Are You Tired of WaitingFor Your Fruit-Producing Season?

　　Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. - Colossians 2:7

　　Have you ever been so frustrated at waiting for a fruitful time in your life that you said to the Lord, "When is the fruit-producing season ever going to start in my life? I've worked, believed, and waited, but I am a little tired of waiting to see the fruit I long to see in my life. How long do I have to wait, Lord?"

　　I encourage you today to stay on track and refuse to give up, because you're about to reach the greatest period of fruitfulness you've ever known. Before a fruit-producing tree reaches a time in its growth when it blossoms and bears fruit, first it sends its roots down deep into the earth where it can draw on a constant source of nourishment. Then as it continues to be nourished from below, it begins to send its limbs upward and outward.

　　During the life of that tree, it must endure the elements of every season - the heat, the cold, the sleet, the rain, and the snow - before it ever blossoms. Because those roots are deeply tapped into a continuous source of strength, nourishment, and energy, the tree is able to outlast all the sea­sons and eventually become a fruit-producing tree.

　　Psalm 1:3 uses the example of a tree to declare that when a person is rooted in God's Word, he is "…like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

　　If you are wondering how long it is going to take before your fruit-producing season finally arrives, don't get too discouraged! The bigger the tree, the greater the need for that tree to send its roots down deep into the earth to draw nourishment and to give it a firm footing against the wind, the weather, and the elements of the different seasons. That continual nourishment will also protect the tree from pestilence that may try to attack it through the years.

　　In light of this, consider what the apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 2:7: "Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." I want you to especially notice the word "rooted" in this verse. It comes from the Greek word ridzo, which means to be firmly and deeply rooted, making the object fixed, steady, stable, and strong. This is the picture of a strong tree whose roots go down deep and reach its source of nourishment. The tree is also held securely in place by those roots, regardless of the weather or the environmental opposi­tion that comes against it.

　　Rather than complain that it's taking too long for your fruit-producing season to arrive, you need to thank God for this time in your life! Take this time to send your roots down deep and tap into the strength of God's Word and God's Spirit. If your roots are securely fixed in Jesus Christ, you will outlast every season, every foul climate, and every storm. Eventually you will enter into the finest fruit-producing season of your life, your ministry, your family, or your business.

　　Honestly, you need to thank God that things haven't happened faster in your life! Have you ever seen someone who reached success too quickly? That person usually loses his success just as quickly as he gained it because he didn't have the roots and the experience necessary to maintain the success he gained. When people achieve success too quickly, it often means they don't have the roots, the depth, and the sure foundation to bear them up in the difficult times they will encounter as they go through the seasons of life.

　　So take this time to work on your personal life, your mind, your thinking, your discipline, your finances, your weight, your relationships, and your behavior. While you are waiting for that fruit-producing season to come to pass in your life, use this time to put off the old man and to put on the new man (Colossians 3:9,10). Spend this phase of your life wisely by renewing your mind to the Word of God (Ephesians 4:23) and being certain your affections are set on things above, not on things of this earth (Colossians 3:2).

　　If you use your time wisely, there will be no wasted time in your life. But if you just sit around and complain that it's taking too long to get where you want to go, you willwaste time. Sitting and complaining doesn't make anything happen faster - and it often further delays the manifestation of the answer you've been waiting for.

　　So refuse to belong to those who are grumpy and complaining all the time. Instead, look at this time in your life as a blessing sent from Heaven to help you get yourself rooted deeply in Jesus Christ! Then send your limbs upward and outward as you tap into the power of God. Eventually you'll begin to see blossoms budding in your life, signaling that you are about to enter your long-awaited season of bringing forth much fruit!

　　MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

　　Lord, I thank You for not sending success to me too quickly. I know that if I had achieved suc­cess earlier, I wouldn't have been ready for it. In fact, I might have destroyed it due to my own lack of experience and my immaturity. Help me embrace this time in my life as a time of prepa­ration. Help me to truthfully analyze every part of my life in order to see what areas need to be more deeply rooted in You. I want my roots to go down so deeply that no storms of life and no attacks from the devil will be able to move me from the place where You have called me. Help me to stay so fixed, firm, strong, and stable that once I enter the fruit-producing season, I will never leave it!

　　I pray this in Jesus' name!

　　MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

　　I confess that I am firmly and deeply rooted in God's Word. As a result, I am fixed, steady, stable, and strong like a tree whose roots go down deep. I am tapped into the life of Jesus Christ, and He has become my Source of nourishment. I am held so securely in place that I am unaffected by the storms of life and the pestilence that the devil tries to use to attack me. I will outlast every season, every foul climate, and every storm. I am about to enter into the finest fruit-producing season of my life, my ministry, my family, and my business. My fruit-producing season is getting ready to begin!

　　I declare this by faith in Jesus' name!

　　QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

　　Have you ever seen people quickly reach success, but it seemed that they lost their success just as quickly as they attained it? Can you name specific individuals who come to mind as examples?What were the reasons these individuals gained and lost success so quickly? Reflect on this question for a while; then write down your observations.What do you need to be doing different in your own life to make sure you don't ever fall into the category of those who quickly gained and quickly lost success?For more from this ministry please visit Renner.org.