What's Real in Your Life?
Good Morning Girls! Proverbs 12:12b the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit. Yesterday we talked about being well rooted. Today we will talk about the fruit. As I said yesterday, there are a lot of teachings out there regarding the bearing of fruit, and the fruits of the Spirit. I am simply going to show you the two things the Lord impressed upon my heart in my devotional time. I am not going to continue with a study of the bearing of fruit at this time- though I'm sure it would be valuable. Perhaps we will return to it another day- or perhaps one of you will be sparked to continue and you can teach me a little something about it!
The first thing I want to show you is how not to bear fruit. It is from Matthew 13 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. I'm sure many of you have experienced this before. We are given not only a Word of encouragement, but a Word that was intended directly for us to give us the assurance that our situation is in God's hands and we are going to come through just fine. We get all excited and receive and believe. Then minutes later the phone rings, delivering a report contrary to the Word we just heard, and our flesh has an easier time accepting defeat than it does victory. After all, the defeat is visible. A negative Dr report. A screaming spouse. A bill collector. These are all things you can see, feel and touch. The Word we received- it's just a Word. We can't touch it. We can't see it. We can't feel it. We have to choose to believe it. And then the devil makes his move.....How do we even know it was intended for us? Maybe we just wanted it to be for us! We are going to look foolish if we do not respond to this negative situation- if we just sit there in peace and believe some verse that we heard in our head. We need to do something. We can't just sit here and believe everything is going to work out. That's just stupid! Who ever heard of such a thing? What are you going to do- tell the bank "thank you for calling, the Lord will be sending you your check at just the right time. In His due season. Oh, I know His due season and your due date are not the same, but God's timing is always perfect, so I believe it is in your best interest to sit tight and wait. The more you harass me about this bill, the longer you will have to take this patience test. And I do not want you to prolong that for yourself. Until you receive payment from the Lord, I suggest that you count it all joy during this trail as in the end you will be stronger!"
Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard there, but how many of you have been in a similar situation? The devil pokes and teases you with the very Word that is here to give us life, hope and assurance that we are loved and taken care of. He points out the fact that we can see the defeat- where as the victory is nothing but a bunch of words- lies to make us feel better about ourselves. And even if they were true- they wouldn't be true for us, as we do not deserve them! After all, it was our bad choices that got us into this mess to begin with. We married the wrong guy. We bought things we shouldn't have. We didn't take care of ourselves so now we have health problems. God doesn't have to fix our mistakes. We just have to try our best to learn from them- and return to Him when we get it all worked out......
Going down that road will never produce fruit in your lives. Do you know what will? Matthew 13:23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Those who truly hear and understand God's word are the ones who produce fruit! Do you know how to truly hear and understand God's word? You make God's word as real and tangible as the bills, the screaming spouse, and the medical report! Do you know how to make God's word real and tangible? Open up your Bible!
When you open up your Bible and read the Word for yourself- it comes alive! You can feel the Lord impress upon your heart the good things he has planned for you. You see Him in his word. You see his goodness. His faithfulness. His unfailing love. You see that he desires nothing but the best for you in all areas of your life- despite any mistakes you have made. You see him as the loving, patient, Father. A Father full of love, and compassion- not judgment and anger. You see Him! You feel Him! He becomes as tangible as the negative things around you! And when the Lord becomes tangible to you, a power is released in your life and in your faith that no man, no weapon, can come against!
Girls, take some time today to open your bible. Start by looking up some of the verses we have looked at this week. I believe with all my heart the Lord will show you greater revelation into these scriptures and they will become real in your life. You have nothing to lose (expect the fear, worry, anxiety, stress, and stuff like that)
Matthew 13:23 The seed that feel on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Hallelujah!
Living today worry free-
Jen
The first thing I want to show you is how not to bear fruit. It is from Matthew 13 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God's word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. I'm sure many of you have experienced this before. We are given not only a Word of encouragement, but a Word that was intended directly for us to give us the assurance that our situation is in God's hands and we are going to come through just fine. We get all excited and receive and believe. Then minutes later the phone rings, delivering a report contrary to the Word we just heard, and our flesh has an easier time accepting defeat than it does victory. After all, the defeat is visible. A negative Dr report. A screaming spouse. A bill collector. These are all things you can see, feel and touch. The Word we received- it's just a Word. We can't touch it. We can't see it. We can't feel it. We have to choose to believe it. And then the devil makes his move.....How do we even know it was intended for us? Maybe we just wanted it to be for us! We are going to look foolish if we do not respond to this negative situation- if we just sit there in peace and believe some verse that we heard in our head. We need to do something. We can't just sit here and believe everything is going to work out. That's just stupid! Who ever heard of such a thing? What are you going to do- tell the bank "thank you for calling, the Lord will be sending you your check at just the right time. In His due season. Oh, I know His due season and your due date are not the same, but God's timing is always perfect, so I believe it is in your best interest to sit tight and wait. The more you harass me about this bill, the longer you will have to take this patience test. And I do not want you to prolong that for yourself. Until you receive payment from the Lord, I suggest that you count it all joy during this trail as in the end you will be stronger!"
Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard there, but how many of you have been in a similar situation? The devil pokes and teases you with the very Word that is here to give us life, hope and assurance that we are loved and taken care of. He points out the fact that we can see the defeat- where as the victory is nothing but a bunch of words- lies to make us feel better about ourselves. And even if they were true- they wouldn't be true for us, as we do not deserve them! After all, it was our bad choices that got us into this mess to begin with. We married the wrong guy. We bought things we shouldn't have. We didn't take care of ourselves so now we have health problems. God doesn't have to fix our mistakes. We just have to try our best to learn from them- and return to Him when we get it all worked out......
Going down that road will never produce fruit in your lives. Do you know what will? Matthew 13:23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Those who truly hear and understand God's word are the ones who produce fruit! Do you know how to truly hear and understand God's word? You make God's word as real and tangible as the bills, the screaming spouse, and the medical report! Do you know how to make God's word real and tangible? Open up your Bible!
When you open up your Bible and read the Word for yourself- it comes alive! You can feel the Lord impress upon your heart the good things he has planned for you. You see Him in his word. You see his goodness. His faithfulness. His unfailing love. You see that he desires nothing but the best for you in all areas of your life- despite any mistakes you have made. You see him as the loving, patient, Father. A Father full of love, and compassion- not judgment and anger. You see Him! You feel Him! He becomes as tangible as the negative things around you! And when the Lord becomes tangible to you, a power is released in your life and in your faith that no man, no weapon, can come against!
Girls, take some time today to open your bible. Start by looking up some of the verses we have looked at this week. I believe with all my heart the Lord will show you greater revelation into these scriptures and they will become real in your life. You have nothing to lose (expect the fear, worry, anxiety, stress, and stuff like that)
Matthew 13:23 The seed that feel on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Hallelujah!
Living today worry free-
Jen
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