What Kind of Fruit Is Your Faith Producing? | Ep. 134

What does your faith actually produce when life gets hard? In this episode, we talk about what real spiritual fruit looks like in everyday life. Anchored in James 2 and Luke 6, we walk through the connection between faith and action and why steady faith becomes visible over time. You’ll learn how to recognize what’s taking root in your life and how Scripture shapes your responses in real, practical ways.

👉 Listen to a related episode: How to Study the Book of James: Faith That Moves | Ep. 105

Transcript

Welcome And Quick Announcements

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is episode 134, and I'm your host, La Toya. And this is Equip the Next, where you get equipped to lead, disciple, and move the mission forward. So, what's the fruit of a steady life? You don't want to miss this. If you are returning and these episodes have blessed you, feel free to leave a review. It really does help us to reach more people. Um, also don't forget those free um that that gift, the Bible study guardrails. Um, if you are interested in just bumping up your study in the Word, um, or if you just want to connect, email me at hello at equiphthenext.com. I greatly appreciate it. I do check emails, I do respond to emails, and I love to hear from people who are listening to the episode.

What Makes A Life Steady

SPEAKER_00 1:23

So, anywho, we are going to talk about the fruit of a steady life. I'm gonna be going into a couple of um scriptures or a couple verses, but specifically in the book of James. So if you are new or if you haven't yet listened to um a podcast episode where I talk about how to study the book of James, I would encourage you to go to episode 105. I give you an overview or a survey kind of of the book of James. Again, that's episode 105. I'm not gonna get into an exhaustive study of the book of James here, but you can go there and visit that if you want to know more about the book of James. But today we're talking about a steady life. What does that look like? You know, because the reality is that real faith produces movement, action, and visible evidence over time. It just does, you know. It's if if you are living in the house with chaos and confusion and whatever, you are more likely to act that out. Like you're more likely to do that. People can come out of it, but you're more likely gonna act that out, and you're going to need to over time come out of that. And so if we're living in this world, and as we've been talking about things that we consume, things that feed us, things that we're doing, our habits, all of that stuff is what kind of builds up that steady life. So you we should see movement in action and visible evidence over time. Now, we are not into works based. That's not what this is about. There's nothing you can do that is going to earn your salvation. It is his grace and your faith. But you should be changing, you you should be maturing, you you should grow if you are in his word long enough. It's going to change you, it's going to transform you, it's going to build you, right? As you begin to learn learn more about him. So ask yourself this. What fruit is my faith producing in real life or real time? What fruit is my faith producing in real time? So before I get into well, let me get into James first. And then I'll kind of go in some other

James On Faith And Works

SPEAKER_00 4:12

directions. Let's go to James 2. I'm going to read 14 through 17. What good, what good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. They build a whole doctrine about it, and then it becomes works-based theology. That is not what we see here in James. That is that is not what we see here in James. But what he's saying here, if I'm just summing summoning it, summing it up, blah, if I'm summing it, summing it up, what we're looking at is what are you producing? What what what what is your fruit look like? That is going to show if you are reading the word or if you or if you are open to it changing and transforming you. What does that look like? How is your fruit walk look like? What does that look like?

Building On Rock In Luke

SPEAKER_00 5:46

This reminds me of the parable in Luke 6. Yeah. Parable of Luke 6 when he's talking about the two builders. And um in 48 he says, he is like, so it's talking about the two builders. Um, why don't I just go all I'll just read it? I'll start at verse 46. Why do you call me Lord Lord and not do what I tell you? Everyone who calls to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like. He is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it because it had been built well. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who build built, sorry, a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great. To summarize that uh verse, that last one I read, it shows that a superficial relationship with Jesus will not stand in times of distress. If I'm summarizing this parable here, when he's saying to his disciples, and something that we should take with us as well, is that the one who hears Jesus' teachings and does them is a wise man or a wise person. They're wise as someone who produces or provides a strong foundation on rock, because back then when you when you built homes, you just didn't build it on shaky foundation. You build it on solid ground, right? But then the one who hears Jesus' teachings and does not do them is like a foolish man or a foolish person. They're foolish. That's how we're summarizing that. That's simple. So if you hear his teachings and you do not apply them, then you're like the foolish one. That foolish man who built on that shaky, sandy foundation. And the one who hears his word and does them and applies them is like the wise man who built on rock. That's it how we're gonna sum that up.

Grace First Then Good Works

SPEAKER_00 8:30

So why is this important? As we go back to James, that's how, and this is why it's important that you um when I taught in the Bible Foundation scores, I talk about how scripture interprets scripture. That's why it's important to not just pluck one thing out, but scripture interprets scripture. So we see here that James is not saying that, you know, you have to have works-based, you gotta do works, but he's saying that, you know, your fruit, your works is an example or evidence of what's in you. So if we're rocking with Christ, we should show it by example. We should show it by how we respond, how we act. Like we should show that. Are we going to be perfect again? No. We're not gonna be perfect, it's not about perfection. So let's go back. Let me look at my now. I'm looking at my notes. My notes, because I got I I wanted to say a lot on this topic. So, yeah, I put down that it's important that we let his word transform us instead of the other way around. That is key. It's so important that we allow the word to transform us instead of the other way around. We're trying to transform the word. A lot of times, I think this is just my opinion, I think a lot of people shine away from allowing the word to transform them because they they're comfortable and in what they're doing. And um those are those are moments that you have to be vulnerable before the Lord, but those are also moments where there's gonna be some exposure. Like you're gonna expose some things that maybe you want to hide. And so people would just rather hide them. But that's not what we want to do. Again, as we go in making sure scripture interprets scripture, let's look at Ephesians. I got my pen marked. We're gonna look at Ephesians chapter 2, verse 8, where it says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing, but it is a gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, and we should walk in them. Okay, so again, James is not saying that you know you can earn your salvation. If you read all of Scripture, you know that is completely impossible. You cannot earn your salvation. Jesus paid that price. But what James is saying here is that no one is perfect, but how we live reveals what we believe and attest to. That's why James is a really good book if you want to know like good godly living. Because how we live reveals what side we're on, I guess you could say that.

Sanctification Takes Time

SPEAKER_00 12:08

Now growth and change and maturity is a process. You're not born a an adult, you are born an infant, and you develop and you grow and you have milestones and then you reach adulthood. So it's not something that you know um happens. I I want to say that happens overnight, yeah. It doesn't happen overnight. Um it's something that takes time, it's something that we have to understand and embrace. We also have to know that the difference between justification and sanctification. Because that's important. We know that sanctification is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to renew us, the whole person. Right? But we have already been justified. God pardoned our sins and declared that you know, because of Christ Jesus, we are righteous before him. So we are going to have to have a process of development over time. And I wanted to take time, I didn't want to rush this part because a lot of people take the book of James and they kind of twist it. And I wanted to make sure that I took my time because I don't want people to take this out of context and think you have to do works, or think that you know you're gonna read the Bible and you're gonna instantly be changed. That can happen. I'm not saying that that that doesn't happen, doesn't happen, sorry. It can happen, but it takes time, usually, it's a process. Don't beat yourself up if you're not getting it right, if you're trying and you're drawing near to him. It is a process, and we're not gonna get it right until we get to the glory.

Fruit Reveals Root Health

SPEAKER_00 14:36

You know what I'm saying? Like, there are things because we live in a fallen world, and that's why it's so important that we have a community with one another and we we build one another up in the faith because we need that. See, faith is living, it's not passive, it's not dormant. It's living, it's breathing, it's alive, it's steady. And genuine belief expresses itself through action. Again, I'm not saying that we are um holier, holier than that or whatever. I'm just saying that you should feel a transformation. Like you should feel like certain things that you used to do, you just don't want to do or say anymore. Doesn't mean you're not gonna say new things. But you see what I'm saying? Like you, you, it's just a growth. And fruit usually reveals our root health. Like, if again, going back to planting, I know in previous episodes I talked about this, but if you're planting something and you plant something and it don't look right, you might need some fertilizer. I don't have a green thumb. I try. Okay, I know what I can grow and what I can't. But usually you'll see, like, if a plant is infected or something, or maybe if you're really good at planting and growing things, you'll be like, oh, there's a fungus or something. Something's with the root. So the fruit always will reveal the root health. And we have to understand that steady faith becomes a visible faith over time. Steady faith becomes this visible faith. That's why I think it's it's important to not isolate yourself. I really do. Because when you isolate yourself, you you don't have anyone holding you accountable, you don't have anyone pouring into you, you're just kind of there. And we need each other. Christ thread. What is the Christ thread? Living faith is so key. Visible evidence over time, learning the teachings of Jesus so that we can imply apply them. Learning and understanding who God is is so important and so key.

One Act Of Faith This Week

SPEAKER_00 17:06

So I challenge you this week to put one act of faith into motion this week, especially a bonus. If there's something that you normally would or wouldn't do, like say something that you would normally do, but like you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, and you don't do it. That's a that's a test that you are growing and you are maturing in God's word. It's okay. Listen, if if if you're at home and you're like fussing about something, I'm I I get it. And then we kind of have to regroup and be like, okay, thank you, Lord, for allowing me to have my little adult temper tantrum. Now I can move forward in the things of God. Listen, I pray that this is a blessing because I really want you to grow in God's word. I want you to build confidence and opening up the word. I want you to experience his love. And I want you to have a steady life in his word and be fruitful. That you can be an example, you can be a witness. Indirectly, just people seeing you and being able to want to know more about Christ because they see your fruit. Be blessed.

Closing Blessing And Review Request

SPEAKER_00 18:27

Well, that's it for today. Thanks for listening to the Equit the Next podcast. If this episode blessed you, I'd appreciate it if you leave a review and share it with someone who can use a little encouragement. Now grow in God's word and lead boldly.