What Fruits Do You Have?

Opening Scripture

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

The Fruits of the Spirit are rooted in the likeness of Christ in which is also the character of the Father.

The Holy Spirit helps us to correctly acquire the fruits of the Spirit

The Fruits of the Spirit helps nourish our souls

The more we grow in the likeness of Jesus the more peace and strength we will find for our souls.

When we continually allow our selves to give into temptation we then position ourselves in a barren place, a place that can not yield any fruit.

What Is Growing In Your Field?

Matthew 13:1–23 NLT

Later that same day Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. A large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” His disciples came and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?” He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, ‘When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’ “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it. “Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 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. 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!”

The Field can represent so many different things within our lives. However, the number one field that we have been given by God is our heart.

By asking ourselves how is the soil of our field we are really asking how receptive is our heart to both the WORD and the WILL of God?

We nurture the receptiveness of our heart by staying in the presence of God through His word, prayer, and worship.

If we keep a tender heart before the Lord the more we are able to receive from the Lord.

We keep a tender heart by being obedient to the word of God and the will of God.

When we receive the seed of God’s word He will most definitely bring the increase.

If we don’t receive from the hand of God then we are instead receiving from the hand of the enemy.

When we give into disobedience to God (sin) we are allowing the enemy to plant thorns and weeds in our field that is essentially choking out what little seed (the word) from God that we have.

We MUST nurture and tend to our field!

Is There Anything?

Currently as you reflect on your life what fruits do you currently have within your life?

No matter how little or how many you bare there is always hope and room for growth.

If you can’t honestly identify one fruit of the Spirit in your life that is just a sign to you that it is time to cultivate the field of your heart and get ready to receive from God through His word and watch Him bring increase through His Holy Spirit.

What you don’t have today you can always receive tomorrow BUT it does require change!!

Having the fruits of the Spirit is not optional but it is both mandatory and necessary.

Prepare For The Harvest!

Galatians 6:7–9 NLT

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

Whatever seed (Actions) we sow we reap a harvest of such..

If we choose to treat people disrespectfully then we will only deal with disrespectful people in our lives…

If we choose to treat people out of envy, hate, or anger then those are the only types of people that we will deal with in our lives but 10 times worse then what sown.

BUT if we stay faithful to the Lord and constantly working on cultivating our hearts to be receptive of more of God’s word, More of God’s Presence then we will reap a harvest of blessings from the Lord!

Tending to our field is not always easy, it does require much work, it does require plucking out the things (weeds) that don’t belong as God reveals and directs, and constantly nurturing the seeds in which we have planted.

Are you prepared for the Harvest of the Lord?