“But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15 AMP).
Bearing Fruit! The fruit that is produced in us, is proof of our intimacy with the Lord. That's why fruitfulness can only come once we have a true sense of belonging in the Lord! When we love Him, we naturally obey Him and follow in His ways. Every time we gain more knowledge about God and His ways, while spending time with Him, and that truth takes root, and becomes alive in us, that truth begins to blossom and grow into our very nature and we bear its fruit! It's not fruit if it doesn't flow out of a place of abiding love! Without that, it's just dead works, and will have no eternal significance.
I read a phrase from a book that spoke about the intimate relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. It was a phrase the author felt the Lord had spoken in her spirit, concerning true fruitfulness. The book relates true fruitfulness as being the result of our intimacy with the Lord, as His Word is made alive in our hearts. It also gives the opinion that true fruitfulness is not the good works, that are produced in our lives out of obligation. The phrase goes, “Many are willing to work in my field, but they neglect our garden." So many Christians keep themselves so busy doing things for the Lord, out of their own strength and sense of obligation, instead of making their intimate time with the Lord and His Word their priority. It's in our time of intimacy with the Lord that He causes our thoughts, dreams and visions to conform to His own. When He places those dreams and ideas inside of us, we can be assured that all the resources, provision, strength and wisdom to accomplish them has already been supplied by Him. If our ideas and good works were not a result from His whispering into our hearts, they will become burdensome and will not produce any eternal significance. They become dead works.
Renewing our minds to the Word of God is not a retreat from our problems or an escape from reality! It's choosing to place ourselves in a state of mind where we perceive our circumstance as God does, and respond to them from a perspective of faith and victory, rather than hopelessness and defeat. It's being aware of the supernatural BLESSING we have received from being in Him, more than being aware of the limited, natural circumstances that surround us. This is how we develop the skill of having the BLESSING dominate our souls, which ultimately influences every area of our lives. The BLESSING will influence the way we reason and perceive circumstances, it will exercise control over our emotions and effect every decision we make.
