The fruits of the spirit are positive attitudes. There will be positive results in your life. You will have positive relationships with other people. You never become happy by trying to be happy. Fruit grows naturally. You cannot manufacture it. You can live a life of excellence.

1. You need a power source (vs. 1)

Jesus is our power source. Unlimited power is available to us. You and God are a majority. Don’t try to build your life without God.

Your life can be full of adversity, with many difficulties. Some of these “valleys” will be deep. If you want to get to the top, you need to go through the valley. God uses adversity. Adversity builds resilience. If adversity makes you bitter, then you will fail. Adversity should be your motivation to rise higher. Expect difficulties and battle through them.

Great babies are not born. It is through life that great people are developed. We need to have a vision if we are to excel in life. You do not have to be a failure. You can pursue excellence. Put your life in the hands of God. He is your power source. Be the best that you can be.

2. You need a purging (vs. 2)

If you want excellence, God is going to have to do some purging. God is going to have to remove the bad habits from your life. It doesn’t take long for weeds to grow. To get fruit, you need to be pruned. To get more fruit, you need to be pruned. It is a continual process

You can’t let your mistakes stop you from being all that God wants you to be. Do you start each day with a positive attitude? Don’t hang around with “losers”! There will always be those who just want to party and waste their lives and live only for fun. They don’t want to work. They are only interested in shortcuts.

We all have things that need to be purged. It is no good whining and complaining all day. Nobody owes you anything. If you do not make it happen it is not going to happen! Do not fill your life with self pity. Do you blame everyone but yourself? Stop complaining! Stop being lazy! Stop making excuses! You can’t blame anyone but yourself.

We need to be purged of pride. So many people have been held back by pride. You aren’t the best! There is always going to be someone better. Be humble! Pride is a destroyer. It will kill you. It will knock you down. Pride goes before a fall. You are no better than anyone else. If you realise that then you be more popular. To have confidence is not the same as pride. No one can be successful without confidence. Watch it does not cross the line into over confidence.

3. You need a partnership with God (vs. 4)

Several times God says in these verses, “Abide with me”. Connect with the vine and all will be fine. It is a partnership between you and the Lord. You need have goals for your life. Do you have a list of goals that you want to achieve this year? When you have a partner, He will motivate you. You have got to be going somewhere. Losing weight is not a goal. To lose 20 lbs in two months is a goal! You can end up on failure freeway. How does this happen?

• Mess up – We have all messed up. You can mess up and still be a success.
• Blow up – You start blaming someone else.
• Cover up – You try to hide it.
• Speed up – You try to ignore the fact that you are failing. You pay no intention to what is going on in your life.
• Give up – This happens to many people.

What you have to do is wake up! That’s all you have to do! Turn your eyes upon Jesus. You have to abide in the Vine. He will turn your failure into success. You have to accept responsibility. Work on your weaknesses and remember you have a partner.

4. You need a purpose (vs. 8, 16)

Have a purpose in your life so that you can bring forth fruit. Those that live to be 100 often have a purpose in their life. You do not give up on life. That is why people give up in life. You need something that drives you.

You are not going to be everything so you have to know exactly what God wants you to do. You have to learn when to say “No!” You can say “No!” when you have already said “Yes!” to something. You know what your goal is and you are driven by it. You can say “Yes” or “No” with confidence.

You will be more than ordinary people. You will be successful. It will be because you know what God’s purpose for your life. You need to have a passion. You need a burning in your heart to achieve something great.

5. You need a promise (vs. 7)

Did you see that promise? If you stick to your purpose then God will do it for you. God wants to use people like you. You may not be smart, yet you can astound people as God can help you excel. God is able – do you believe it?

Categories: John