Women of Reverence Welcomes Ntombi as our Guest Blogger.
Get to know Ntombi...
Ntombi is a single and content lady. She is a mom to a gorgeous teen girl. She works as a professional counsellor at a clinic. She serves as a Deacon and Worship Leader at Gateway City Church, Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. She is passionate about studying the Word of God and completed her Honours Degree in Theology. She loves fashion, going out with friends, travelling and reading.
We live in a world that is full of trials and tribulations and I ask myself, “How can I abide in Christ?”
I taught myself to abide in the Lord by: waking up early in the morning, praising and worshipping God; always memorising the scriptures and reading the Word with my daughter; worshipping God while doing my tasks, whether working or walking from work to home and, finally, praying with my daughter before dinner.
John 15:1- 5 (NIV):
‘“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”’
Jesus is talking to his disciples – this passage is for us; as his disciples it is important for us to listen and understand.
Remaining in the vine means that you keep God's word in your heart and mind.
Jesus said to ask and receive. Abiding in Him allows us to pray with great boldness and to experience answers to our prayers. We pray in accordance with his will because we are abiding.
Abiding also allows us to pray with confidence and grow in faith as we receive answers.
Let us keep His word in us.
His words are a constant guide and monitor.
When His word dwells within our spirit, soul and body, it will shape our thoughts, words and actions so that we bear fruit. This means that we will have Christian conversation and Christian life.
When we don't abide this is what will happen:
We won't be fruitful.
If we persist in not abiding, we are like the branches that are cut from the vine.
We can do nothing – any efforts we make in the area of Christian service are void and meaningless.
Eventually, we wither and die spiritually. We do not last long if we do not abide.
If we are cut off, we will be burned – consumed and our spiritual life completely destroyed (Jn 5:5-6).
When we do the will of God (abide):
1. We are fruitful
2. We are pruned
3. We become more fruitful
4. Our prayer lives become powerful
This is the visible and tangible proof that we are Jesus’ disciples.
Galatians 5:22 (TLB):
"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce the kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness and faithfulness."
The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ; they are the by-products of Christ control. We can't obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our life to His (see John 15 v 4-5). We must know Him, love Him, remember Him and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfil the intended purpose of the law to love God and our neighbours.
There are two things to learn:
*Be obedient to God
*Spend much time listening to His voice through the Word and prayer in order to better learn. This requires us to walk by faith, spend focused time and engage in intentional action.
Make sure you abide in Jesus so you can grow and live a life that makes a difference in other people's lives.
Be blessed.