Reap What You Sow Mondays with Tony™: Your Hands Are Not Empty– How to Recognize the Seeds You Already Have Instead of Waiting for More

🌱 Introduction: The Myth of “When I Get More”

How many times have you said, “When I get more money, I’ll give…”,or “When I have more time, I’ll serve…”,or “When my situation changes, I’ll obey what God told me to do…”?

The truth is, God rarely starts you with more. He starts you with what’s already in your hand.

In fact, most of us are sitting on blessings, resources, skills, and opportunities we haven’t even tapped into because we’re convinced they’re too small to matter.

But here’s the Kingdom truth:

God doesn’t need you to wait for more—He wants you to work with what you have right now.

Your hands are not empty. Your life is not barren. The seeds for your next harvest are already with you.

📜 1. The Widow’s Oil: A Lesson in Multiplication

In 2 Kings 4:1–7, a widow’s husband had died, leaving her with debts she couldn’t pay. Creditors were coming to take her two sons as slaves. She cried out to the prophet Elisha, desperate for help.

Elisha’s first question wasn’t, “How much money do you need?” but rather:

“What do you have in your house?”

She replied:

“Your servant has nothing there at all… except a small jar of olive oil.”

That “small jar” was enough for a miracle. Elisha instructed her to gather empty jars from her neighbors and start pouring the oil. The oil didn’t stop flowing until every jar was full. She sold the oil, paid her debts, and lived on the rest.

🌾 Lesson: Your provision often starts with what’s already in your possession. Don’t underestimate the “small jar” in your life.

🗣️ Declaration: I will recognize the resources God has already placed in my life and trust Him to multiply them.

🔥 2. Moses and the Staff: Power in the Ordinary

In Exodus 4:2, when God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, Moses doubted his ability. God asked him:

“What is that in your hand?”

Moses replied, “A staff.”A simple shepherd’s stick—nothing special. Yet God used that staff to part the Red Sea, bring water from a rock, and perform signs before Pharaoh.

🌾 Lesson: Sometimes, the tool God wants to use in your life is so familiar to you that you dismiss it as ordinary. But in God’s hands, the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

🗣️ Declaration: God, I surrender the ordinary in my hands for Your extraordinary purposes.

💰 3. The Parable of the Talents: Accountability for What You Already Have

In Matthew 25:14–30, a master gave three servants different amounts of money (“talents”) before going on a journey. Two invested what they were given and doubled it. The third buried his single talent, fearing loss.

The master rewarded the faithful servants but rebuked the one who buried his gift:

“You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.”

🌾 Lesson: Waiting for more before acting is often disobedience disguised as caution. God holds us accountable for what we do with what we already have.

🗣️ Declaration: I will not bury my gift. I will use it, grow it, and multiply it for God’s glory.

🌳 4. Seeds Don’t Look Like Trees

Many of us overlook what’s in our hands because it doesn’t look like the final vision God showed us. Seeds are small, unimpressive, and often hidden in dirt before growth is visible.

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” – Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)

The dream, the business idea, the relationship, the ministry—it may start as a single seed, but if planted and nurtured, it will produce a harvest far beyond its initial form.

🗣️ Declaration: I celebrate small beginnings, knowing they are the starting point of God’s great work in my life.

🛑 5. Excuses That Keep Us Empty-Handed

Here are some common lies the enemy whispers to convince us our hands are empty:

• “I don’t have enough money.” God provides through creativity, connections, and obedience—not just cash.

  
  

• “I don’t have the right connections.” Favor with God will open doors connections never could.

  
  

• “I’m not skilled enough.” Skills grow when you start using them. David wasn’t born with a slingshot in his hand—he practiced.

  
  

• “It’s not the right time.” Waiting for perfect conditions often means never starting (Ecclesiastes 11:4).

🌊 6. How to Recognize the Seeds You Already Have

1. Inventory Your Gifts – Write down what you’re good at, what others affirm in you, and what you naturally enjoy doing.

   
   

2. Identify Your Resources – Look around: tools, relationships, knowledge, experiences.

   
   

3. Ask God to Open Your Eyes – Pray for clarity to see opportunities right in front of you.

   
   

4. Act on the Small – Start with the jar of oil, the staff, the one talent—whatever is in your hand now.

   
   

5. Trust God for the Increase – Your obedience is the fertilizer for your seed.

🙏🏾 Prayer for Seeing What’s in Your Hands

Lord,Forgive me for overlooking the blessings and resources You’ve already placed in my life. Open my eyes to the seeds in my hands and the opportunities around me. Teach me to steward well what You’ve entrusted to me so it multiplies for Your glory. I surrender every gift, skill, and resource to Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

✍🏾 Closing Word

You don’t need to wait for “one day” to step into your purpose.Your “one day” begins with what you already have. Stop saying you’re waiting on more—more might be waiting on you to use what’s already in your hands.

And if you want stories of faith, action, and divine purpose, check out my novel series S.O.L.A.D.™: Soldiers of Light Against Darkness™. These powerful, action-packed books will inspire you to see the gifts in your own hands. Autographed copies of Book I and Book II are available exclusively at www.tyronetonyreedjr.com/the-shop.