I wrote in a previous blog, Zambia was a hard month for me spiritually. I was angry, frustrated, sad, and all around in a bad place. I didn’t know why, and I couldn’t fix it. Lord knows I tried. I did everything I knew to do. By worldly standards, I did all the right things. I prayed, I fasted, I read the bible, I cried out to God begging for him to change me and set me free from the bondage I was in.
I said God, give me peace, give me a new heart for your people, change my thoughts, help me to be selfless, not selfish, please help me to walk in full freedom. Deliver me from evil.
I felt after some time of things not changing, these were mere words. God wasn’t hearing me because nothing was changing.
I sought after and received really good advice from people. They loved me, encouraged me and walked through a very dark season of my life with me. Yet still nothing changed.
I recently recalled a sermon I heard back in month 3. The speaker asked the question “what seeds are you sowing?” I remember being puzzled. Seeds? I’m not a gardener. What do seeds have to do with anything?
The man wasn’t asking about literal seeds, but figurative ones. Seeds that produce fruit. The fruits of the spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 tells us ” the fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness
and self control.”
If we are to live by the spirit, then we need to keep in step with the spirit, which means yielding the fruits listed above.
You can not produce what you do not posses.
No wonder my words to God seemed meaningless. My fruit was rotten. How can an apple tree produce a banana? How can an oranges tree, yield a peach?
Likewise, if I’m angry all the time, how can I expect to live in peace? If all I do is judge and condemn, how can I expect to love others? If I am constantly making snide remarks, or being rude in my responses to people how can I reap a harvest of kindness? If all I do is self indulge as a coping mechanism, how will I produce self control in any area of my life?
If I want God to help me grow in these areas I need to be more aware of the seeds planted in my heart. I need to till the soil, make it fertile, and plant new to seeds to produce a plentiful harvest.
Galatians 6:7 “a man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh; from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the spirit; from the spirit will reap eternal life.”
If we are called to be righteous (holy) like Jesus. Then we should act like him. In all that we think, do, and say.
James 3:17-18 “wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace, reap a harvest of righteousness.”
I wrote this blog to remind you, sometimes we will produce rotten fruit. It’s our sinful nature, but it’s what you do with the fruit that matters. Be encouraged. Don’t let the cycle continue. Cut the bad fruit from the branch and allow the new ripe fruit to grow. Don’t merely “pray” for these things to occur, follow it up with action. Practice being
loving, choose to be joyful in moments of frustration, practice meditating on positive things that will bring you peace. God doesn’t typically just hand out patience. He puts you in situations, where your patience will be tested. CHOOSE to be patient. Be kind to others even if they aren’t kind to you. Practice doing good things, and having good thoughts, and you will develop goodness. Follow your words up with actions, practicing faithfulness and be faithful to God for he is faithful to you. Instead of self indulging, and being selfish practice control in all areas of your life.
The most important thing I’ve taken away from the race is self awareness. I have prayed and asked God, please point out anything in me that is offensive to you, anything that is hindering me from looking like you. I encourage you to ask God to reveal these bad fruits in your life so he can help you to produce a harvest of healthy fruit and ask yourself frequently, what seeds are sowing?
V
