Don't Be Unfruitful - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 18, 2025

A fruitful vineyard produces plenty of fruit for its owner, and that is what the Lord expects when He looks at us who believe in Him. He sent His Son to die for us, setting us free from death in hell. That freedom, plus God's Word in the Bible and the deposit of His Holy Spirit, means we have all we need to do greater works just as Jesus said believers would. We're equipped to be fruitful.

The Parable of the Fig Tree revealed that any tree in God's vineyard that fails to produce is at risk of being cut down. It reinforced that God won't even allow the soil a tree is planted in to be put to waste if that tree fails to bear fruit. The parable also highlighted another reason why we need to be grateful to Jesus as our intercessor, because He stands advocating for us to receive more chances to prove fruitful to the Lord.

Long before Jesus told the Parable of the Fig Tree, the Bible revealed what would happen to an unproductive vineyard of trees. Prophet Isaiah issued a warning in a time when God's people no longer served Him faithfully. They lived as they wanted and bowed to other gods. The vineyard produced bad grapes. Instead of justice, the 'fruits' produced were injustice, bloodshed, and unrighteousness (Isaiah 5:4 & 7).

This caused the Lord to pronounce a judgment. Isaiah 5:5-6 - Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. /I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”

This prophetic word reveals that an unproductive vineyard loses its protection and will be abandoned by its owner. When that happens, an enemy can enter to destroy it. God's blessings - the rain - will no longer fall. That will ensure that the trees within shrivel up and die. By implication, the favor of the Lord, which is a shield from destruction, is removed. These are but some of the consequences that await a tree or a vineyard that does not produce fruit pleasing to God.

As individual Christians and as members of the Body of Christ, this warning in Isaiah 5 must not be ignored. God expects us to produce fruit worthy of our placement in the soil of His vineyard. We have to honor the mercy we've received from God through Jesus by the way we live (Luke 3:8). We must spread the aroma of Christ wherever we go (2 Corinthians 2:15). Shining God's light into the world's darkness and not producing sinful fruits and their resulting scars.

What does God see when He looks at you? Also what fruit are you producing? Are you like those the Prophet warned because their fruits were bad? Or are you bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness/humility, and self-control as stated in Galatians 5:22-22? If not, today is a good day to start, my brother and sister in Christ.

Intentionality is required because the fruits of the Spirit don't always come naturally. We have to fast and pray so we receive and maintain them. We have to reject pride and the desire to satisfy our flesh so we starve satan of what it wants from us - sin. And as we rely on Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Word, we improve daily.

God wants us to be fruitful for Him. That way, we enjoy His rewards and don't endure what becomes of the trees in an unfruitful vineyard. He will help anyone who wants His assistance in this. Tell Him you desire to be a profitable tree in how you live and the lives you influence for His glory. God will help us become increasingly fruitful for His glory and pleasure, and by His grace, we will avoid the consequences of unfruitfulness, IJMN, Amen.

As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider reading the following previous P&P messages:

1. Be A Fruitful Vineyard

2. The Pruning

3. Fear The Lord: Praises & Favor

4. You are being built for the Lord

5. You Reap What You Sow

6. The Fruitful Vineyard & The Caretaker

7. God Is Waiting On You

8. The Shield 2: Favor

9. What Would God See When He Looks At Your Heart?

10. What Fruit Are You Producing?

11. Put God's Concerns First

12. Be About The Father's Business

13. Have You Been Fruitful?

Have You Been Fruitful? - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) November 14, 2025

Has it ever occurred to you that God is focused on profit like any wise business person? He wants His investments to be productive and thus fruitful and He expects to reap something good from them all.

In Luke 13, Jesus shared the Parable of the Fig Tree. In it, He pointed out that the owner of a farm looked at a fig tree, then complained to his caretaker because it had borne no fruit for three years in a row. He demanded that it be cut down so it stops using up the soil. The caretaker, however, pleaded, saying he'd fertilize the three and that if it remained barren in a year, then he'd get rid of it (Luke 13:6-9).

You and I are the fig trees the Vineyard Owner was inspecting. The Vineyard Owner in the story represents the Lord, and the Caretaker is Jesus. It is easy to forget, what with our busy lives, that God is checking on the trees in His vineyard to see whether or not they are producing fruit for Him.

If they aren't, then like any other wise farmer, those trees hold no value and should not take up the soil, sun, water, and care that are spent on them. Another, more productive tree would do better to receive those benefits.

The realities of life must not make us forget that we, believers, are the trees in God's vineyard. It is our responsibility and should be our very nature to produce fruits that are pleasing to our Owner. If not, then why are we taking up valuable space that could benefit another believer who would produce more returns for the Lord?

Thank God for Jesus, who, just like the Caretaker in the parable, is interceding on our behalf when we aren't producing fruit. He gets us more chances to do what the Lord desires, giving us more time to get it together and produce the fruit that will make us profitable and thus valuable to God.

We should not forget that with trees, time is a crucial factor. Think about it, trees blossom and bloom with the seasons. When a tree fails to produce in its season, there's a long wait to see if it will bring forth fruit again. Our fruitfulness is also impacted by time. If we miss our season to produce, there is a great likelihood we might have to wait a long while for another chance to be profitable.

Time is a limited resource, so we must be prepared for when the Vineyard Owner shows up to inspect us for profitability. We truly do not know when that day could be, and we don't want to be the tree that stands there, barren in a field of productive trees. Remember, Jesus once cursed a fig tree that was barren during a season when it should have been fruitful (Matthew 21:19). The tree shriveled and died. That shall not be our portion, IJMN, Amen.

As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider reading the following previous P&P messages:

1. Serve with your Talents & Gifts

2. Sow Seeds of Righteousness

3. Be A Fruitful Vineyard

4. The Pruning

5. You are being built for the Lord

6. Give God What He Wants To Get What You Want

7. To want or to give? That is the question

8. You Reap What You Sow

9. How Salty Are You?

10. The Fruitful Vineyard & The Caretaker

11. Does God Expect Perfection?

12. What Would God See When He Looks At Your Heart?

13. What Fruit Are You Producing?

14. Put God's Concerns First

15. Be About The Father's Business

Pray Not To Be Tempted - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 11, 2025

Temptation can be very tricky. What might entice one person may have no impact on another. Think about it. One Christian may be drawn to fornicate. Another may be pulled into anger, forgetting that Jesus warned that anger leads to judgment. That said, what all temptation has in common is that they are stepping stones toward sin. 

This is why Jesus taught the disciples the following in Luke 22:40 - There he told them, “Pray that you will not give in to temptation” (NLT). He knew that as human beings, avoiding temptation would be a tough task. He therefore gave us the solution. After all, when we ask God for His help, we invite Him into the situation. We also receive strategy and wisdom to circumvent what would cause temptation.

The Lord's Prayer states in Matthew 6:13 - And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one (NLT). Thus, when we say this prayer, we obey the Savior's instruction. And as we do this, we become those who Jesus said truly loved Him because they obey His teachings. Plus, since we know that when we pray, God answers us, there is little reason not to say the Lord's Prayer regularly and receive help in this area (1 John 5:15).

As Christ's disciples, God is teaching and pruning us for His glory. Hence, let us never forget the importance of praying against temptation's lure. Let us not allow pride to blind us into thinking, 'It could never be me,' but instead obey Jesus. James 1:14-15 illustrates the progression of temptation and the consequence. It states, but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. /Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Temptation drags people to eternal death.

Praying, while essential, is not the only factor needed to avoid temptation. Our choices speak volumes. We, therefore, must be intentional to live righteously in the fear of the Lord. Because we prayed, God will surely help us in this area as well. This is also one of the roles the Holy Spirit plays in the lives of God's children. The question becomes, will we submit and obey God when told not to do something that our flesh is screaming for? Or will we yield to the sin our flesh craves?

Will we listen and avoid those people and things whose role is to lead us into temptation, sin, and death? King David taught in Proverbs 1:10 - My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. Likewise, we must actively resist temptation and those who peddle it or encourage the sin that will result. That could be a friend or even a celebrity whose lifestyle and words encourage sin. It could also be an organization or business that specializes in the very things that tempt people to sin. God will help us so we are not foolish and avoid danger, as addressed in Proverbs 22:3 - The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

God has armed us with everything we need to overcome the enemy with godly living. We just have to believe and have faith. The Bible, His Son, and His Holy Spirit are all part of our arsenal to stay far from temptation. When we use these weapons, He will steer us away from the places and people that could influence us to please our flesh instead of Him. As we submit, God will alert us to satan's plans to drive us into sin. He does this so we choose to be where we should be - dwelling in His safety. And this last part is key, we have to decide to do what He wants, or we will surely fall into temptation and not enjoy His best. 

Let us make a habit of praying for God's grace not to give in to temptation. Let us also allow the Lord to remove what needs to go so that we actively prioritize His concerns over satan's desires. The Lord Almighty will continue to strengthen us so that we will and do what is pleasing to Him (Philippians 2:13). By His grace, we will walk in the light and remain in fellowship with His people so that we are continuously purified by Christ's blood (1 John 1:7). And the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will rest and abide with us forever, IJMN Amen. 

As you wait for fellowship at 12 Noon EST, consider reading the following previous P&P messages:

1. Get Scrappy

2. You are being built for the Lord

3. Dear Peppers 2: Don't Quit

4. God's Simple Instructions

5. Keep Your Eyes on Jesus

6. Resist satan

7. Onward Christian Soldier

8. Spiritual Adultery