Grow Through What You Go ThroughSample

GROW SOME FRUIT

God wants you to bear fruit. The first thing He told Adam & Eve was “be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). It’s what Jesus tells you and me to do in John 15:1-8. Be fruitful! Multiply! Achieve significance in this life, fulfilling your divine destiny and leaving a legacy. You’re built for it. It’s in your born-again DNA.

But remember this: fruit is grown in the valley, not on the mountaintop. We all love life’s mountaintop experiences and thank God for them. But as we’ve been talking about, the path of life goes through valleys, too. The valleys of life are where we can grow. Where we can put our roots down deep into God and produce fruit that benefits our lives and everyone around us.

But we have a choice. We can choose to be victims, like so many in our culture today. We can choose to rail against trouble – “Why did this happen? It’s not fair!” – and blame God or others. We can get bitter. We can choose to complain and remain. Or we can choose to grow through what we go through. We can keep our eyes on God, trusting Him to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

I genuinely feel sorry for people who never use their faith in times of trouble – they never get to see the miracle-working power of God. Times of trouble are when God does His best work. And of course, it’s when you and I develop our faith muscles. It’s how we develop trust in our Heavenly Father, realizing that no matter what comes our way, He is with us and makes us overcomers when we keep believing.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit

The Bible is full of words encouraging us to overcome and grow. In times of trouble, keep your eyes on God through His Word. Determine to be an overcomer, and grow through what you go through.

Was this plan a blessing to you? Check out Karen’s books, audio teachings, and more at karenjensen.org