Because God’s Spirit lives within you doesn’t guarantee His power is at work in your life. God’s power is available, but you must plug into it. Jesus associates our spiritual life with a vine and its branches: ‘I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing’ (v. 5 NKJV). In this comparison, the branch is completely dependent on the main vine; it cannot yield fruit on its own. Growing fruit is an internal job. If someone tied apples onto the branches of a dead tree and said, ‘Look at this fruit tree,’ what would you say? You would probably say, ‘You tied those things on.’ That’s similar to when a Christian says, ‘I’m going to tie on a bunch of fruit in my life – a little patience now, a little goodness later, a little self-control at another time. I will do it by myself.’ Impossible! It’s the fruit of the Spirit, not the efforts of the flesh. Jesus said, ‘He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.’ How can you tell you’re abiding (or residing) in Christ? Consider your prayer life. Your prayers reveal your dependence on God. What do you pray about? Whatever you pray about is what you’re relying on God for. The Bible says, ‘Never stop praying’ (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT). Pray about your decisions, needs, temptations, interests, plans, schedule, problems, purchases; specifically, pray about everything! Doing this is what it means to ‘abide’ – being aware that God is always with you, practising His presence.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.