How do we ensure maximum impact and growth as a believer?
Every Element Counts
If you ask a farmer, growth depends on many different elements. If the land is rocky, the farmer must plough, then till the land or else little growth can occur. The weather needs to be warm enough to produce fruit, yet not so hot that the leaves wither. Critical measures of water are essential. The health of the seed impacts the yield, as does the state of the soil. If the land is too dry, irrigation may be necessary. Should pests arrive, herbicides might need to be applied. If floods threaten, tile drainage may be needed. Each element, and many others, have a direct impact on how much the land yields. The higher the production, the healthier the profit, which then sustains the farm inputs for future generations, so every element counts.
The question every good farmer asks is which element requires adjustment to produce a higher yield of production?
As believers, how may we increase our production of fruit in our lives? (Head here to learn more about capacity in the Kingdom.)
Spiritual Growth requires Practical Application
In the Kingdom, fruit truly matters. Jesus described His Father as a Farmer, a Vine Dresser and said, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:1).
Just as the farmer tends to his field to ensure production, we must apply ourselves to grow. But where do we start?
Jesus Christ is our First and Last
Everything begins and ends with Jesus. Jesus plainly said, “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing”(John 15: 4-5).
Without Christ, our lives remain as stagnant as a paved over field; we produce nothing.
Yet with Christ, there are no limits to the fruit we can produce. Jesus promised, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). The Lord is dreaming about the fruit we can produce through Him!
How do we uncover which element of our lives needs attention?
Enter the Mentor
A mentor is a gift from God. A mentor can look at the condition of your life and give directions for which area needs adjustment to better produce.
Like a wise farmer to a new gardener, a mentor has walked before the Lord and learnt much from life. As the mentor shares their knowledge, you can quicken your production and interrupt destructive habits that halt growth in your life, by paying close attention to their instructions and duplication of their example.
Just as Paul told Timothy, “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13), so a mentor lays down patterns of growth to follow, with words of life to sustain ongoing production.
If you don’t have a mentor, now is the time to seek the Lord to bless you with a successful fruit producer who can assess your current state of your garden and direct you which elements in your life may benefit from adjustment to increase your capacity and yields!
Our Fruit is Dependent on our Choices
Good news: our fruit has been pre-planned by God! Paul celebrated, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephes. 2:10). So how do we walk out His plans?
Our faith, holiness, humility, love and righteousness each impact the volume of spiritual fruit produced. Choices to obey, to flee from sin, to listen and follow the Lord’s ways all matter.
A few years ago, the Lord gave this vision of 4 doors ascending from heaven, bursting with fire. These four doors were like dimensions from Heaven, portals of understanding and revelation, which arrived in sequence yet stood separate in impact. (There was much more to this vision; I pray the Lord will bless you with revelation from this unique image.)
Like this vision, many doors are wide open to a believer. May our hearts encounter His dimensions and grow for His Glory! Spiritual Growth is both natural and supernatural, practical and faithful, as heaven touches earth through our lives.
God Loves Producing Christ in us
The Holy Spirit delights to draw us close to Himself. Fruit is His specialty!
Paul reminds us, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3:5-6)
We are anointed by the Holy Spirit to produce. As we surrender to the Holy Spirit, good fruit is produced, including “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22). Quite the produce list!
Friend, growth is the Father’s mandate for all of us in Christ Jesus. May the Holy Spirit prosper our lives through those whom He has sent and bring us greater understanding of which aspect of our garden requires work! Then, may we produce much fruit for the sake of the nations, to the glory of God the Father! To grow more, head to Revive Nations Youtube channel and access these many resources! May growth be our every day truth!