It’s NOT about today…It’s about eternity:)))

After a week of vacation,

and a POWERFUL Easter Sunday, I’d say that I’m a tad behind on blogging and reading others blogs…

I must admit that I feel very blessed that a good number of you have said that you look forward to reading my post for encouragement.
My purpose is exactly for that reason which also glorifies Christ:)))

2 CORINTHIANS 4:16-18
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Today, a good friend and I met to walk and catch up. We discussed our physical limitations, family situations, and had a wonderful time of encouraging each other in the Lord. Oh, how we will continue to face obstacles in this life on earth, but we must keep our commitment to serving Christ.
Rather than giving up when persecution wore him down, Paul concentrated on experiencing the inner strength from the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16).

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: Don’t let fatigue, pain, or criticism force you off the job for Christ. Our ultimate hope in terrible illness, persecution, or pain is realizing that this life is not all there is-there is life after death!
Let’s remember that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering! 🙂

Can I get an AMEN?

Believing, RESISTING and living VICTORIOUSLY :))))

As Christians, do you know that we are told to RESIST the devil? Scripture tells us to resist the devil, and he will flee from us

I cherish the Word of God, and believe every WORD is TRUE AND GOD BREATHED!! Now…let’s apply it!

I don’t know about you, BUT I for one am TOTALLY resisting him.
I have had it with him sneaking around, as well as slipping right on up and using people. We must be aware of what God’s Word tells us to do and live as He has called us to live.

JAMES 4:7-10
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Although God and satan are at war, we don’t need to wait until the end to see who will win. God has already defeated satan (Colossians 2:13-15; Revelation 12:10-12), and when Christ returns, satan and all he stands for will be eliminated forever (Revelation 20:10-15). satan is here now, however, and he is trying to win us over to his evil cause. With the Holy Spirit’s power, we can resist satan, and he will flee from us.

How can you draw close (“nigh“) to God? James gives five suggestions? (1) “Submit to God“(4:7), Realize that you need his forgiveness, and be willing to follow Him. (2) “Resist the devil” (4:7). Don’t allow him to entice and tempt you. (3) “Cleanse your hands… and purify your hearts”(that is lead a pure life) (4:8). Be cleansed from sin, replacing it with God’s purity. (4) Let there be fears, sorrow, and sincere grief for your sins, (4:9). Don’t be afraid to express deep heartfelt sorrow for them. (5) Humble yourself before God, and He will lift you up (4:10; 1 Peter 5:6).

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: God has given us what we need to live a powerful and victorious life in Christ. The same power that raised our LORD and SAVIOUR from the grave is alive and available to us as Christians today. We must make ourselves disciplined to reading and applying His Word in our lives DAILY!

LET US DO OUR PART AND RESIST THE devil AND he WILL FLEE…he HAS NO CHOICE BECAUSE OUR SCRIPTURES TELL US THAT he WILL FLEE!!
(I always put my Armour on (EPHESIANS 6:11-17) first thing in the morning and rebuke the devil in JESUS NAME!!)

Are you distressed with your thorn today? DON’T BE :))

Did you expect NOT to learn the hard way? As I look back over the past nine years since accepting Christ into my heart, I realize just how much I didn’t know when making my profession of faith. I understood and trusted that Christ died for my sins, forgave my sins once I repented, and my salvation was secure in Him. The Holy Spirit indwelled and filled me with a willingness and hunger that’s always been hard to explain, in fact, my family sometimes thought I may have been just a little over the top at times :))!!
I’ve recently begun to understand that it truly is trials in life that cause us to grow in our trust in Christ. I’m talking about situations that cause you to know what it means to say “I’m a sinner saved by GRACE.” It’s only after repeated attempts to get out of where we currently are trapped in our situations that we have no control over, That we are finally aware that He is entirely in control and will give us all that we stand in need of this day and every day.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:8-10
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ sakes: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
We don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was because he doesn’t tell us. Some have suggested that it was Malaria, epilepsy, or a disease of the eyes (Galatians 4:13-15). Whatever it was, it was a chronic and debilitating physical problem, which at times kept him from working.
This thorn was a hindrance to his ministry, and he prayed for its removal, but God refused. Paul was a very self-sufficient person, so this thorn was difficult for him. It kept Paul humble, reminded him of his need for constant contact with God and benefited those around him as they saw God at work in his life.

 

 

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: Although God did not remove Paul’s affliction, He promised to demonstrate His power in Paul. God’s power shows up in weak people and should give us courage.

Let us recognize our limitations, admit our weaknesses and affirm God’s strength today and every day!

**PLEASE READ**

Hello blogging family:)

I hope that you all are well and busy encouraging others in Christ!! You all are a blessing to me and encouraging as well:))

I want to tell you about ‘FRUIT BITES’ !!

A FRUIT BITE is a 2 minute video segment for encouragement. I hope to upload on M W F.

I hope it will encourage others. Sometimes it’s easier to watch than to read, so maybe on the days that you are running short on reading time, you can just listen to the 2 minute FRUIT BITE and get a BIG BITE of encouragement to help you along in your day!

God Bless you ALL and please continue to keep up the GREAT EFFORTS that you all put forth with encouraging others in Christ!!

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone with creating FRUIT BITES. We must be fruitful for Him! 🙂

 

Sincerely,

Kim Mefford

Godsfruitful.net

Do you ever feel like weeping? DON’T!!!

Have you ever thought that we Christians have it tough? I’ve been teaching an overview of the Bible and have just started looking into the Major and Minor Prophets.
Talk about people who were trying to serve God and get discouraged in doing so…Poor Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet.

TRUSTING that God is with me, although I don’t hear or see HIM right now!

 

 

 

I’ve felt like a weeping prophet before, how about you?
No matter what situation that the prophets found themselves going through, God was always there with them.

JEREMIAH 1:6-8
6 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.
8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.

Often people struggle with new challenges because they lack self-confidence. They feel they have inadequate ability, training, or experience. Jeremiah thought he was too young and inexperienced to be God’s spokesman to the world. But God promised to be with Him. We must never allow feelings of inadequacy to keep us from obeying God’s call. He will always be with us. When you find yourself avoiding something you know you should do, be careful not to use the lack of self-confidence as an excuse. If God gives you a job to do, He will provide all you need to do it.

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: God promised to see Jeremiah through trouble, not to keep trouble from coming. God did not insulate him from jailings, deportation, or insults. God does not keep us from encountering life’s storms, but He will see us through them. In fact, He walks through these storms with us.

Let’s trust that God will be with us today and every day no matter what life brings our way!

My First online video lesson 🤔Abraham’s testing

UH OH…CAN’T LET THE WORRY GO???

I already know the answer to this question, but I will go on and ask it…
Do you find yourself worrying just a tiny bit over situations in your life?
I’m sure that most of us are aware that worry is a sin...

Matthew 6:19-34 is our Lord’s definitive teaching about the sin of worry.
Once you memorize it’s core verse, Matthew 6:33, you’ll be leaning on it again and again.
MATTHEW 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Here is an outline of the passage as it unfolds. Study it as you work on this excellent verse.

1. Worry indicates a defective value system (Matt. 6:19-25).
There are more important issues than food, clothing, houses, and entertainment.
2. Worry indicates a defective self-image (Matt. 6:26).                                                          We’re more valuable than anything God has made, including the birds of the air.

3. Worry indicates a defective way of thinking (Matt. 6:27).
Anxiety doesn’t add one hour to our lives or one cubit to our height. It’s a useless exercise and an inefficient way of thinking.
4. Worry indicates a defective trust in God (Matt. 6:28-30).
Faith is the ability to maintain inner strength by trusting in the promises of God amid the problems of life. We shouldn’t fall into the “you of little faith” camp.
5. Worry indicates a defective purpose in life (Matt. 6:31-35).
If we take care of things that are important to God. He’ll take care of things that are important to us.
6. Anxiety indicates a defective view of tomorrow (Matt. 6:34).                                              In this verse, Jesus specifically tells us to deal with today’s issues and don’t worry about tomorrow’s.

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: Seek ye first the Lord, and then He will provide for you everything that is profitable for you in this life and He will crown it with everything that is glorious in the life to come.

Let’s lean upon the PROMISES OF GOD today and every day!

 

GET BACK UP BEFORE YOU FAINT!!!

So I ask you today, have you ever felt like you are standing still in a situation without any changes? I know several of my readers personally who can answer with YES!! The other day while leaving my exercise room, I had gotten to the bottom of the steps only to find that Jack wasn’t so eager to come down the stairs behind me like he usually does.
He seemed to have lost his get up and go..
We find ourselves waiting for change day in and day out until we soon lose our excitement.

We must remember that the devil brings the four D’s, which are Doubt, discouragement, despair and division. I’ve added another D, and it is for down. We sit down within our doubt and begin to think that things will not change anytime soon; our discouragement can cause us to despair. If we don’t keep our focus on Christ and His Word, we can create a division between God and us. The devil is the only one happy when this happens.
Let’s get a hold on our thinking, and not give into the devil’s tactics. Half of the battle is outsmarting the devil, and we can do that by coming into the presence of God every day and seeking His way and Will for us, and Putting on our FULL ARMOUR of God every day.

GALATIANS 6:9
9 And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: Paul challenges the Galatians and us to keep on doing what is right and to trust God for the results. In due time, we reap a harvest of blessing.

Let’s pray to get back up and keep our focus on the ALL POWERFUL God that LOVES us and that supplies us the strength we need today and every day!

 

LOOK CLOSER AND YOU WILL SEE THE LIGHT:)

DON’T GIVE UP ! GOD KNOWS WHEN TO SHINE:)

 

Oh my goodness!! Have you ever felt like quitting? Come on at least once or twice right? 🙂
I find it amazing how God knows the situation, and if we will seek Him, He is faithful in showing up to help us through it.
A cry of distress in a sea of trouble. We may have to suffer severely for our devotion to God, but that should cause us to look forward with joy to the day when evil and injustice will be gone forever.  🙂

PSALMS 69:1-4
1 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.
2 I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary of my crying; my throat is dried; mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head; they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.

This is one of the most quoted Psalms in the New Testament, and it is often applied to the ministry and suffering of Jesus. Verse 4, like John 15:25, speaks of Jesus’ many enemies. The experience of being mocked by His brothers (69:8) is expressed in John 7:5.
David wept until he was physically exhausted, with a dry throat and blurred vision. He wept until he could weep no more, yet he still trusted God to save him. When devastated by death or tragedy, we need not collapse or despair because we can turn to God and ask Him to save us and help us. The tears will still come, but we will not be crying in vain.

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: So many times in this life we will face difficulties. We must realize that the devil is not happy about our serving the Lord, and he will not stop quickly at trying to distract us from serving the ALL KNOWING AND ALL MIGHTY GOD. Remember if the devil can’t distract us, he will move on to someone close by who doesn’t have their Armour on for God, and without their realizing it, he gets inside of them and uses them against us in many ways.

Let’s remember that God is with us today and every day! All we have to do is seek Him AND SOMETIMES IT MAY TAKE MANY EARNEST PRAYERS !  🙂