Sermon Central
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Steps To Fruitfulness Series
Contributed by Shine Thomas on Nov 12, 2019 (message contributor)
Summary: Three simple steps to be fruitful in your life. Follow these simple and practical steps and be on your way to fruitfulness in your life
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Points covered: Three simple steps to be fruitful in your life. Follow these simple and practical steps and be on your way to fruitfulness in your life.
God wants us to live everyday with confidence and success. Too many people live their lives intimated and insecure. They look outside and feel others are smart, great, more privileged and feel life has been bad to them. They put others in a pedestal and look down on themselves. It is good to accept others around you but you must understand that you are important to God as well. You are loved, you are special to God. People say my co-worker is very talented, that woman is very beautiful, they are a great family. Let them be what they are but you are created by the same God with the same potential. You have the DNA of success and fruitfulness in you through Jesus Christ.
Joke: Once a Chief Minister was riding with his wife after an official dinner. They pulled into the local petrol pump. Soon, he spotted his wife speaking to the supervisor there. After they started the Chief Minister asked his wife, “Who is that man?” “He was my good friend in college,” the wife said. The man said, “Aren’t you glad that you did not marry him, you would be working in the petrol pump.” His wife said, “No, if I had married him he would have been the Chief Minister.” Have confidence in your God given abilities. Never underestimate your potential.
The Bible portrays Apostle Paul as a successful man. He did great in his profession, good as an evangelist, and excellent as an apostle. He completed what he started even though he started late in life. In 1 Thessalonians 2 Paul illustrates some secrets of his fruitfulness.
1 Thessalonians 2:1 For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. Look at the term ‘not in vain.’ This means ‘not void of power.’ Paul operated in the power of the Holy Spirit and that gave him success.
1. Step to fruitfulness: POWER.
The first step to fruitfulness is to live in the power of God. A fruitful Christian operates in the power of the Holy Spirit. What does the Holy Spirit do in us?
1 Thessalonians 2:1 NIV You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. Paul’s visit to the Thessalonians produced results.
We cannot be a Christian in the strength of the flesh. We need to have the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power… Apostle Paul always moved in that power and that power produced fruitfulness even when Paul was in the innermost cell of the prison.
The Lord is waiting to be involved in what you do. So, don’t do things just for the sake of living, involve the Holy Spirit in whatever you do. You may be thinking, “Pastor I started this, I did that and finally ended up in bitterness and failure.” I want to tell you if you have God as your source of power you need not be discouraged even if you are facing a failure today. If God is your strength, you will always not remain a failure. Even if you see nothing in your naked eyes now, God is seeing victory ahead of your path.
Sometimes we can develop some self barriers to the flow of God’s power in us.
Unconfessed sin.
Unconfessed sin can be a hindrance to our fruitfulness. If we have sin in us we become an obstacle to God’s blessing. In the Book of Joshua the Israelites just defeated the big nation, Jericho. Now they are to take the possession of the Promised Land starting with the smallest enemy, Ai. God said possess the land but the Israelites terribly lost the battle of Ai. God wanted them to win but they lost. The reason was one man, Achan’s sin. He was an obstacle to God’s blessing to Israel after Jericho.
Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. God has destined success for us and maybe it is our unconfessed sins that are a stumbling block. Sin zaps of our power, steals our confidence, and destroys our fruit. The good news is that God is in the cleaning business. He can make anyone who comes to him clean. Let’s walk out of this hall today with our sins forgiven, full of confidence and power to produce fruit.
Prayerlessness.
Prayerlessness is another hindrance to fruitfulness and God’s power. When Jesus overthrew the money changers he said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” God expects prayer in this temple. I am taking about personal prayer, spending time everyday reading the Bible. Prayerlessness is a block in the channel of our blessing and slows us down. How is our participation for church prayers? It is sad that some believers do not even feel bad if they miss a Sunday service.
