2 Peter 1:9
If anyone feels that these things are absent in his life, they are not; spiritual blindness and short-sightedness only veil them from you. This happens when one loses sight of one’s innocence. (Mirror Bible)

Is it fruit bearing season for you?

There are qualities given to you when you get saved, called the Fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 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, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Amplified Bible, AMP)

There may be times when you feel you don’t have the fruit God gave to all believers. You may even act like you don’t. That can be tough, especially when someone has come to you to pick a piece of your fruit. They may be in a time of desperation. As a child of God, you should be able to provide what they need. Could it be life, and all it brings, has caused you not to show those characteristics.

Have there been times in your life when your fruit was rotten. When unbelief, doubt, bitterness, fear, selfishness, and pride put a barricade around your tree that looks like this?

Inspiration and words provided by Linda Roundtree, facilitator on At God’s Door prayer line, graphic by Dr. Pam Russell.

In those times, let your mind take you back to the moment when Jesus saved you.

Psalms 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. (KJV)

The devil will always go too far. It is his nature. It is what got him kicked out of heaven. He keeps pushing and pushing until he brings you to your knees. That is where you need to be, in the presence of the Father. There, you will remember all the Lord has done for you.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 Then you will call on Me and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear [your voice] and I will listen to you. 13 Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (Amplified Bible, AMP)

The tears will flow as you think about what Jesus did and what you have been doing. You confess, God forgives you, strengthens you, and cleanses you (1 John 1:9). The miracle of God’s work in you is just as true in that moment as it was the moment God saved you. The fruit of the Spirit was always there; you are back in the place where it is evident. God uses times of pressure to cultivate and develop His fruit in your life. Your goal is to have fruit available no matter what is going on in your life.

Please agree with me as I pray:

Father, I thank You for our relationship. Because of Your love for me, You allow the enemy to push me to the place where I cry out to for renewal and strengthening. I repent for wanting to sidestep those moments. I want to be in Your presence and that is what You want for me as well. The truth is, I need to be in Your presence. When the enemy tries to make me feel as if I’m not saved, I am affirmed in Your presence and I rest in Your arms. Salvation is not a feeling, it’s the truth. I am glad I do not base the truth of my salvation on my attitude on any given day or on my response in one particular situation. I am saved because I believe Jesus Christ in Your son and my Lord. I believe they crucified Him and buried Him. I believed You resurrected Him on the third day. There’s nothing the devil can do to change that. I stand on Your truth when I’m up and acting correctly and when I’m down and acting questionably. Thank You for saving me and giving me the fruit of Your Spirit. I can live like You desire for me to live…

——-

Ask the Lord what He wants to say to you about today’s devotional and journal His response as described here.