Wrong behavior can stop you from experiencing maximum results. I can prove it to you. We all know the scripture in Mark 11. Most of us can probably quote these two verses from memory. It says:

Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(vv. 23-24)

It would be nice if we could stop reading right there, but we can't. The next verse begins with "and."

If you know anything about the English language, then you know the word "and" is a conjunction. It's used to continue a thought; therefore, we must continue reading. Mark 11:25 says:

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

God is showing right here that unforgiveness can hinder your faith and prevent your prayer from being answered. This is a perfect example of how wrong behavior can stop your harvest. I don't know about you, but I need my harvest to come on time. I don't want any delays. Notice the Word says, "If ye have ought against any."

I read this verse in another translation and it said, "Any person against whom you have a grudge." Jesus is saying that the very thing you desire could be prolonged if you're holding a grudge against someone.

Let's do a quick word study. What is a grudge? It is defined as resentment, bitterness, and malice. What does the word malice mean? Malice is defined as deep-seeded animosity, hostile feelings, ill will wished upon another or bitterness. This is getting serious.

Deep-seeded animosity? Bitterness? When you hear the word bitterness, what do you think of? I immediately think of roots (Heb. 12), and anything that has roots has to be dug up. If all you do is cut the top off, then you're not really dealing with the problem, you're just cutting it off at the surface. You've got to go down deep to get the roots out.

Hebrews 12:14 says, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled."

Let's read it like this: "Follow peace with all men lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble. God's instructions to us are: keep peace with every man. If I don't, then a root of bitterness could spring up and trouble who? Me. It doesn't trouble the other person. It troubles me. How I conduct myself with others can have a profound effect on my harvest!

Weeds
The Amplified Version says, "Strive to live in peace with everybody. In order that no root of resentment, bitterness, or hatred shoots forth and causes trouble." Every time I hear the phrase "shoots forth," I can't help but think of weeds.

Isn't that the way weeds operate? They shoot forth so fast. I looked up the word weeds in the dictionary and it says "any undesired plant that grows in abundance so as to crowd out the desired crop."

I'm explaining all this to give you an illustration of something that happened in my life and how I dealt with it. I had sown a seed and was believing for the harvest to come. Years had gone by but still no harvest. The Lord kept saying to me, "Get the weeds off your seeds." I couldn't figure out what He meant by that. He just left it for me to pray over. I kept trying to figure out what this means: "Get the weeds off your seed."

Well, I thought of everything in the world I could think of and finally, I thought maybe I haven't been confessing the Word as I should. Perhaps I need to be more aggressive. So I did. Time went by, still no results. I said, "Lord, what's the problem here?" He said, "Get the weeds off your seed." I said, "Would you mind explaining to me what You mean by get the weeds off your seed?" He said, "Read Haggai and consider your ways." So, I read these verses and continued to meditate upon them for several days.

Hate Corrodes The Vessel That Carries It
Well, my wife and I came out of a meeting one night, and as we were driving home, I was thinking about "get the weeds off your seed." Suddenly, it dawned on me. I had animosity against someone. I had been offended. I said, "God, that's what You're talking about." I turned to my wife immediately, and I said, "Carolyn, I know what God's been trying to tell me regarding the weeds on my seed."

I told her about the person toward whom I had this animosity and then right there in our automobile, I asked God to forgive me, cleanse me, and purge me of all the unforgiveness, animosity, and bitterness. I immediately began to feel a peace in my heart and I knew the weeds were gone! In less than 48 hours, the harvest, which had been delayed for years, began manifesting!

Source: Are You Tired of Sowing Much and Reaping Little by Jerry Savelle.
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Publications