Do you want your offerings to get better results? If so, be sure to name your seed when you sow an offering!
Someone over on our free Facebook mentoring/prayer group asked a fabulous question recently about naming your seed. In case any of you are interested in this subject as well, I wanted to share this principle of Kingdom finance with you today.
Related: Check out 31 Days of Praying for Your Finances on our financial blog, OverNotUnder.com!
Why should you name your seed?
It's all in the nature of the seed. When God created the earth, He invented seeds (Genesis 1:11-12; Genesis 1:29). He commanded everything to reproduce after its own kind, and He created the earth such that the mature thing (e.g. the tree) would be inside the seed in embryonic form.
Then, He ordained seedtime and harvest.
It's the nature of creation for everything to reproduce after its own kind. This is true when we sow actions, beliefs, and money, just like it's true when we sow plant seeds. Galatians 6:7-10 tells us:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; 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 let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall 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 faith” (Galatians 6:7-10).
From this passage, we learn that “seeds” are not limited to the reproductive matter that plants produce. We read here that actions are also seeds. We also learn that there is a harvest for specific actions.
The question then becomes, what makes us think that we can get something other than what we sowed when we sow money–the concept of naming your seed? If we sow money, doesn't that mean that we can only get money back? Why do people think that we can call a money-seed something else, and get something else back?
Our answer is found in Ecclesiastes 10:19, which explains that “A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answers everything.”
MONEY is a currency; a method of exchange.
Money has no innate value; it's only worth is contained in what you can trade it for. You trade money in order to get something else. At the grocery store, you give money in order to get groceries. At the electric company, you give money in order to get electricity. Money is simply a method of exchange. It has no value or purpose outside of entitling you to get something else out of the exchange. And it can become anything; money answers ALL things.
Related: Read about how money answers all things in your personal finances here.
So. On to the process of naming your seed.
If money answers all things, the question then becomes, “What do you want your money to answer?”
The answer to that question is obvious if you're at a grocery store, where you want your money to answer your need for groceries! But, when you're giving money as a way to show honor–for example, by giving an offering–then it's different. Then, you have to tell money what to answer.
Because seed must reproduce …
And because that seed has the embryonic form of a bigger thing within itself …
And because money is a method of exchange, and it can answer all things …
Then we should look at money as if it were stem cells.
When you sow money in the form of an offering, it can and will grow and bring you something. However, you have to tell it what to become–what to answer. THAT is where naming your seed comes in.
When I sow a seed, I name it and tell it what to come up as.
I do this every time I sow money as an offering to the Lord. For example, the first time I had an article printed on a specific prophetic magazine, I had just sown some money to a person in need. As I drove away from making that gift, I prayed over the money sown. I prayed that the Lord would repay me, because “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.”
BUT, I also prayed that the money would become a seed for favor with that online magazine. I told the Lord I wanted that money to come up as a seed that resulted in an article I had submitted being published there.
And you know what?
THE NEXT DAY, my first article was published by that magazine.
Related: Get Kingdom Authority 101 and learn what God's Word says about how to speak and have what you speak come to pass. Very simply, I tell my seed what to come up as. I'll write a check, then touch that check and say, “Seed, I command you to come up in my life as (insert whatever need I have here).” I pray over it, lifting up God's promises back to Him in prayer about whatever my need is, and then I give that seed happily. 🙂 And it always works. The seed always comes up as whatever you tell it to, because money answers all things. But, be aware of these two principles: By “witchcraft,” I am referring to trying to manipulate or control someone else through your giving or praying. You would never sow a seed so that “so and so would marry me,” but you could certainly sow a seed of remembrance and ask the Lord to bring you the husband or wife He has for you. Likewise, you would never sow a seed for someone to do a certain thing that you aren't sure is within God's will, but you could certainly sow a seed for something that Scripture says you should have or that Scripture says should happen. Even with the example above about that online magazine, I prayed with conditions. Because my prayer involved the decisions of other people, I conditioned that prayer with “Lord, if it's Your will for me to be published on this magazine, then ….” I prayed that way because I wasn't going to get into witchcraft. However, if I had been praying for something that was more vague, such as “open doors” or “provide money to pay this bill,” I would not have conditioned my request–because I have exact Scriptures for those things. Remember that there is seed, TIME, and harvest. The harvest comes after TIME. Germinating a seed takes time. In the natural, some seeds germinate in a few days and yield a quick harvest. Other seeds can take long periods of time, even years, to sprout. It works the same way in the spiritual realm; God works all things according to His patterns. In the spiritual realm, the seeds that you sow can take time to grow, just like natural seeds do. Some seeds take shorter time periods while others take longer. Generally, the bigger the anticipated harvest, the longer it takes the seed to sprout. Sowing a seed and asking God to pay your electric bill will probably have a quicker germination time than sowing a seed and asking God to help us disciple nations. Regardless of the time required, however, the process still works. We just have to understand God's ways, and know that He does things little by little–so we must not get frustrated when a seed seems to be sleeping. We can pray in acceleration, but we still have to understand that seed comes first, then time, then harvest. You could name your seed “money” if you need more money. (You could also call it the thing you need the money for, like “paid electric bill.” You could name it “new car,” or “new house,” or “the new friends God has for me.” You could name it anything you wish, because money answers ALL things. Beloved, this is a very practical application of a spiritual principle. It WORKS. I hope you'll try it. Ask the Lord for wisdom; ask Him to show you what to name your seed the next time you sow an offering of any kind. He will do so, and you might be surprised at the results! What questions do you have about naming your seed when you sow an offering? Leave a comment below, and I'll try to answer!So I always name my seed something.
1) Never get into witchcraft sowing, just like you should never get into witchcraft praying.
2) Seed does not always come up immediately.
When you sow an offering to the Lord, always name your seed.
Maria Dimba says
Allelluya, thank you Jesus, thank you Lord for giving us such a wonderful preacher, educator. May God bless you abunduntly. I will now start naming my seeds and offerings and also pray over them. Thanks Jamie
Meloni Simpson says
Jamie,
Thank you for your wisdom. I signed up for the 31 days with regard to finances and am learning so much, God has used you to bless me. Thank you for allowing God to use you. Just for clarification with regard to offerings and naming a seed, seeing if I understand, the offering is over and above the tithe, right? I wouldn’t think you would name your tithe as a seed. Of course, I am just not sure.
I pray for continued blessings on you, your husband, your little boy and your ministry.
Love you.
Freda Dodi says
Thank you for sharing. God bless you and all of us reading this. I believe we will see fruitful results when we operate in this.
Sarah says
Awesome teaching!!! Thank you for sharing it!
God bless you!
Undule Mwakasungula says
Glory be to God l will now start naming every seed l plant. God bless you.
Patience says
Can I tell my husband about the seed I am sowing from my own personal income?
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
It’s up to you.
Lashelia says
I want to be debt free from credit cards and student loan what would I name that seed
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
I would name it “debt free from credit cards and student loans.” Or, “All debts paid off.”
Thessalonia Brown says
Greetings, can you name your seed for the lottery?
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Thessalonia,
Playing the lottery is not in line with God’s financial principles as taught in the Bible, so I don’t believe God would honor that–and I believe that playing the lottery or naming a seed for it would definitely open a door to the enemy, because it’s embracing something that is not pleasing to God.
Thanks for reading,
Jamie
Rulandi says
Can you name past seeds that you have planted? Or is it to late?
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Rulandi, I don’t know. So give it a shot and see what happens!
Godwin says
How often should I sow in regard of a particular named seed? Should I continue to give until it materialises?
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
I would simply ask the Lord and do what He says. I have done it both ways–sowed one seed for one thing and simply stopped and thanked/prayed/believed, and then also I have sown for other things over and over. 🙂 Holy Spirit will guide you!
Rovie says
This is eye opening, thank you for sharing!
Gloria says
Powerful revelation thank your for sharing surely I’ll apply the principle for my own benefit
Mary says
I want to sow a seed for marriage. I have been praying for God to les me with a husband for years and all my relationships always fail and do not lead to a committment and now I have met someone that I want him to marry me and not date me for fun.
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi sweet Mary! I believe God has the perfect spouse for you! If you sow a seed for marriage, just be sure to name it “for the spouse GOD wants for me”–NOT for this particular man or any particular man to marry you. Anything else is witchcraft, and you don’t want to go there!
Let me know if you have any questions–and if you haven’t read it, this article might be helpful.
Love,
Jamie
Didi says
Thanks for this inspiring read! May God continue to use u to touch lives. I will like to sow my first seed and i dont know if theres a particular amount e.g for tithes 10th of all u have. How do u calculate ur seed? Thank u
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Didi! A seed can be any amount! A penny, a dollar, ten dollars, a thousand dollars, or more, or anywhere in between! I have sown $2 seeds before when that was all I had! And I’ve sown more when I had that! It’s just between you and God. Just be sure you name it and sow it into good ground where the people believe and act on the entire Word of God. Anything less is not good ground. 🙂
Great question!
Love,
Jamie
Serah Wanjiru says
Hi
Am learning a lot regarding naming your seed-which I admit I have never done.
May I ask, is it okay to give a ‘seed offering’ out of loaned money? I recently took an education loan and I would like not only to perform well, but advance in career and also be able to pay back the loan without struggle even as I meet other needs.
Can I give some of these money as a seed offering and if so, how much percentage do I consider?
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Serah, that is really between you and God. I would never take out a loan to sow seed, but if you have already taken out the loan then ask the Lord. He will direct you for sure!
Love,
Jamie
Anjay says
Is sowing a seed the same as giving offerings on sunday mass? I am alittle bit confused
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Anjay,
There are 3 kinds of giving in the Bible:
Tithe: which is returning to God what belongs to Him.
Seed offerings: Giving to God extra, above the tithe, as a way to show our thankfulness and to honor Him. These are the gifts that should be sown as seeds the way this article says.
Alms: Giving to the poor.
Hope this helps!
Pastor Brown T.L says
Thank you for this beautiful knowledge. I would like to know if it is ok to sow a seed in your church as a pastor leading the church.
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hello Pastor Brown, of course it’s okay. It’s good ground and I would encourage anyone to sow into it!!!
Anjay says
Can I use tithe offerings on other needs that may arise in relation to God’s work?
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Anjay, great question. No, the tithe goes to God and to His storehouse only. Not for benevolence, missions, etc., according to the Word.
Hope this helps!
Jamie
Claudette Washington says
Hi Jamie,
I am in ministry and need some clarification. I am a sower but my husband does not understand what it means to pay tithes. He gives and when I try to explain it to him he misunderstands what I am telling him about taking the 10th off the top of his pay. I give a 10th from my child support, I have been out of work for over a year. So what else must I do to get him to understand the principle of sowing and reaping? Also, when sowing seed or tithe do I have to write it on the envelope (name of seed)?
D says
What would you say should be the seed(as in what should the seed be assigned specifically) to sow for:
marriage
success in academic studies
prosperity/wealth
wisdom/knowledge/understanding
favour with persons
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
I can only tell you the way I would do it. 🙂 What I would do is find a Scripture verse that promises me the thing I’m asking the Lord for. Then I’d sow a seed with the number tied to that verse. It isn’t a magic formula; it’s just a faith-builder to do it that way. If I’m claiming Isaiah 61:1 and I sow a seed of $6.11 or $61.10 or $611 or even $16.11 or $26.11 or any other number that includes that verse, then it’s easy to remember and it builds my faith and reminds me often of the promise, so I can pray into it even more. Make sense?
Leigh says
I read this article and I have a question. is it wrong to name your seed ( family). I recently named my seed family because I really need for my family to be restored. I felt criticized when I did this because someone said, it’s not just about your family, but if only they knew. I pray for all families, not just mine because I know there’s a need for families to pray together and cast out demons over their household. I never want anyone to think that I name a seed out of selfishness. This word really helped me to see things clearer.
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Leigh. That’s the most un-selfish thing ever! Of course it’s not wrong! Go for it!
Blessings,
Jamie
Philip Farmer says
I was searching this morning for something to really help me with naming my seed. Planted seed breaks through the ground with the warm spring air and gentle rains. A pandemic cannot prevent things from growing. Every morning I wake, I see that the sun still rises. What an excellent explanation. Thank you for sharing.
Daisy says
I thank God for you and your family. I am grateful that I found this information after listening to a preacher about naming my seed. My question now is, can I do my seed in other items other than money. Thanks
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
Hi Daisy, below is a few resources we have on the website. Please start with these and let me know if you have any questions. Blessings!
Blessing of the Tithe
Questions about Tithing