What do you believe?

Not what do you say you believe, but what do you actually believe?

What do the actions of your life say you believe?

“What we believe determines how we behave.”

Too often I think people say they believe something but then they live lives that reflect the opposite of what they say.

This week in her weekly email One Thing Alone, (https://onethingalone.com/) Asheritah shared,

“Here’s what God opened my eyes to understand that day: Jesus looked for fruit in the fig tree because its leaves announced a delicious harvest. . . but it was barren.

And then Jesus went into the temple, filled with religious activities that were supposed to indicate true worship. But the temple wasn’t just barren of the Spirit’s fruit—it was overflowing with rotten fruit:

• instead of love… apathy
• instead of joy… anger
• instead of peace… worry
• instead of patience… frustration
• instead of kindness… meanness
• instead of goodness… greed
• instead of faithfulness… selfishness
• instead of gentleness… rudeness
• instead of self-control… out-of-control

And this is what settled into my heart as I made those connections: Like the fig tree with its showy leaves and barren branches, these people were showing off their religiosity, but had no fruit of God’s Spirit to show in their lives.”

At church on Sunday our minister shared a social media post that said, “Many millennials resent church because their parents were good at church but not good at life.

They struggle attending a place that consumed their parents time but never transformed their private life.”

How are we transformed?

How does the Holy Spirit produce His fruit in us?

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:4-11 NLT

So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you. For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless you live your life intimately joined to mine.“I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless. If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done. When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father! “I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness! John 15:4-11 TPT

How do we remain? Other translations use the word abide instead of remain.

To remain means to stay.

To abide is to accept or act in accordance with.

Jesus is our power source. Jesus is the nutrition we need to grow. Without the power source, without the nutrients, there will be no growth, no sustainability, no change.

I really thought that I read in Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel, that he said, God did not tell us to attend more church or become more knowledgeable, God said, renew your mind. (I have skimmed back through the book and could not find this, but I plan on reading the book with a group of ladies in June so maybe I’ll find it then and if not I’ll know that’s what God said to me as I was reading the book.)

“be transformed by the renewing of your mind” Romans 12:2 NKJV

“but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” Romans 12:2 NLT

“but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think” Romans 12:2 TPT

We are transformed as we renew of our minds on TRUTH and STAY connected to God. We stay connected to God through talking to Him, through spending time with Him, by sitting quietly in His presence, by going to Him first with everything. Not calling a friend and asking their option and trying to get someone on our side. Not by listening to lies and believing falsehoods and then living from them.

We must choose to tell ourselves God’s Truth! Read scripture. Memorize scripture. Meditate on scripture. Know the Truth so we can combat the lies. Google to find scripture to combat specific lies if you need to. Download the Bible app on your phone so you have a ready resource for looking up scripture.

We must choose to be Spirit led not emotion led. We must learn to develop our emotional muscles, become emotionally mature, God will help us do this as we empty out the lies in our life and fill ourselves with His Truth.

We must choose to quiet ourselves so that we can hear the Spirit inside us trying to talk to us. We often have so much noise in our life we cannot hear God.

We must talk to God throughout our day about everything! Talk to God like He is your best friend because that is what He wants to be.

We must choose to believe that God is faithful. Believe that God loves us. Believe God wants good things for us. We must believe there is a better Way!

“rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” Romans 12:12 NKJV

“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” Romans 12:12 NLT

“Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble, but commune with God at all times.” Romans 12:12 TPT

Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow! And let gentleness be seen in every relationship, for our Lord is ever near. Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always. Philippians 4:4-8 TPT

Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition? James 1:6-8 TPT

BELIEVE. HAVE FAITH.

“I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 NLT

ADMIT YOUR STRUGGLES. ADMIT YOUR DOUBTS.

Read the Psalms. The Psalms were my source of strength a few years ago when I began to doubt everything I had been taught. Thankfully in my doubting and anger I doubled down on seeking Truth. And God met me where I was. Little by little. Moment by moment. Day by day.

Stay connected to the Source, Jesus Christ! Allow the Holy Spirit to transform you and produce His fruit in you that everyone you come into contact with can enjoy! And give God glory!

We must not give up!

Transformation is possible.

We can change the way we think.

It takes work and time and it will be hard but the benefits are SO WORTH IT! The overflowing Peace! The Joy! The Freedom found in resting in God’s love. Knowing your worth and value are in Him!

Keep seeking! Keep discovering! You can do this. We can be transformed and be examples of God’s Love and Light here and now! Amen.