Is Sowing and Reaping the Same as Manifesting? Theology Expert Explains Key Difference

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2 years ago

July 21, 2023

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Share Tweet By Tr Goins-Phillips Editor
July 19, 2023

A slight majority of Americans, according to one survey, believe in the power of “manifestation” the idea that an individual can bring something to fruition simply by believing it but such New Age thinking clearly flies in the face of biblical teaching.

Allen Parr, an ordained minister and expert in biblical literacy, recently spoke with CBN’s Faithwire about the practice of “manifestation” and what sets it apart from the Scriptural belief in “sowing and reaping,” found in Galatians 6:7-8, in which the Apostle Paul wrote, “[W]hatever one sows, that will he also reap. Forthe one who sows to his own fleshwill from the flesh reap corruption, butthe one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (ESV).

Understanding what the Bible says about “manifestation” is critical in the current cultural moment, particularly given a vast majority of Americans (87%) hold at least one belief often associated with New Ageism, like karma or the principle that “everything is interconnected,” according to a YouGov survey from August of last year.

“These things can be tricky because there is some element just like in any false teaching there’s always some element of truth that can get mixed in there because, yes, our thoughts can influence our lives … but to say that our thoughts can control every aspect of our lives and even bypass maybe what God may want to do is putting ourselves in the place of God, and it can be very dangerous,” Parr explained on CBN’s “Quick Start” podcast.

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There’s a key difference, he went on to say, between the suggestion one can “manifest” his or her own future and believers’ trust in the God-ordained principle of “sowing and reaping.”

While the cultural claim of “manifestation” teaches people they can guarantee their own outcomes, Scripture makes clear Christians can come to God with any request, thought, or concern, but it is only the Lord who can and will determine the ultimate outcome. Any suggestion to the contrary usurps His authority over all things, as it’s written in Proverbs 16:9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” (NLT).

“The mistake that many people make is the Bible doesn’t necessarily tell us what we’re going to reap and sometimes certain organizations, certain groups will try to create a transactional relationship with God, where it’s like, ‘Hey, sow financially and you will reap financially,’” Parr said. “The Bible never teaches that if you sow financially you’re gonna automatically reap financially. It just says sow and you shall reap, so it could very well be that I’m sowing time into the local church, because I know the local church needs me to volunteer, and I might reap another benefit in some other area of my life. … That’s God’s business.”

He continued, “Leave the reaping up to God as He determines what He wants to bring into my life as a result of what I sow and let me just focus on being obedient to just sow my time, sow my talent, sow my treasures and leave the reaping up to God as opposed to trying to mandate, ‘Well, God, I did this so, therefore, you need to reap this in my life.’ I think that’s where things can get very difficult.”

“Sowing and reaping is biblical, but when we start to think we can control certain outcomes based on how we think, that’s when I think things can get pretty dangerous,” Parr added.

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Entertainment

New AC/DC stamps to celebrate 50th anniversary of rock band’s debut album High Voltage

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2 hours ago

February 6, 2025

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New AC/DC stamps to celebrate 50th anniversary of rock band's debut album High Voltage

New stamps are going to be issued to mark the 50th anniversary of AC/DC’s debut album, the Royal Mail has said.

The group introduced themselves to the world with the electrifying High Voltage in 1975, before going onto become one of the most successful rock bands of all time.

To mark 50 years since its initial release, the Royal Mail has said it will issue eight stamps that capture a sample of the “electrifying” live performances of the band.

A further four stamps presented in a miniature sheet will feature the covers of High Voltage as well as Highway To Hell, their sixth studio album released in 1979; Back In Black, the best-selling rock album of all time, and Power Up, the band’s return in 2020.

The stamps go on sale from 18 February.

AC/DC will become the eighth music band to feature in a dedicated Royal Mail stamp issue.

They will follow on from The Beatles in 2007, Pink Floyd in 2016, Queen in 2020, The Rolling Stones in 2022, Iron Maiden in 2023, Spice Girls in 2024, and The Who also in 2024.

David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said: “AC/DC is one of the most successful rock bands in the world.

“Over the past half-century, they have recorded some of the best-known rock anthems and have given us Back In Black – the biggest-selling rock album of all time.

“These stamps capture a sample of their electrifying live performances, along with some of their most iconic album covers, and celebrate their significant contribution to the world of rock music.”

Here are the eight anniversary stamps below:

And the four-stamp miniature sheet:

Technology

Google scraps diversity ‘aspirations,’ citing role as federal contractor

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2 hours ago

February 6, 2025

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Google scraps diversity 'aspirations,' citing role as federal contractor

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks with Emily Chang during the APEC CEO Summit at Moscone Center West in San Francisco on Nov. 16, 2023.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Google is scrapping its diversity goals, becoming the latest tech giant to alter its approach to hiring and promotions following the election of President Donald Trump.

In its annual report published on Wednesday, Alphabet excluded language from prior years stating that, “we are committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve.”

Fiona Cicconi, Alphabet’s chief people officer, told employees in a memo that the company has to make changes due to new requirements.

“Because we are a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes to our programs required to comply with recent court decisions and U.S. Executive Orders on this topic,” Cicconi wrote in the memo, which was viewed by CNBC. “We’ll continue to invest in states across the U.S. — and in many countries globally — but in the future we will no longer have aspirational goals.”

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the memo.

Cicconi noted that in 2020, the company set aspirational hiring goals and focused on growing offices outside California and New York to improve representation.

One of Trump’s first acts as president after taking office in January was to sign an executive order ending the government’s DEI programs and putting federal officials overseeing those initiatives on leave. And following a midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter above Washington, D.C., last week, Trump blasted former President Joe Biden and DEI policies claiming they “could have been” to blame for the deadliest plane crash in the U.S. since 2001.

Tech companies have shown an eagerness to appease the new administration following a rocky four years during Trump’s first tenure in the White House.

Amazon said earlier in January that it was halting some of its diversity and inclusion initiatives, and Meta announced plans to end a number of internal programs designed to increase the company’s hiring of diverse candidates. Beyond the tech industry, companies including Target, Walmart and McDonald’s have made similar changes.

Google’s commitments for 2025 had included increasing the number of people from underrepresented groups in leadership by 30% and more than doubling the number of Black workers at non-senior levels.

The company began making cuts to its DEI programs in 2023, CNBC reported at the time, getting rid of staffers who were in charge of recruiting underrepresented groups and letting go of DEI leaders who worked with Chief Diversity Officer Melonie Parker.

Parker, who took on her current role in 2019, will work closely on evaluating programs and trainings and update “those that raise risk, or that aren’t as impactful as we’d hoped,” Cicconi wrote in her memo.

She added that the Google’s employee resource groups will remain as will the company’s work with colleges and universities.

A Google spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the company is “committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there.”

WATCH: Trump blasts Biden, DEI efforts after D.C. plane crash

World

Orebro attack: Mass shooting survivor describes moment he escaped classroom

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2 hours ago

February 6, 2025

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Orebro attack: Mass shooting survivor describes moment he escaped classroom

“I was in the classroom and someone suddenly came in. I saw him, I saw the shooter. As soon as he entered, he’d started shooting. Six, five times. So I started running.”

We’re speaking with a man who survived when Rickard Andersson opened fire, killing 11 people, at an adult education centre in Sweden’s worst mass shooting.

“I fell over and he started shooting towards me and I dropped my phone as I ran off and managed to escape,” the witness says.

As he shares the visceral detail of his account, he becomes emotional as he describes losing friends before his eyes.

“It was very scary,” says the man, who asked not to be named.

“I saw him shoot others. So I’m having a really, really tough time right now. I haven’t been able to sleep.”

Orebro shooting: What we know about the attacker

He came back to the scene of the attack on Wednesday – where he used to go to lessons each day – and felt unable to comprehend how a place of safety became a place of terror in a matter of minutes.

The adult education centre in Orebro sits between two schools and many gathered at the police cordon the morning after the attack.

We watched as children lit candles with their parents before starting their day. At the cordon clutching his brown briefcase we meet Marcus Ahltun.

He’s the headteacher at one of the schools and had been in his office when he heard the gunshots next door and made the rapid decision to lockdown the school.

“I heard screams, and then I heard shots fired. I immediately decided that we needed to shelter in the school,” he told us.

Being metres away from the atrocity he said was “a surreal, numb feeling”.

Numb is how many have felt at the site today. Some came alone to pay their respects, some gathered in groups. We watched friends clutch and hold each other tightly.

Orebro is a university city and a young place with diverse communities.

People in the city and throughout the country are both mourning the loss of the victims and asking themselves how a gunman was able to enter an educational facility and kill.