How to apply the principle of times and seasons as a Christian

By: Caleb Elochukwu –

The Kingdom of God operates on esoteric mysteries and these mysteries are governed by staunch principles.
In Matthew 13, Jesus Christ told his disciples “It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 13: 11). He also asserted that “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 16:19)
This implies that as a child of God, it is your privilege and God’s desired prerogative to teach you the principles that can make you a principality on Earth as His child.
In conventional terms, principles are rules or laws that explain how something works.
Principles, in our context, are the “Keys” that explains the dynamics of the operations of the Kingdom of God which God has provided that every believer should seek, know, and apply to become competent representatives of His on Earth. The principles of Heaven are “OPEN SECRETS”. They appear to be easily accessible but it is only through a diligent search and application that you can unlock them.
The principle of TIMES and SEASONS is one of the sacrosanct principles of God’s Kingdom. It is responsible for the existence of apparently everything seen and unseen today.
Times and seasons explain the reason why certain things happen at certain times under certain circumstances in certain ways. Most times they are usually either PHENOMENAL or UNREMARKABLE.
One factor that makes this principle tremendous, is SOWING AND REAPING.
It is stated ” Whatever a man SOWS, he REAPS” (Galatians 6:7-8). And it is the foundation upon which the principle of TIMES AND SEASONS operates.
The child of God needs to understand how this works to operate how God operates because it is what governs His affairs as well as the affairs of the World. It is also a TIME-HONOURED rule that was instituted by God Himself, though from creation it had been existent. “As long as the Earth remains, SEEDTIME (SOWING) and HARVESTTIME (REAPING) shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).
To sow means to plant (seeds) in the ground and to reap means to gather (the fruits) which was planted.
A lot of Christians have suffered mishaps and mesmerization in their lives as a result of the neglect of this “HOLY” esoteric rule. This may be due to many reasons, chiefly IGNORANCE of the dynamics of SOWING and REAPING.
Sowing and reaping are figurative for actions and inactions that you must take as a child of God to produce the kind of results that will yield God Glory. Sadly, many trivialize or avoid this because of the intricacies involved. These two are interwoven and are mutually exclusive.
To SOW the KINDS of SEEDS that will cause you to REAP (bountifully), you must take note of the following about sowing and reaping.
There is a [perfect] time for sowing: What this means is that there is a designated opportunity for you to take certain key actions that can cause your life to become better. If you miss that moment, you may have to wait for it to come around again, most times regrettably or with some attendant consequences.
As a youth, the best time to SOW is your youthful days. It is the best time to serve God wholeheartedly, the best time to develop yourself all-around etc.
The choice of your seeds determines the quality of your fruits
There are precious seeds and unprecious
ones.
This means that you must weigh your actions and determine the value of what you do constantly. Don’t waste your time on irrelevant things that will not have eternal consequences.
Jesus said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven.” It is the quality of your actions that will determine how treasurable the rewards will be.
You don’t sow carelessly:
This is closely related to the above point. Sowing involves a high level of intentionality, mindfulness, thoughtfulness and a great measure of preparation. Do you remember the SOWER in the PARABLE of the SOWER?
That ‘man’ was a careless SOWER! He barely paid attention to the necessary details and he ended up wasting most of His seeds.
Not all opportunities are palatable for you, as shiny as they may seem behind may be thorns.
As glaring as the ground may seem, it may be a Hard Ground
As attractive as the deal may look, it may be on the ‘WAYSIDE’ and without protection.
It takes a great deal of wisdom and preparation to discern good grounds. Don’t be like the CARELESS SOWER.
The devil has succeeded in preventing false grounds for children of God to sow in, but you can resist the devil (henceforth) and He will flee from you.
You must go out to sow:
As bad as the SOWER in the story was, we can deduce one good thing from Him. “He went out to sow” (Mark 4:3)
You cannot stay in a COMFORTABLE place to sow. The period of sowing is usually unpalatable. It involves a lot of crying and weeping as a result of seemingly bad experiences yet you must not deter from sowing.
“Don’t be weary in well-doing (sowing), for in due season you shall reap if you don’t faint” (Galatians 6:9)
Sow without limitations.
This is advisable because of the occurrences experienced during the period of sowing. God is limitless, and He is willing to breathe on as many tangible actions you undertake for the cause of His Kingdom. It is not guaranteed that everything you do will be successful, yet God is to grant a tremendous yield from just one to compensate for the lost “efforts.” How will this be possible if you limit yourself to a particular thing?
“Give a portion to seven and also to eight” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6).
There is a MAD-THRONG RUSH in our generation for everyone to succeed FAST. A lot of emphases has been placed on MAXIMIZING the RESOURCES available to create and live an IMPACTFUL LIFE. While all these are good, it has not come without their repercussions.
“Undue PRESSURES have been placed on the shoulders of many young people” and most have succeeded in RUNNING OUT OF THE WILL & INFLUENCE OF GOD.
Speed is good but don’t run out of God’s sphere of INFLUENCE and WILL for your LIFE.
As a Christian, it is important to understand that God has a PROGRAM and He works with a TIMETABLE. God’s not bound by time but He works with time.
“To everything, there is a SEASON and a TIME for every matter or purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
There is a DIFFERENCE between TIME and SEASON. Understanding this especially as a child of God, will help to ameliorate some of the UNDUE PREISSUES that society has put.
Time is common to every man on Earth but season is peculiar/unique. Time refers to “your numb of days on Earth” but season is “that particular period of days you fulfil your assignment on Earth.”
Season is associated with purpose because God fulfils His purposes on Earth only when it is the SEASON. This is an INVIOLABLE principle of God.
The season of one’s life is the TIME OF MANIFESTATION. It is the APPOINTED TIME of one’s life and it is only God that determines when this period arrives.
The lives of Biblical characters show how important this principle is to God and it is still obtainable today for every child of God.
Times have indeed changed, and there is an urgency to fulfil our TASKS on Earth yet we should synchronise with the WILL OF GOD so that we don’t operate outside of His season for our lives.
There is a TIME for PREPARATION, it is what precedes the SEASON of MANIFESTATION.
What happens when a man operates outside His season? Truthfully, you may gain relevance but it will be SHORTLIVED. The story of Ahimaaz and Cushi in 2 Samuel 18 explains the tragedy of one that insists on running faster than His God’s appointed SEASON.
In the end, God is interested in HOW WELL you finish your COURSE rather than HOW FAST.
Learn to calm down, God always has something bigger in the STORE for you. And always remember that “The race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence and understanding nor favour to men of skill, but TIME and CHANCE (Season) happen to them all.”