Fruitless Trees

Born and raised in the concrete jungle of the Northeast, I was clueless about the nature of fruit-bearing trees. One day, my BFF visited and informed me that the large shade tree was a pecan tree in our yard. I started laughing as I relayed that the tree was well past her reproductive stage in life. She stepped off of the porch, walked around the yard for a couple of minutes, returning with a shelled pecan nut in her hands. “Who’s laughing now?” I had a mature tree that produced pecans, my favorite nut, and was totally unaware for five years. The squirrels who were always on the branches enjoyed the tree’s fruit of which I knew nothing about.

Many of us accept Jesus as our personal Savior, understanding that He is the only way to God. Yet, we fail to embrace our Helper, the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity Godhead. We have access to the power of the Holy Spirit that would make our spiritual journey bearable even through severe trials. If God sent the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove [Matthew 3:16-17] to Jesus following His baptism, then as humans without Divinity status, we desperately need the Holy Spirit.

And I will pray for the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18 NKJV

Jesus defines the line of separation–the world cannot receive the Spirit of Truth. If we reject the Holy Spirit through unbelief, then we are part of the world. There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12

The Work of the Holy Spirit

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged.” John 16:7-11

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13-15

“Why do believer’s reject the Holy Spirit?”

John 3:8-9 tells us of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus regarding the Holy Spirit. To which. “Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be?” The nature of the Holy Spirit is a mystery to humanity. Jesus told His disciples, I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” John 16:12. We can thank Jesus for recognizing our limitations.

Truthfully, we struggle every day just to maintain our faith in God. We are often plagued with discouragement and disbelief in the power of the Almighty when facing lengthy trials and sorrows. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NLT. Our loving Jesus is full of compassion. He knows that we are easily overwhelmed with our daily struggle to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. Still, the human effort of confession, repentance, praying, studying the Bible, and living faithful, and purpose-driven lives, while trusting and serving God with obedience is a requisite to receive eternal life. Help! Holy Spirit to the rescue!

We cannot afford to reject the Spirit of Truth. Without the Holy Spirit, we cannot discern truth from false teachings. Nor can we fully understand the scriptures when studying the Bible. Believe it or not, false teachers read the Bible and may have more biblical knowledge than we possess. Their problem–a corrupt heart. They begin to analyze the scriptures and search for logical, rational explanations. When none can be found, they begin to develop their own theories.

The victims are the spiritually malnourished who feel they are fully capable of taking care of themselves without embracing and accepting The Trinity-God, the Father, Jesus, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. Living as the redeemed requires spiritual reinforcement only available through our willingness to obey God with a spirit of humility. To bear fruit, we have no other choice than to feed ourselves with the scriptures, which are the Voice of God. Communication with God–through prayer invites the Holy Spirit in to strengthen us, to correct us, and to guide us through our life-long journey of sanctification. Without the Holy Spirit, we are fruitless trees.

Without the Holy Spirit, we will never have the faith that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego possessed when facing the fiery furnace [Daniel 3:16-28]. Nor can we fight spiritual warfare [Ephesians 6:12] alone. Christian believers, we watched our brothers and sisters suffering in Afghanistan, but our time of persecution will come. We cannot afford to be like the five foolish virgins who were not spiritually prepared [Matthew 25:1-13]. The oil that they lacked represents the Holy Spirit. Jesus is on the way. We have but a short time on this present earth. The Holy Spirit is available for all who just ask and believe. Thank you, Jesus.

Without the Holy Spirit, we will not have the fruit that is described in Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Our character must align with God’s requirements to receive the reward of eternal life.

And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

Prayer: God, we thank you for your love and for giving us access to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. We pray for an outpouring and anointing, wisdom, and discernment from the Holy Spirit. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayer that we ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen. © 2021 Sonya Johnson, Faithful Fishers Ministry

Non-Compete Agreement

It was the disobedience of the Israelite nation that caused their captivity in Babylon for 70 years. Our surrender to serve God is a Covenant–an unbroken promise between God and us. We do not chase our desires. Love and faithfulness are demonstrated by our obedience and trust in God. Praying for His will to be done in our lives is reverence and respect that God is our Heavenly Father. There are no mistakes or consequences that will happen in our lives when we obey God. Pray for God to reveal your purpose and His will for your life. God always brings a Victorious Outcome! © 2021 Sonya Johnson, Faithful Fishers Ministry

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity. Jeremiah 29:11-14a.

God Promises Restoration

Many individuals are attempting to cope with the loss of relationships. Whether the loss is from a breakup, divorce, or death, the impact leaves a heart filled with sadness and grief. The saying, “Time heals all wounds,” is simply not true. Speak with someone who lost a nurturing and loving relationship with their parent, child, husband, wife or best friend, and they will agree that time has nothing to do with easing the pain of their loss.

Jesus, the Lamb of God understands that we require Divine Intervention to alleviate and heal our brokenness. Death penetrates the core of our soul, leaving us wounded. Loss of relationships that do not involve death still produces intense sorrow. We do not have to pretend that all is well. Our ability to cry allows the release of emotional pain, promoting expression of the sting of sorrow.

God does not require us to be stoic in times of loss. In fact, the philosophy of Stoicism is in opposition of the Creator’s gift of emotions. Our tears combined with faith enables us to embrace Jesus’ promise to heal our wounded hearts. In Psalm 147:3, God tells us, “He heals the Brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Jesus wept. John 11:35. Yes, Jesus openly cried. This was a true expression of human grief. Jesus cried for two reasons: 1. From their reaction, even Jesus’ close friends, Mary and Martha did not fully believe in His power as the Son of God. They reacted to their brother’s death by blaming Jesus. 2. The loud wails of sorrow from the crowd and the grief of the sisters, Mary and Martha touched Jesus’ heart deeply. As one theologian states, “Jesus did not cry silent tears. He wept openly with audible sound. It was His humanity that allowed Jesus to feel pain and sorrow from the death of his friend, Lazarus.” Who knows pain, grief, and sorrow better than the One who suffered so grievously for us?

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener), to be with you forever—John 14:16

The Holy Spirit is only a prayer away. We will receive the strength and comfort to move forward one day at a time. Reflect on your precious memories and thank God for the time that you had together. Pray, cry, and listen to music. Do not allow well-meaning individuals to convince you to discard items or to embrace anger and hold grudges. God is aware of every loss that we will experience in our lives. The Spiritual Team is available to assist us in our journey of healing.

Healing takes time. God does not rush us through the healing stream. We have access to His never-ending comfort. Still, it takes human effort to fight against depression. Push yourself to open the window-blinds to let light in and be certain to make your bed every day. Your appetite may be poor, but remain motivated to care for yourself physically by eating small amounts of nutritious foods throughout the day. It is easy to weaken the Immune system during the grieving period, which places the body at risk for physical illness.

Address your spiritual needs by joining a grief support group or seeking pastoral counseling. Never forget to study the Bible [use an audio app]. The scriptures provide beautiful promises of healing and restoration. At times, the only words that can escape our lips are “Jesus, help me.” Every prayer, every tear, every crying whimper is seen and heard by our Heavenly Father. We are loved. God will never leave us or forsake us. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

Prayer: God, we pray for healing of the many broken hearts. Please send your Holy Spirit to comfort us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. © 2021 Sonya Johnson, Faithful Fishers Ministry

Please share this devotional with someone who is grieving from loss of a relationship.