Have you been waiting on a “sign” or a certain time in your life to begin something the Lord has placed on your heart? Guess what, if the idea has been placed in your mind, the time is now! This doesn’t mean that the project must be completed right now. However, you have been gifted this idea because He entrusted Y O U with it!
When these ideas come to you, thank Him for placing them on your heart. Then, do something! Don’t just sit on these ideas. If the Father has given something to you, He will help you see it to the end.
Just like a garden, an idea is like a seed. The seed/idea must be planted, watered, fertilized, provided light, pruned, and harvested. Let’s take a closer look at this analogy. Here are the S E V E N Stages of Growth: (cool that there are 7 stages!)
- SEED – The idea God has planted in your mind has been entrusted to you and you alone. Therefore, it is up to you to procure the idea. This might mean journaling your thoughts and begin to make a plan regarding the idea.
- PLANT – In order to plant a seed, the soil must be prepared. The soil is your soul. In order to receive and grow the seed, your soul must be ready. Pray and seek God with every step. He will guide you. Is the soil (your soul) rocky, full of weeds, infertile? Prepare now so the seed you have been given will grow and prosper.
- WATER – Water is essential to all of life. Watering your idea is important. This means to consistently fill yourself with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He fills you with His sustenance that fills every cell of your body. John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
- FERTILIZE – Once the seed is planted, it must be fertilized. Good growth requires nutrition. Your idea will need to be fed. To feed ideas requires time, dedication, consistency, and intentionalism. You cannot simply write your ideas down and expect something to grow in a static form. Get busy, get to work, fertilize those ideas!
- LIGHT – Every plant needs light in order to grow. The light you need for your God-given idea comes directly from Him. John 1:4, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Jesus is our Light. Allow His Light to guide your every move.
- PRUNING – All growth requires some pruning to keep the plant strong and productive. What needs to be cut out of your life in order to grow your idea. You may say you don’t have time. Perhaps there are “time-wasters” eating up your time. Cut them out and watch your idea blossom.
- HARVEST – The best part of a garden is reaping the harvest. Picking the beautiful flowers and the ripened fruit is the reward. When you take your idea to completion, you can experience the harvest. Recognizing the harvest comes at the end of all of the steps above helps you understand that in order to reach the harvest, there will be time and work invested.
What are you waiting for? Is that idea there floating around waiting on you to get busy? Now is the time my friend. You cannot get to the harvest until you get busy growing.
Plant your idea seeds, nurture them, take care of them, and get to work. God has entrusted these ideas to you. It is now your job to get your idea to the finish line! Are you ready?