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Focus On The Fruit

At present, we find ourselves in a space which is generally more quiet on the exterior of our four walls than usual – something we’ve all had to adjust to. Life in the Madsen home has been busy, fun, chaotic, educational, loving, frustrating and testing. We’ve all been stretched and pushed to extend more grace to one another, to practice patience and manage emotions as we navigate through this current way of life.

Lloyd and I recently watched a powerful sermon by Pastor Steven Furtick, which gripped our hearts. Titled “Focus On The Fruit”, it was just what we needed to hear to realign our focus. For those who may not know, but much like “you reap what you sew”, life is our harvest and the fruits we experience are determined by the planting and sewing we do.

Currently it feels as though our projects, plans and dreams have come to a pause. Not knowing when things will fully resume, seasons may feel delayed, signs of our crops sprouting seem questionable, but we choose to focus on the fruitnot what we currently see or feel in our day to day living.

Steven lays the foundation of the message by speaking about Paul, how he preached from his jail cell. How Paul does not know, and at present, neither do we. Pauls clarity is about God’s presence in the process. He speaks life into his future and not his current situation, stuck… in jail… in lockdown.

Have you ever considered that God may be working on your rooting system in order for your harvest to produce the best fruits possible? At the best of times, the rooting system may not be pleasant, it can be gruelling and challenging. But we find ourselves in a space where God is able to birth something new, preparation, new foundations, new soil, new roots for our fruitful season ahead.

What if we’re going to experience years and years of fruitfulness and benefits because of our one season of frustration and lockdown? Worth it? I think so!

A part of me falls into the millennial generation characteristic, where I want results now, I want to know now, tomorrow is too late, results, outcomes and deliveries must be instant. Sometimes beneficial and other times not. What if our “need to know” is what is keeping us from receiving? Letting go of the “need to know”… easier said than done. If you’re a planner like me, you’ll understand just what I mean. There’s some things that we’re just not meant to know, this is the exact spot where I feel stretched… but this is also the exact spot where faith and hope grow. Focus on the fruit, or die in the frustration. 

What do you choose… frustration or fruit? Struggle or success?

As Steven wonderfully highlighted, “Hope is a focus, not a feeling“. In our home, speak life into our future, into our fruit, knowing that what we do now, what we watch, read, say, believe, trust and release during this season of rooting and pruning, will produce fruit reflective of our thoughts and actions. There is life and death in the tongue.

 

Yours in prayer,

Mel x

 

For more on this incredible message, please search “Focus On The Fruit” by Steven Furtick on Youtube. 

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