like the definition of madness, Ben, you know, if you can't be doing the same thing day in, day out and expecting different results, it doesn't work. So if you're sowing into gossip, bad mouthing, if you're sowing into wrongful sex, drugs, alcohol, if you're sowing into all that and still expecting your life to be… …blessed and peaceful.
Speaker 1:It ain't going to happen. There's some lifestyle choices. I honestly believe God is speaking to me loud and clear. I am making some serious decisions in my life. I am making some critical, life-changing decisions that I believe god is looking to me, to gently pointing me and leading me. You know, every one of us, every one of us, can get out. There may be many of us at this moment in time in an ivory tower, in in a business or in a life and we're thinking I am literally trapped by this money luck. I am really unhappy. I'm living a life that I'm not happy in. I'm sowing into this business, I'm sowing into the towers of Baal and I'm just so depressed I can't travel anymore. I can't travel anymore. I can't do this. I'm depressed. You know, every one of us has something around us to make the change your house, sell your house. Descalar the size of your house. Get rid of a car, sell a car. Start to make changes, because there is nothing more powerful than being free Freedom.
Speaker 2:Well, do you know what, Ben? We've been speaking about this for a few months. We have Serious conversation. I sat down and I was going to speak on another point in a second, but, as you brought that up, I mentioned it last week. There's a great book out there.
Speaker 1:It's by Dave Ramsey.
Speaker 2:It's called Total Money Makeover. He's a Christian guy and he tells you exactly what to do. He tells you, you know, get rid of your credit cards, cut them up.
Speaker 1:Definitely.
Speaker 2:So you can use your debit cards and then you know exactly what's going on out of the bank. And come last October I had about four credit cards which had money on it and I had a loan for a car, a van, which had yeah yeah yeah, and I sold a van, got rid of the loan. I'm down now just a few hundred quid on a couple of credit cards and I've been the freedom it brings.
Speaker 1:I've been on holiday Exactly yeah.
Speaker 2:I didn't have to. I had money to spend and the freedom that that brings yes, and the rewards it brings, is absolutely unbelievable. So what we're saying here Ben is me, and Ben have actually gone down the route. We're not just saying it.
Speaker 1:we're actually doing it, Actually going down the path, a serious change of direction.
Speaker 2:And I think, if you're listening to this and you're wrapped up in a bit of debt, a credit card, exactly whatever you've got to get yourself out of that, because we've all sown into the world.
Speaker 1:Because even when you look at the prosperity gospel isn't it the way that goes? And certain teachings in church, and that it's telling you that god wants you to be rich materially and he wants you to have the biggest house, the biggest cars, all this, and that it's actually a trap. It's a trap, it's a huge trap. It's a trap. And you have something in your life at this moment in time where you will get free. You might go. Well, hang on a minute. I actually can't, because of A, b and C and D. If you commit your heart, if you say to God now, lord, I've sown into wrong areas, now I'm reaping. Now I'm actually a slave. So what I've sown into? I've become a slave to the system.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're reaping the prison of the system, the prison of the system.
Speaker 1:The prison of the system.
Speaker 2:And it just goes round and round and round and you end up, if you're not careful, just paying off the minimum on credit cards each month and think, oh crikey, thank goodness that's gone. And then the system says here's a credit card, let's bounce it off of that Brand new credit card.
Speaker 1:Shining, You've got five grand on this one Ben.
Speaker 2:Put all your other credit cards on that one and just pay off that one, and what happens is yeah, it's all on that, hang on a minute. All of a sudden, we've got three clean credit cards.
Speaker 1:I've got 15 grand.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'll just put a couple of quid on that.
Speaker 1:And, before you know it, you're in a worse position than you are.
Speaker 2:Get rid of them, cut them up, pay it all off and you might say well, it's easy for you to say that but you've got to target it, you've got to be disciplined and you've got to target it.
Speaker 1:I know what it's like to have everything strapped, racked and stacked to the maximum, but where the change comes, say that again Strapped, wrapped and stacked. I know what it's like to be literally got your back against the wall.
Speaker 2:Listen, we're running the lab here, but it ain't funny. This is not I know. I know what it's like.
Speaker 1:And do you know what is? The breakthrough point Is when you say to Jesus I don't want this anymore. That is. The breakthrough point is when you say to Jesus I don't want this anymore. That is the point. And it might be a year down the line, but God will open that door. But when you say, lord, I want to sow in the kingdom, I have to see change.
Speaker 1:That's a great point it starts within your heart. You've got to come to that point, haven't you, ben? And then, suddenly, you still look at the debt, you still look at everything and think, hang on, there's no change. But there is a change Because there's an attitude change.
Speaker 2:There's an attitude change.
Speaker 1:And bigger than the attitude. Your heart has changed and God will, without any doubt, I guarantee you open your eyes. You'll go hang on a minute, I can sell that caravan. Hang on a minute, we can sell that car. Hang on a minute, I hang on a minute. I've got a classic car. Hang on a minute, we can sell some mobile phones. I've got some tablets not tablets as in dropping in your. I've got some iPad tablets we can sell. I've got a holiday home. I've got a time share very quickly, ben.
Speaker 2:but here's the thing I said to my wife scoot round here and see what bits of jewellery we've got, and do you know what? Everyone's got? A bit of jewellery we got, and do you know what Everyone's got? A bit of jewellery somewhere and I pulled up a few of the old Belcher gold chains you used to wear back in the day on a few of them.
Speaker 1:She had a bit of jewellery, pulled it all together.
Speaker 2:Took it down to the old prestige pawnbrokers and, before you know what, she's ringing me up saying you know I was driving back from here and I nearly drove off the road. She says we can give you three grand for that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Then, all of a sudden, you're freed up, you're freed up, so every one of us has something around us, you've got something you can get rid of you can start and when you start to make that move, you know when you start to shift, when you start to get that shift moving. I'll tell you what. There's nothing more powerful than going for Jesus, but it will be challenging.
Speaker 2:Sowing in the right areas. Because, you know, here's a sobering thought, ben, you know our Heavenly Father. He records all our sowing, doesn't he he?
Speaker 1:records all the sowing.
Speaker 2:He records all the sowing and so I loved it. I was listening to Billy Graham the other day and he said Good old Billy. He said some people sow their wild oats all week and go to church on a Sunday and hope for a crop failure. You can't do it, it don't work like that.
Speaker 1:It don't work. You know what we love, old Billy, do you know what? Talking on the money drum again, if you look, took a house for an instance. Right, if you look at most houses at this moment, there'll be equity sitting in there, but we are living in a culture that is driven by. You've got to have a three bedroom, four bedroom. You've got to have a loft conversion. You've got to have artificial grass. You've got to have a crest pre concrete drive. You've got to have two garages don't come on initially artificial grass mate.
Speaker 1:You know what? We've both got artificial grass and it's the greatest investment I've ever done in my life. And if you look at your house and go, do you know what? I've got 150 grand in equity. If I sell this descal you could. There is so many ways of releasing money but still having a nice home, but what happens is our eyes and our ears are looking on the other side of the fence. I want what the Joneses have got. I want the latest car. I want a new telly. I want a new sofa for Christmas. Dfs. Sign on the dotted line it's yours. You don't have to pay for two years, do you? You don't have to pay for two years.
Speaker 2:But you're going to have to pay, aren't you?
Speaker 1:The springs are hanging, pay at the end. You're going to pay at the end. So, every one of us, there is a way forward. For every one of us there is a way forward, you know, and I think the biggest area that we have fallen is sowing into materialistic stuff, giving our time and everything over to that. When Jesus says, seek ye first the kingdom of God, that's the beast system, isn't it man? That is, it's the system of the world, that is the system of the world.
Speaker 2:They want to wrap you up in debt? They literally don't. But thinking about your thoughts and all that sort of thing. There was a guy who came up with this thing. He said be careful of your thoughts, because your thoughts then become your words. Of course, yeah, be careful of your words because they become your actions. Yes, your actions become your habits and your habits become your character, and that and that and that determines your destiny. So, wow, we have to be. If we're thinking, if we're thinking, uh, fleshly thoughts, then all of a sudden everything, sort of the dial, goes in the fleshly direction, doesn't it? It goes in the flesh wobble. If we're thinking, kingdom thoughts.
Speaker 1:So it is a change of thinking as well, change of attitude, change of thinking. Prayer saying Lord, will you change my habits? You know, lord, can you break the addiction? Can you help my thoughts to be righteous and pure and on Jesus? Because, let's face it, you know the church ain't throwing out seeds of hope. Is it really from the pulpits? It's in loads of areas. You know, 95% of the church, I'd say in the UK, is not throwing out the seed of the word of God. We're all guilty of that and you know what. What we need is preachers and teachers and ministries to be encouraged, us to get in the word of God and to focus on Jesus and to give him everything. You've got de-scal, de-clutter, say Lord, strip me back. Look at me, lord, look at my heart, lord. Help my heart to have a heart for God.
Speaker 2:It's a tough subject as we come into land. You know what better place to come into land than the cross?
Speaker 1:Because Jesus sowed his life on the cross, didn't he? He sowed his life on the cross. He sowed yeah.
Speaker 2:And he reaped a harvest.
Speaker 1:You think of that? You know that's a showstopper, that one alone, that's the conversation stopper. To think that Christ came to this world. But he did say, didn't he in the garden? If it is possible, take this from me, and there may be many times in our lives where we go. God, I know the path I've got to go down for you, but do I really have to? Do I really have to? Yeah, you've got to walk it, but when you walk it, trust me, I'll strengthen you in your walk. I will get you debt free. Trust and believe. Stop sowing into the credit card, stop sowing into the business. Stop sowing into the drug addiction. Stop sowing into the alcohol. Stop sowing into light. Stop sowing into the world and actually go into light stop sowing into the world and actually go.
Speaker 2:now I'm gonna get myself treasures in heaven. You said something a little bit further back and and that's what you just said is powerful, and and the thing is stop sowing into fear, but so into belief, yeah, and trust, and just shout out wherever you are no, no, I don't want this anymore. Break it, god. Break this, break this, break this. Show me, father, where you want me to be. I want to break this shackle of debt. I want to break this shackle of pornography.
Speaker 1:I want to break it. It's like an umbilical cord, isn't it? Lord, cut me umbilical cord. What is feeding me? You know, when you look at a baby, when you look at a child, the way it grows that umbilical cord, and I believe many of us have got lots of umbilical cords like spokes going out and it's feeding the flesh, it's feeding us. But, lord, cut all these worldly umbilical cords. And Lord, I want to be fed by you. Feed me, I want to be fed by the word I want to be hungry for you.
Speaker 1:I want to be thirsty and hungry for you, and then when that happens, you'll be living a kingdom life.
Speaker 2:And your actual life will make someone hungry, because your life, people will go. I want some of what he's got. Yeah, what has he got?
Speaker 1:Be a kingdom person. He's walking in freedom. We don't need the men's, the women's ministries, the kids' ministries. You know we are all together, we are all kingdom people. It is about the king's domain and be an encourager in your life. You know we've got so much more to talk about, but we're out of it. But we're out of it. You know we're off and we're going to go and sell some gold bullion to get freed up of some debt and get all that stuff.
Speaker 2:Sell a few things in the church just to clear the lead. Going to sell the lead off the roof.
Speaker 1:Sorry, healing, but just going to sell. Get a few quid on the front of the building.
Speaker 2:And we're going to dip into Patreon in a minute and we're going to talk more about stuff. So you know, join us. Please join us and be part of our family, Be part of something much more bigger than yourself the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God.
Speaker 1:We love you so much. Thank you to everybody on YouTube, everyone on Buzzsprout, spotify, iheartradio, everyone across the globe. We thank you so much, wherever you are at this moment in time. Patreon we thank you very much as well, and all those that listen to these podcasts I see the stats yesterday. So many people listen, offer your mobile devices and we thank you for all of you. We are so grateful for every one of you listening to this stuff. Hop on to hashtag Christian Straight Talk. Find us on Patreon. Come on, let's be men and women of the kingdom of God. Have a great day. I'm so into Straight Talk, so into that and you'll reap encouragement.
Speaker 2:That's the truth.
