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Jason is the founder of Ignite Student Ministries, a dynamic ministry igniting youth, young adults and university students to passionately pursue Christ and transform society in high schools, work places and universities around the world.

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Fruitful Perseverance

Jason VanaJason Vana
Photo Credit: iStockPhoto.com

Photo Credit: iStockPhoto.com

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

It takes time to receive a harvest.

Farmers don’t plant their fields, water them a few times, and expect a fully grown, mature crop within a week. Or even a month.

It takes time for the seed to sprout.
Months for it to grow.
Seasons of rain and wind and storms and sunshine for it to reach the point where it’s ready to be harvested.

The harvest never happens overnight.
It’s a truth we all know.

Yet, when it comes to our dreams, we expect things to turn out differently.

We say one prayer, and expect the solution within the hour.
We take one step closer to our dream, and think everything will fall into place.
We make one phone call, publish one post, write one letter, and wonder why God hasn’t fulfilled His promise.

We want the harvest, and we want it now.

Maybe that’s why Paul told the believers in Galatia not to give up – he knew how easy it is to throw in the towel when the harvest doesn’t come right away.

When you spend years believing for God to move, and it seems like He’s ignoring you.
When you invest all you have, and watch the ministry stay the same year in and year out.
When you pour into that relationship, and see no change.

It’s tempting to give up when the harvest seems far off.

In the fall of 2012, Ignite launched its first international group in the city of Cesky Tesin, Czech Republic.

It was the culmination of some immense sowing.

Six years worth of praying and believing.
Eight mission trips.
Tens of thousands of dollars.
Countless hours praying for, mentoring, speaking to, encouraging, training, and rebuking others.

I held onto the promise of seeing that group start for years.

And while I would have liked to have seen it start after my first trip to Europe, the truth is – that never would have happened.

The Czech people we work with didn’t know me.
They didn’t trust me yet.
They knew next to nothing about Ignite, let alone our passion for that side of the world.
One of the main couples who helped launch the group weren’t even in the church then – I didn’t meet them until 2011.

The harvest wasn’t ready yet.

But when proper time arrived – when I had proven my commitment to their country, grown more in my own leadership skills, worked through my control issues, seen testimony after testimony of our trips to Czech, and learned to trust God’s perfect timing – then God could answer our prayer and the group could start.

Your harvest is coming.

The longer you hold on, the more you push through, the more time you give it to grow and mature, the closer you get to receiving that harvest.

Don’t give up just because it’s taking some time.
You’re closer than you think.

No harvest comes over night.
But when the time is right, you will reap the harvest, IF you don’t give up.

Where do you need to keep pushing through in order to see your harvest come?

Jason is the founder of Ignite Student Ministries, a dynamic ministry igniting youth, young adults and university students to passionately pursue Christ and transform society in high schools, work places and universities around the world.