The Fruit of Faithfulness

I believe God is cultivating the fruit of faithfulness in His Church. I believe the lack of it has been why we have not seen certain victories we'd like to. I believe He's teaching us:

• Faithfulness over rebellion. 
• Humility and submission to His will over brute force. 
• Proper prioritization, patience, and peace. 
• True faith and trust in Him. 
• Not to fight with stubbornness, thinking it’s our stubborn "faith" that will win a battle.
• We need faithfulness —loyalty to Him, no matter what comes our way.

God cares about our heart and priorities which is why we need to hear from Him and be faithful to that.

Stubbornness is from the root of pride, and rebellion. Faithfulness is from humility and submission to the will of God. Faithfulness goes a lot farther in dispersing the enemy out of areas he has illegally occupied because its backed by the Spirit and power of God. We speak the Word of God in faith, or faithfulness. We are faithful to His Spirit and to His true intention of those words.

Stubbornness is a false faith. It’s forcefully exerting our will over another’s. It takes a lot of energy, and it will wear you out. If we get our way as a result of this false faith, then our pride and rebellion are reinforced. It’s the mercy of God that we don’t get “answers” to our “prayers” when we’re operating in this kind of stubbornness.

The goal of the antichrist spirit is to exalt another’s will above God’s (or anyone else’s). This is witchcraft as well as rebellion. A message which puts greater priority on people seeking things they want above seeking God’s leading falls into this category and is flat out wrong.

There was a lot of preaching back in the 1970-1980’s by people who looked down on those who said, “If it be Your will” when they prayed. They were sometimes ridiculed. Of course, some were saying that to replace seeking God’s will, more as an excuse or a way to place blame when things didn’t work out right. But in spite of those errors, our intention should always be for God’s will to be done above ours. Jesus confirmed in the garden before He died that He was committed to God’s will being done rather than His own (Luke 22:42). If you don’t know the will of God, consider that an invitation to ask Him, but don’t assume that your will is automatically His, or that you know what His will is in each situation without seeking Him first.

Some of those preachers back then, and even today, were sincere in their efforts to get people to know the will of God and pray it boldly, without doubt. But some were actually feeding their own lusts and encouraging others to do the same. And some went farther than that and took advantage of Christians with out-of-control lusts using that for their own selfish purposes.

In any case, many listeners to these messages were not strong enough in their faithfulness to God to resist the temptation to believe they could get whatever they wanted if they just stuck it out long enough—if they just had stubborn faith. These words preached to them were planted in an immature, covetous, or lustful heart and produced stubborn “fruit,” a false “faith,” not the fruit of the Spirit which is faithfulness. We must be emptied of all stubborn selfishness and sinful cravings of the flesh to keep from falling into this kind of deception and error.

Stubborn “faith” takes a lot of energy. When Saul when was persecuting Christians, he thought he was working for God, pleasing God, but he was really opposing him. In Acts 26:14 the Lord told him it is hard to kick against the goads. Fighting God takes a lot of energy. Some people today are getting burned out. They are fighting many battles in their own strength. Political battles. Other battles. They are getting worn out fighting God, or an enemy on the wrong battlefield. They may think they have a determined faith when in reality they’re kicking against the goads or in a battle they were not sent to fight.

When things are difficult we must discern whether it's because we’re engaging the enemy we were sent to confront, or whether it’s because we’re fighting God. If we’re on the wrong battlefield He will tell us, and draw us back to Him. If we don't respond to Him, then we end up fighting Him. We need discernment. 

We might think we’re engaging the enemy when all we’re doing is trying to fight him in our own strength. Our motivation is not that we were sent by the Spirit into this battle, but that we are angry, fearful, full of despair, or just arrogant enough that we refuse to do anything that would look like retreat. Complete surrender to God and His way is what we need to “win” our battles. And winning to God often looks different than what winning looks like to us.

Any teaching which sends the message that if you just had real faith, you would always get what you want, rather than focusing on how to hear the Spirit of God reveal the will of God to you, cultivates stubbornness and rebellion in a person. It’s like tares sown among wheat. When a vulnerable person hears this, especially a new believer, they are not receiving the true message of the Gospel. Once a child is spoiled on candy, it’s hard to get them to eat their vegetables. They will end up viewing God as their servant, expecting Him to give them everything they want just like a spoiled child. The sad thing is, this causes great harm to themselves and to the body of Christ.

New believers need to be taught that not only are they entering a family with an inheritance when they are born-again, but they are entering a kingdom, an army. They are soldiers. They will be inconvenienced at times. It will be hard at times. Yes, Father God will bring them through the tough battles, but if the enemy can keep them off the battlefield while looking for the pleasures of life, or lead them to the wrong battlefield altogether, they’ll be fighting the air, wearing themselves out, and not accomplishing anything for the kingdom of God in their lives or others, despite their best efforts.

Let’s respond to God cultivating the fruit of faithfulness in us. The body of Christ needs this fruit maybe more than we ever have before. Let us pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” (Matthew 6:10). Let’s find out the gardens and battlefields He wants us to work in, and then do what He says. He’s not going to neglect taking care of us. We don’t have to worry about that. If we seek His kingdom and His righteousness first, all of that will be taken care of (Matthew 6:33).