"I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing."
John 15:5 AMP Tweet
Sis, are you bearing fruit?
And your answer to that question may be ‘Renee, what do you mean?’
What I mean is, when someone looks at you, can they see Christ in you?
When we accept Jesus into our lives and become born again, we make a decision to let go of our old ways and we allow God to mold us so we can become more like Him.
This is what we call the process of sanctification – being made holy and set apart for God’s purpose (Romans 6:22b).
Sanctification mainly consists of pruning.
Pruning, in lay-man’s language is, defined us the action of trimming by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to encourage growth.
Take a look at John 15: 1- 2 AMP:
"I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]."
Every branch (that is, every believer) that bears fruit – that continues to bear fruit – he (Jesus) repeatedly prunes, so that it bears more fruit.
In order for you to bear fruit, God needs to prune you.
He needs to cut away every dead or overgrown branches in your life, in your heart that are causing you to stagnate or even leading to spiritual immortality so that you can grow.
He needs to uproot that pride, that anger that is eating away at you and cut it off so that you can thrive.
And what fruit is this that you ought to bear?
The Fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 – 24 AMP
"But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites."
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control – this is the fruit that we as believers are meant to bear.
We are to allow God into every area of our lives: our minds, heart, spirits, the good, bad and the ugly and allow Him to reveal to us that which is causing us to stagnate and let Him work on that and be willing to follow His guidance in order to let go of those habits. To let Him mold s so that we can become more like Him and walk by the Spirit; with personal integrity, godly character and moral courage – conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit.
So, I ask you again: sis, are you bearing fruit?
Is the fruit of the Holy Spirit evident in your life? Can someone look at you and know that you are different? That you are a child of God?
Or are you resisting the sanctification process? Is God trying to point out a certain area or habit in your life that He would like to deal with but are you resisting Him?
And yes, it may be uncomfortable. It may not be all pretty, and you may not like what is being revealed, but He is bringing it up so He can get rid of it once and for all.
Will you allow Him? Or will you continue to resist Him?…
VERSE OF THE WEEK.
John 15:4-6 AMP.
“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
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