Have you ever noticed that it seems just when you have extra money to do something you've been believing God to do, suddenly all these unexpected needs arise?

The electric bill is higher than usual, more money! The car needs to be repaired, more money! The kids need new clothes, more money! All these needs suddenly seem to come up out of nowhere and eventually consume every dime of your money.

So what do you end up giving to God? Nothing. It was all consumed.

That's the way Satan operates. He knows when you have extra money in your possession so he creates all these little obstacles to leave you with nothing left for God. There is something that you possess that Satan is after more than anything else in your life and that's your seed. If he can get your seed, then he limits you.

You're Never Without Seed
God began to teach me in the very early stages of my Christianity that I may not always have what I need at the moment, but I am never without the seed that will produce it. If there's one thing that God has provided for you and always will, it's seed.

Satan wants your seed consumed before it can get into God's hands. He wants you to spend all your seed. He wants you to waste all your seed. He wants you to throw away your seed. Your seed is what makes you dangerous to the adversary.

You Determine Your Own Destiny
A few years ago, the Lord asked me this question. "When I created man, what was the first gift I bestowed upon him?" I said, "Genesis 1:26 says, 'Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.' The first gift was dominion and authority."

He said, "That's right." Then He said, "What was the second gift I gave to man after creating him?" And I had to be very honest because I had never thought of it in terms of Gift Number One and Gift Number Two.

So I said, "Lord, I don't know." He said, "Well, where did you find the first gift?" I said, "Genesis 1:26." He said, "Then if Gift Number One is in those verses, keep reading and you'll find Gift Number Two." So I kept reading. Verse 29 says, "And God said, 'Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed.'" That constitutes a gift.

In other words, God said to Adam, "I'm going to give you two things and with these two things you can control your destiny. Number One: authority. Number Two: seed. With those two things no one can control you. No one can limit you. No one can restrict you. You determine your own destiny by the seeds that you sow.

Look Out for the Birds of Prey
In Genesis we see Abram involved in offering a sacrifice to God and notice what happens.

And he said, 'Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?' And he said unto him, 'Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.' And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
(vv. 15:8-11)

Notice that while Abram is preparing his offering, the birds of prey swooped down and attempted to consume that offering before it can get into God's hands. Abram had to drive them away.

Now when I read that phrase "drove them away," I do not picture Abraham saying, "Birds, please stop!" It says, he drove them away. I don't know what he used. Perhaps he swatted them with his hand. Perhaps he picked up a stick of some sort. We do know that he used force!

Why was it important that he drive the birds of prey away? So they can't consume his offering. That offering links him to the supernatural. If the birds consume, then his covenant is not enforced. The Bible says, "Stay alert. Be on guard." Your adversary, the devil, is looking for an opportunity to devour. To devour means "to consume completely."

Satan: The Seed Eater
Have you ever noticed when vultures find a dead animal, they'll swoop down over it and attempt to consume it? A lot of times when you drive by, they won't even move. They may just fly back a few feet and then as soon as you get passed them, they are right back on it.

They are dead set on consuming that meat. Birds of prey are determined. And you're not going to get rid of them by just saying, "Move, bird. Please leave. We don't want you here." It takes force. You must drive them away.

The word swoop from the Amplified means: "to snatch or to seize suddenly." The word suddenly gives the implication of "catching one off guard." That's the way these birds of prey operate. They snatch or seize away suddenly hoping to catch you off guard. Mark 4:3 says, "Hearken; behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up."

Now notice every time we see these birds of prey or these fowls of the air, they're always endeavoring to consume something. In Verse 14, Jesus began His explanation of the parable of the sower: "The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts."

In His analogy, the fowls of the air suddenly become Satan. So what Abram was actually dealing with is not just birds, but Satan. Satan is attempting to keep that sacrifice from getting to God. He knows if Abram's sacrifice ever gets to God, then Abram is no longer limited to natural means or natural ability. Now he's linked to the supernatural and Almighty God. El Shaddai is on his side, and no weapon formed against him will prosper.

Satan is the "devourer." He wants to consume what God has given you. I'm going to give you a very simple definition of devourer: "seed eater." Satan is the seed eater.

Without fail you can count on the "seed eater" to show up when you get paid. The moment you receive your paycheck, he'll say, "You can't afford to tithe this week. Don't you dare give God 10 percent. If you give God 10 percent, you won't be able to pay the light bill, you won't be able to pay the car note, you won't be able to buy any groceries." Like the birds of prey, he has swooped down and attempts to consume your seed.

What Do You Do Now?
You are where you are today because of the seeds you've sown. Well, what do you do when you're in a financial crisis? Never stop sowing. In fact, when you're in a financial crisis, that's when you double up on your sowing. You don't withhold when you've got a financial crisis. You don't withhold when you need a financial miracle. No, you just keep on sowing, no matter what.

Like Charles Capps says, "If you're down to your last one dollar, don't dare spend it. Sow it. Don't eat your seed." Seed is for sowing. You will never enter into the fullness of God's plan for your prosperity if God comes last. He wants the first fruit.

The seed eater wants to devour your substance. He wants to consume it completely. He hopes that he can persuade you to spend everything you've got so there's nothing left to sow. If anybody knows the laws of sowing and reaping, it's Satan, and he doesn't want them working in your life.

Give Your Best
You may say, "But I don't have any money." It doesn't have to be limited to money. Sow something. Sow your time. Sow your talents. Look for opportunities to sow something all the time. Proverbs 11:24 says, "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth."

Just like with Abram, the birds of prey are swooping down attempting to consume your seed, and it's time to drive them away. Use some force. Don't allow Satan to consume your seed. Make giving to God the number one priority in your life and everything else second. If you do, then Satan nor anyone else can stop you from becoming abundantly blessed.

Jerry Savelle Ministries International
All rights reserved. Used by permission.