Sowing and Reaping, Judgments and Vows

Back in the Garden of Eden, before the fall of Adam and Eve, the law of sowing and reaping was operational and designed to increase blessings. However, when sin came into the world the same principle applied to destruction. This universal principle found in both the Old and New Testament also manifests in natural laws. For example, if a farmer sows wheat, that is what he will reap. In physics we know that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. We find the principle of sowing and reaping in Galatians 6:7. "...A man reaps what he sows." Another explanation of balancing the scales, so to speak, comes from Matthew 7:12. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."  There is further clarification of this concept in Romans 2:1. "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things." 
 
Let us look at how the law of sowing and reaping may manifest in our lives. God made us sovereign over our own hearts when He gave us free will. Our inner freedom gives us the option of making choices that may have ramifications for years to come. Our enemy, the devil, looks for ways to ensnare us, especially during our times of innocence. It is common for the enemy to lead us astray when we do not know the ways of God by enticing us to make inner vows. Children are a prime target for the enemy. Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge." The prophet Isaiah reveals the words of the Lord concerning this in Chapter 5, Verse 13. "My people will go into exile for lack of understanding."  
 
It is so important for us to follow the ways of God so that we can recognize the schemes of the enemy to trap us. On their web site, Smoky Rain Counseling Services points out how vulnerable children are to the enemy. Here is their definition of "bitterroot judgments" and inner vows. These are "responses to hurts, unfulfilled expectations, or unmet needs. They can be defined as decisions or determinations designed by a child (or person) and set into the heart as templates or 'tracks to follow.'" We tend to make judgments and vows when we find ourselves in uncomfortable, fearful, or painful situations that we want to avoid in the future. We may be attempting to break a generation pattern or correct another behavior in our own strength. What we do not realize is that as we "sow a vow" based on a judgment we are putting a burden on ourselves to fulfill it instead of on the Lord. Doing this not only blocks us from receiving God's grace to overcome a specific behavior but also binds the one we have judged from being able to see their problem.
 
Inner vows based on judgments stay with us throughout life until we confess and repent for making them so that we can unbind ourselves from the powers of darkness. Smoky Rain Counseling calls them "threads that continue to be woven into the fabric of our lives and relationship as adults." Unfortunately, our misguided attempts to avoid repeating or experiencing certain behaviors we dislike in others only lead us to frustration. How many young men do you think vowed, "I will never treat my kids the way my father treated me," and then end up doing exactly what they said they would not do? How many women determined through a vow that their marriages would be better than that of their parents and find themselves in hurtful marriages? These are just two examples of the law of sowing and reaping in action.
 
The good news is that Jesus came to set the captives free. (Isaiah 61 and Luke 4:18-19) We must come into agreement with the Kingdom of Light by confessing and repenting of our sins of judging others and making vows accordingly. Then it is important for us to forgive all who brought about our judgments and renounce and break any vow we made that agreed with the kingdom of darkness. After declaring that the cycle of sowing and reaping is broken, we are free to receive God's blessings and to walk in freedom. Be encouraged, dear ones. The Lord wants us to prosper and is ready to help us cut the cords that bind us so that we can ascend into higher realms with Him.