Tag: fruitfulness

Understanding and Properly Responding to the Seasons We are In.

Psalm 1:3
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The changing of seasons is very easy to observe in nature. The verdant green of summer season is followed by the brilliant colors of the fall season. The dying out and browning in the winter season is always followed by the spectacular new growth in the spring season.

So it is in our growth as Christians. The Lord allows us to go through trials and periods of distance from Him in our relationship with Him. We must take care not to judge our lack of fruitfulness during our dormant seasons of trial and rest. These dormant seasons are necessary for the emergence of our harvest. How we respond during these dormant periods will determine the size and the fragrance of the new bloom in our coming harvest.

The more we let ourselves die to Christ in the dormant seasons of our lives, the greater will be the produce of our harvest times. The more we let ourselves live in the flesh during our times of trial and rest, the lesser will be the produce of our harvest times.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit to help us understand our seasons so that we are preparing properly for the harvest. Let us strive to make ourselves ready for the coming harvest that Our Father in heaven has planned for us here on earth.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us seasons of growth in our relationship with You. We rejoice in knowing that You have planned for us to go through these growing seasons with the Holy Spirit as our helper. We pray, Lord, that when we enter into our dormant periods of darkness that we may learn to respond to the checks of the Holy Spirit as we battle against the attacks of the flesh. May Your strength be perfected in our weakness as we blossom in Your perfect light. We ask all these things in the name of the Bright and Morning Star, Jesus Christ.

The Fruitfulness of Aligning Our Visions with God’s Will and Plan for Our Lives

Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.

As we read in this scripture, Isaiah had a vision of the Lord after the death of a major figure in his life, King Uzziah. We, too, may sense a new vision for our lives when we are faced with a life changing moment such as the loss of a family member or a close friend, the breakup in a personal relationship, the collapse of financial means or the onslaught of a significant injury or illness. At these challenging and life altering times, it is natural for us to question our direction and seek a new course.

Too often, however, we try to rebuild our lives based on our earthly vision of our work, our family or some particular passion (maybe even a ministerial one) that we have for this world. All is for naught until we realize that there is only one vision of substance and value – the unique vision created by Almighty God that aligns with His will and purpose for our lives.

Only when we cast our visions through His focus, can we become truly fruitful. We must go to the Throne Room and seek to learn God’s perfect plan for our lives. Until then we are building stacks of stubble and hay.

Let us humbly go before Our Father in heaven and ask Him to reveal His plan for our lives to us. Let us seek the counsel of the Holy Spirit in directing our steps toward the path of our manifest destiny in Christ. Let us shape our lives around the vision that we receive from the Lord.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing events in our lives that force us to seek You first. Help us, Father, to keep our eyes on Your Throne and Your Glory. May the trappings of the world never again form the foundations of our visions. May You alone be our blessed hope and assurance. We ask all these things in the name of the Strength of Our Lives, Jesus Christ.

Preparing for the Harvest

Song of Solomon 2:11
For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.

Just as the earth goes through seasons, so do we. Remarkably, our supernatural seasons tend to coincide with the natural seasons. As we respond to the gloominess of the dark winter days, we tend to become inactive like the flowers and the trees. As the spring arrives, we tend to become more lively. We enjoy a sense of calmness and peace accompanied by a sense of expectation. We look forward to a fruitfulness in our works.

We should be alert in the spring of the year to seek the new things that God is trying to release into our lives. If we are growing in Christ, we will always be taken to higher levels in service, praise, worship and fellowship with Our Savior. May we turn away from the darkness of the winter past and turn toward the light of Jesus Christ. May we look for the arrival of the harvest around us as the cold, hard ground of winter becomes the fertile, soft soil of the spring.

Let us dust off any complacency that has arisen in our winter time. Let us shake off the things that have us stuck in one place. Let us claim the breakthrough anointing that Our Father has prepared for us as we draw nearer to Our Savior who is anxious to release new fruit in our lives. Let us rejoice in knowing that the One who releases us into our new springtime anointing for fruitfulness and intimacy is the same One who promises never to forsake us during our journey into the new season.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the seasons in our lives. We thank You for taking us through the dark of the winter so we can see You more clearly in the light of the spring. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to seek the newness and boldness in Christ that You have planned to release in us this spring. We pray that You will use us to harvest the souls of the men and women surrounding us as You prepare their hearts to be fertile grounds for Your Good News. May new fruit come from our growth as Jesus’ disciples this year. We ask all these things in the name of the eternal spring, Jesus Christ.

Responding to the Dormant Periods in Our Lives

Psalm 1:3
He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The changing of seasons is very easy to observe in nature. The verdant green of summer season is followed by the brilliant colors of the fall season. The dying out and browning in the winter season is always followed by the spectacular new growth in the spring season.

So it is in our growth as Christians. The Lord allows us to go through trials and periods of distance from Him in our relationship with Him. We must take care not to judge our lack of fruitfulness during our dormant seasons of trial and rest. These dormant seasons are necessary for the emergence of our harvest. How we respond during these dormant periods will determine the size and the fragrance of the new bloom in the coming harvest.

The more we let ourselves die to Christ in the dormant seasons of our lives, the greater will be the produce of our harvest times. The more we let ourselves live in the flesh during our times of trial and rest, the lesser will be the produce of our harvest times.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit to help us understand our seasons so that we are preparing properly for the harvest. Let us strive to make ourselves ready for the coming harvest that Our Father in heaven has planned for us here on earth.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us seasons of growth in our relationship with You. We rejoice in knowing that You have planned for us to go through these growing seasons with the Holy Spirit as our helper. We pray, Lord, that when we enter into our dormant periods of darkness that we may learn to respond to the checks of the Holy Spirit as we battle against the attacks of the flesh. May Your strength be perfected in our weakness as we blossom in Your perfect light. We ask all these things in the name of the Bright and Morning Star, Jesus Christ.

Seeking the New Things That God is Releasing in Our Lives

Song of Solomon 2:11
For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.

Just as the earth goes through seasons, so do we. Remarkably, our supernatural seasons tend to coincide with the natural seasons. As we respond to the gloominess of the dark winter days, we tend to become inactive like the flowers and the trees. As the spring arrives, we tend to become more lively. We enjoy a sense of calmness and peace accompanied by a sense of expectation. We look forward to a fruitfulness in our works.

We should be alert in the spring of the year to seek the new things that God is trying to release into our lives. If we are growing in Christ, we will always be taken to higher levels in service, praise, worship and fellowship with Our Savior. May we turn away from the darkness of the winter past and turn toward the light of Jesus Christ. May we look for the arrival of the harvest around us as the cold, hard ground of winter becomes the fertile, soft soil of the spring.

Let us dust off any complacency that has arisen in our winter time. Let us shake off the things that have us stuck in one place. Let us claim the breakthrough anointing that Our Father has prepared for us as we draw nearer to Our Savior who is anxious to release new fruit in our lives. Let us rejoice in knowing that the One who releases us into our new springtime anointing for fruitfulness and intimacy is the same One who promises never to forsake us during our journey into the new season.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the seasons in our lives. We thank You for taking us through the dark of the winter so we can see You more clearly in the light of the spring. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will inspire us to seek the newness and boldness in Christ that You have planned to release in us this spring. We pray that You will use us to harvest the souls of the men and women surrounding us as You prepare their hearts to be fertile grounds for Your Good News. May new fruit come from our growth as Jesus’ disciples this year. We ask all these things in the name of the eternal spring, Jesus Christ.