HAVING FRUITS BUT NOT FRUITFUL

Yesterday, I had the privilege of sharing the word with some brethren and the topic given to me had to do with combating the enemy of all-round fruitfulness.


As I prepared to share in line with the manual that was given to me, I felt to use the first and second Adam as case studies on how both handled the one enemy that came for their success-the devil.



As I got to begin preaching, I felt to go another route of making my listeners understand what fruitfulness really is. I discovered at that point that knowing this is crucial to actually waging war against the devil in times of attack. You cannot win this battle with the devil if you miss out on what fruitfulness is.



I want to share same message with you so that you can check if you are just having fruits but not fruitful.





A farmer plants the seed of a mango expecting that at a particular period of the year, the seed will produce mango fruits and as such the year or the plantation can be termed fruitful. The reason the outcome can be called fruitful is because the seed actually produced in fruits what it is called; what was expected. The fruit is as a result of the seed planted. So, fruitfulness is defined by a seed not necessarily by the object of the fruit.



This is what I am saying to make it clearer: if eventually the mango seed that was planted begins to produce fresh and attractive oranges when it’s time of harvest, the farmer would be in a state of shock and wonder. The oranges will become more like an abomination because the seed planted was of mango. In itself, oranges are not bad, in fact, maybe it could bring more monetary value in the market, but as far as that particular event is concerned, the seed can never be termed fruitful. And this is not because something didn’t grow on it, but because what came forth wasn’t a product of the seed planted. In essence, it didn’t meet the expectation of the man who planted it. This was the case of the fig tree that couldn’t produce for Jesus.



For a stranger who didn’t know that the seed of a mango was what was planted, when he sees oranges looking all attractive, it would lead to a celebration thinking the seed was fruitful. There was actually a fruit, but it doesn’t mean fruitfulness. Fruitfulness is defined by bringing into life not just anything, but the fruit of the seed; the seed of mango begetting mango fruit and not the other way round.



So, to answer the question of if you are fruitful would be to answer first the question: “what are you called?”



Hope you are not called a “mango” but you are trying to bring forth the fruits of “orange” because we are in the season of orange? Your fruitfulness will not be measured by how you are celebrated but by what you are called. This is exactly where the strength of the devil lies; the misplacement of identity of man. Understand what God has called you and you are far above the devil.



Paul was an influential man, highly connected with the powers that be in the land; he had fruits that could be envied. He was well known all over as the man zealous for the course he chose to believe in, killing believers everywhere. People must have envied a man with such a wonderful credential at his age, but this was an exact opposite of the seed with which he was called. He had fruits (results), all the influence, but was never fruitful until he got back on track.



“…For even before I was born God had chosen me to be his, and called me- what kindness and grace” Gal 1:15



What has God called you? Is what you are celebrating really a product of your seed? When you know your seed, being bitter about another man’s fruit won’t be an occurrence in your life. As our seeds are different, so is our fruit.


Identity precedes the quest for fruitfulness and faithfulness is the enablement of fruitfulness.


What have you been called? Who exactly are you? What should you be doing?
These are the thoughts I want to leave you with this week so as to avoid a life full of fruits but not fruitful.


Hope you get this?


Stay Innovated
Olufemi Ibitoye