Mensa Otabil - As For You, Be Fruitful
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We’ve covered some ground discussing fruitfulness and how to produce results with our lives, what God is expecting from us, and the commitment we must make to build things. Genesis chapter 9, verse 7: «And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.» This is the instruction that God gave to Noah after Noah had come from the flood. If you know the biblical story of the flood, everything is gone; only Noah and the people with him in the ark have survived. Noah comes out, and I can imagine he surveys the earth, seeing that everything is gone: buildings are gone, people are gone, civilization wiped out. He makes a sacrifice to God, and God speaks to him, saying, «As for you, Noah, be fruitful, multiply, bring forth abundantly.»
God looks at Noah and sees the bewilderment on his face as he witnesses a devastated earth. Many times when we are confronted with devastation, we are so overwhelmed by what has gone wrong that we think nothing can be done. But God says, «Yes, so much has gone wrong; so much has been destroyed. But as for you, my assignment for you is to bring forth abundantly; be fruitful.» He wasn’t just talking about the number of children Noah should have; that was included, but He was also addressing the fact that all the buildings that have gone down must be rebuilt. Civilization has to be rebooted; things have to start all over again. Every industry that went down has to be rebuilt.
That is still God’s attitude toward us when we come from great calamity, when everything is lost, and so much is gone. Instead of sitting and wailing and mourning our own lack, God says to you, «As for you, be fruitful.» That is what I believe God is speaking to you today: that as for you, be fruitful. Though you may not have all the resources you need, be fruitful. You can be fruitful; and though people may try to pull you down and discourage you, you have to be fruitful. Even if your money is not available and you don’t have the right capital to do the assignment in front of you, you still have to commit to being fruitful because that is what God is saying.
Do not wait for the perfect environment to be fruitful; he who observes the wind will not sow. We do not look for a perfect environment to try and do something. We are fruitful because it is a season, it is a day God has given us, and we must act in it. For us as Christians, in the valley we will be fruitful; on the mountain we will be fruitful; in the dry season we will be fruitful; in the rainy season we will be fruitful because God says, «As for you, you must be fruitful.»
All of us are emerging gradually, by God’s grace, from the devastation of the virus; it’s touched us in many ways, some more severe than others. If you are, for example, in the events industry, where you have probably been shut down for so long that you haven’t been able to function for over a year, and you come out to see all that has gone wrong, my word to you is, «As for you, you must be fruitful.» So much has gone wrong, but you will be fruitful. So much has been devastated, but you will be fruitful.
That’s what I want to encourage you with as you face the world, as you face your destiny, as you face the challenges ahead of you. God still will work with you, and the gifts you have, the talents you possess, will speak for themselves. You will build again; you will construct again; and you will be fruitful again. As for you, be fruitful.
Let us pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, you have made me fruitful. I boldly declare that as for me, I will be fruitful in all that I do, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.» That’s what you are going to do: you will be fruitful. Pastor Mensa Otabil, shalom-peace and life to you.