Fruit is produced over time and requires the proper growing conditions. If you are “rooted and grounded” then over time you will produce fruit. The interesting thing about fruit, however, is that the fruit contains seeds that allow it to perpetually reproduce. Check out which fruit you have been producing in your life. If it is not what you want, you need to make changes in your life.

Scripture References: Galatians 5:22-23 NLT

In life, Transition is a circular process that can cause you to rise to new heights or sink to the murky depths. Your choices will always determine how your life unfolds. There are nine stages in a full tranisition. The more you can handle at one time, the faster you will mature as a Christian. These nine stages are:

1.) Crisis Produces Opportunity
2.) Opportunity Produces Ministry
3.) Ministry Produces Favour
4.) Favour Produces Promotion
5.) Promotion Produces Increase
6.) Increase Multiplies Responsibility
7.) Responsibility Produces Rewards
8.) Rewards Attract Attack
9.) Attack Creates Crisis

Do not fear transition. Do not fear change. If you do, you will be boxed in, contained by Satan. Remember, his strategy is undrmine one thing and then let you self-destruct. Fear of change is one of the best targets that he has. If he can keep you contained long enough, your dreams and desires will fade and you will settle for far less than your potential.

The best time to deal with crisis is up front and head on. People often try to avoid attack using one of three methods:
1.) They backtrack or run away from the crisis.
2.) They perform the ostrich manuever. When an ostrich is threatened, it sticks its head in the sand, thinking that because the problem is out of sight, it is no longer there.
3.) They water themselves down and take the path of least resistance.

We have been given three weapons to attack with, not just to defend. It does not matter where the attack comes from, these weapons make us formidible fighters.

Weapon 1: Seed
In Genesis 1, God blessed the man and woman and in that blessing was seed. Seed creates your future. When you let go of something in your hand, God will let go of something in His. Jesus was a seed that produced an eternal family for God.

Genesis 3:15 KJVR
(15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Weapon 2: Faith
What is faith? It is our transfer mechanism. Faith is similar to the transporters in Star Trek.

Hebrews 11:1-3 NLT
(1) Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
(2) Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
(3) By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.

Because our technology is more advanced than in Paul’s day, we have even more evidence that this is true. Annette Capps published “Quantum Faith,” which is a mini-book that explores some of the links between Quantum Physics and Faith. You can also view some excerpts from the DVD series that she and her father Charles Capps has produced. On page 8, Annette writes, “The interesting thing is that scientists have discovered that the electron that is shown orbiting the nucleus is not always there in particle form. It exists in a wave state (like a cloud, everywhere at once) until someone looks at it. When the scientist observes it, it suddenly appears as a dot (particle). What we all want to know is, ‘How does it know someone is looking at it?’ It is obviously responding to the observer.”

Faith is something that you must develop, because everyone starts their Christian walk with the same amount of faith.

Romans 12:1-3 KJVR
(1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
(3) For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Weapon 3: Your Voice Speaking God’s Word
In every case that we have looked at, the Word spoken in Faith broke the crisis. Let us look at some examples:

Remember, Daniel handpicked his minister’s who would not worship another. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego publicly declaredtheir loyalty to God.

Daniel 3:14-18 NLT
(14) Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up?
(15) I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
(16) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
(17) If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
(18) But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Joseph was attacked by Potiphar’s wife and framed for a crime that he did not commit. Instead of being executed, he went to prison and encountered two of Pharoah’s servants. He interpreted their dreams and said:

Genesis 40:14 NLT
(14) And please remember me and do me a favor when things go well for you. Mention me to Pharaoh, so he might let me out of this place.

Jesus was attacked and resolved the issue by speaking the Word. Knowing that He was about to die the most horrible death for all people for all time, Jesus needed to keep His body and soul in line for the coming attack.

Matthew 26:39 NLT
(39) He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.”

Going through an attack and the ensuing crisis is not always fun, but as I said before, you do have the Word to assist you in overcoming. I like what Rocky Balboa said to his son in the last of the Rocky movies.
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that!”

There are many forms of attack. Attack is designed to prevent you from obtaining a specific outcome in your life. It could be a distraction. It could be physical attack. It could be an attack in your soul. Attacks may have many battles or one decisive battle.

The man was placed in the garden along with his wife, but they were attacked by Satan.

Genesis 3:1-7 NLT
(1) The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
(2) “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
(3) “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
(4) “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
(5) “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
(6) The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
(7) At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

Joseph was attacked by Potiphar’s wife.

Genesis 39:5-19 NLT
(5) From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the LORD began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.
(6) So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat! Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man,
(7) and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.
(8) But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household.
(9) No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”
(10) She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible.
(11) One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work.
(12) She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.
(13) When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled,
(14) she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed.
(15) When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.”
(16) She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home.
(17) Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said.
(18) “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!”
(19) Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her.

Daniel went into the lion’s den because of the rewards he earned.

Daniel 6:1-16 NLT
(1) Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province.
(2) The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests.
(3) Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.
(4) Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy.
(5) So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”
(6) So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius!
(7) We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions.
(8) And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
(9) So King Darius signed the law.
(10) But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.
(11) Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help.
(12) So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.”
(13) Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.”
(14) Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.
(15) In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.”
(16) So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”

Jesus went to hell for us, but he needed to keep himself under control.
Jesus could have counterattacked, but He resisted deviation from the course He was to travel for us.

Matthew 26:51-53 NLT
(51) But one of the men with Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
(52) “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.
(53) Don’t you realize that I could ask My Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and He would send them instantly?

Each Legion would contain 5200 angels as compared with a typical Roman Legion of the time. This is over 64,000 angels which would be able to decimate the world’s population many times over.

Paul preached in Rome, but he took the really long way there. Paul was beaten, jailed and shipwrecked many times. It seemed as though something was hindering him, but Paul had a message.

Acts 23:11-21 NLT
(11) That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to Me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.”
(12) The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
(13) There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.
(14) They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
(15) So you and the high council should ask the commander to bring Paul back to the council again. Pretend you want to examine his case more fully. We will kill him on the way.”
(16) But Paul’s nephew—his sister’s son—heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told Paul.
(17) Paul called for one of the Roman officers and said, “Take this young man to the commander. He has something important to tell him.”
(18) So the officer did, explaining, “Paul, the prisoner, called me over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”
(19) The commander took his hand, led him aside, and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?”
(20) Paul’s nephew told him, “Some Jews are going to ask you to bring Paul before the high council tomorrow, pretending they want to get some more information.
(21) But don’t do it! There are more than forty men hiding along the way ready to ambush him. They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.”

Being under attack is not fun, but conquering an attacker brings the spoils of victory (more rewards) to you. The biggest weapon that you have to counter attack is the Word of God. In the Book of James, we are told:

James 1:2-4 NLT
(2) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
(3) For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
(4) So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Joseph was rewarded by Pharoah because he executed his duties so well. In fact, the rewards you gain often have “extra benefits.”

Genesis 47:1-12 NLT
(1) Then Joseph went to see Pharaoh and told him, “My father and my brothers have arrived from the land of Canaan. They have come with all their flocks and herds and possessions, and they are now in the region of Goshen.”
(2) Joseph took five of his brothers with him and presented them to Pharaoh.
(3) And Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?” They replied, “We, your servants, are shepherds, just like our ancestors.
(4) We have come to live here in Egypt for a while, for there is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine is very severe there. So please, we request permission to live in the region of Goshen.”
(5) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Now that your father and brothers have joined you here,
(6) choose any place in the entire land of Egypt for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt. Let them live in the region of Goshen. And if any of them have special skills, put them in charge of my livestock, too.”
(7) Then Joseph brought in his father, Jacob, and presented him to Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
(8) “How old are you?” Pharaoh asked him.
(9) Jacob replied, “I have traveled this earth for 130 hard years. But my life has been short compared to the lives of my ancestors.”
(10) Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh again before leaving his court.
(11) So Joseph assigned the best land of Egypt—the region of Rameses—to his father and his brothers, and he settled them there, just as Pharaoh had commanded.
(12) And Joseph provided food for his father and his brothers in amounts appropriate to the number of their dependents, including the smallest children.

David gains a kingdom because he took responsibility for his actions. David kills Goliath. He serves Saul with all his might, but Saul’s jealousy causes David to flee for his life. Despite this, David continues to defend Israel from the Philistines. And, David would not kill Saul despite the fact he was presented with many opportunites act. Not acting as everyone was advising him to, David opted to follow the Word of God.

Jesus shows us the greastest act of responsibility – dying to bring about the redemption of humanity to God.

Matthew 26:36-46 NLT
(36) Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and He said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.”
(37) He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and He became anguished and distressed.
(38) He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”
(39) He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.”
(40) Then He returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with Me even one hour?
(41) Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
(42) Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
(43) When He returned to them again, He found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
(44) So He went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.
(45) Then He came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
(46) Up, let’s be going. Look, My betrayer is here!”

How valuable are you to God, that He would come down to earth and give His Life for you. Despite our sin and our choices in life that are contrary to the Word of God, He took responsibility for us. He sacrificed Himself so that we could make the ultimate choice: Salvation. In that choice, Jesus also calls us to go out into the world to teach and preach the Word so that others have the opportunity not only to make this choice, but also to learn about God and His Word. It is a responsibility that every Christian has and I can tell you from experience that it produces great rewards.

In our last post, we talked briefly about accepting the additional responsibility that comes with increase. Look at the life of Joseph:

In Potiphar’s house he learned what it took to run an Egyptian household. In Prision, Joseph learned new systems on how to distribute food to the masses. As Prime Minister, Joseph was so effective that not only was Egypt saved, but the Pharoah held absolute power in Egypt because all the landowners had signed their lands over to the Crown.

Genesis 47:14-26 NLT
(14) By selling grain to the people, Joseph eventually collected all the money in Egypt and Canaan, and he put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury.
(15) When the people of Egypt and Canaan ran out of money, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. “Our money is gone!” they cried. “But please give us food, or we will die before your very eyes!”
(16) Joseph replied, “Since your money is gone, bring me your livestock. I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
(17) So they brought their livestock to Joseph in exchange for food. In exchange for their horses, flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and donkeys, Joseph provided them with food for another year.
(18) But that year ended, and the next year they came again and said, “We cannot hide the truth from you, my lord. Our money is gone, and all our livestock and cattle are yours. We have nothing left to give but our bodies and our land.
(19) Why should we die before your very eyes? Buy us and our land in exchange for food; we offer our land and ourselves as slaves for Pharaoh. Just give us grain so we may live and not die, and so the land does not become empty and desolate.”
(20) So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so severe, and soon all the land belonged to Pharaoh.
(21) As for the people, he made them all slaves, from one end of Egypt to the other.
(22) The only land he did not buy was the land belonging to the priests. They received an allotment of food directly from Pharaoh, so they didn’t need to sell their land.
(23) Then Joseph said to the people, “Look, today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. I will provide you with seed so you can plant the fields.
(24) Then when you harvest it, one-fifth of your crop will belong to Pharaoh. You may keep the remaining four-fifths as seed for your fields and as food for you, your households, and your little ones.”
(25) “You have saved our lives!” they exclaimed. “May it please you, my lord, to let us be Pharaoh’s servants.”
(26) Joseph then issued a decree still in effect in the land of Egypt, that Pharaoh should receive one-fifth of all the crops grown on his land. Only the land belonging to the priests was not given to Pharaoh.

David’s responsibility increased. David was a shepherd out on the back 40 minding the sheep. The man of God arrives on the scene and annoint David to be the next King. David fights Goliath and wins.
Saul becomes jealous and attempts to kill David. David then has his family and the first 400 of his mighty men join him. He rules over Judah and Benjamin for 7 years. David then rules over Israel for 33 years. When you are the King, you are the authority. David came a long way from the pasture to the palace.

Jesus’ responsibility increased. Jesus first deals with himself.

Matthew 4:1-11 NLT
(1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.
(2) For forty days and forty nights He fasted and became very hungry.
(3) During that time the devil came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
(4) But Jesus told Him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
(5) Then the devil took Him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
(6) and said, “If You are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order His angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
(7) Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the LORD your God.’”
(8) Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
(9) “I will give it all to You,” he said, “if You will kneel down and worship me.”
(10) “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the LORD your God and serve only Him.’”
(11) Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Then Jesus began preaching the Gospel (Good News). Jesus produced disciples and out of those disciples he appointed the 12. Then there were the masses of people that sought Jesus because of what He taught. If that was not enough, Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for us.

Increase is not to be avoided. It is a part of the maturing process. When Jesus comes back, he is coming back for believers that actually believe and do what His Word says to do.

Increase does not always mean financial increase. Financial increase is usually a byproduct of increase. Increase usually comes to you in the realm of more responsibility, more work and more favour. You can look at any number of people in the Bible to find how increase changed them. Joseph, David, Solomon Jesus, the Apostles and Paul all had increase in their lives.

As David was promoted by the Lord, increase happened. He did not have mighty men with him when he defeated Goliath. David obtained multi-billionaire status because he sought God. Silver was worthless by Solomon’s reign because there was so much gold. The total cost of reproducing the Temple would be in the range of about 50 billion dollars. David’s personal donation was in the neighborhood of 15 billion.

Daniel moved through the civil service and eventually became the First Satrap (Minister).

Daniel 2:48-49 NLT
(48) Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men.
(49) At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

Jesus promoted Paul to take the Gospel to the Gentiles and God’s family increased mightily.

Acts 26:13-18 NLT
(13) About noon, Your Majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions.
(14) We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is useless for you to fight against My will. ‘
(15) “‘Who are You, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting.
(16) Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as My servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future.
(17) And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles
(18) to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Me.’

The key to lasting promotion is to be different. Accepting the responsibilities that come your way will set you apart from the masses that do not have any desire to achieve. David chose to be responsible for Israel as did Solomon. Daniel chose to serve in the Public Service as did Joseph.

Be different.