Are you Spiritually Fertile?
***Before I start teaching on this I want to preface this with a few points. I taught this message at Freedom about 4 years ago, to some of you it might be a rerun. God gave me this revelation probably 6 years ago, and since then I’ve found myself coming back to it time and time again. I felt to bring it up in this blog for some months now, but had been waiting on the right time. I am talking about spiritual infertility, not physical infertility. Infertility itself is a very sensitive area. Yes, spiritual issues can reflect in the physical, but I’m talking here about a spiritual mindset. So please before anyone wants to email me and yell at me. . . Please understand I’m not talking about any person in particular, but about my own struggles. Thanks. ***
The very first commandment that God ever gave Adam and Eve was Genesis 9:7
As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." Again, for the sake of this teaching I’m talking about spiritual fertility. I’m not about to preach God wants everyone to have 50 kids. That takes a very special person and God knows I’m not one of them. What God is saying here also has spiritual implications. He wants us as his children to go forth and have spiritual children and reproduce for God. What does it mean to have spiritual children? It means that you’re going around and helping spiritually raise ones in the faith. You’re nurturing them and helping God bring them into a place of maturity. You’re reproducing little Jesus’ on the earth. It is beyond frustrating when you have it on your heart to produce for the kingdom of God and you feel that you’re not. It can be a mental challenge that will push you beyond yourself.
I began to see that there are very specific times in the Bible where some of the woman dealt with infertility and how we could translate that into our own lives. There is another Biblical example of this with Abraham and Sarah also Michal has issues, but for the sake of this blog I’ll leave it with Rachel.
In Genesis 30 we see how Rachel dealt with her infertility. Genesis 30: 1 it says, “Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, ‘Give me a child or else I die!’” Ok, so first of all she looks at her sister and envies her. Envy will dry up a spiritual womb. It makes it very difficult for you to produce for the Lord because you’re so busy looking at your brothers and sisters. You’re all about your own struggles. You stop caring about the people around you, and are so caught up in yourself. Instead you have to look to God. Secondly I love what she says to Jacob here. . . .”Give me a child lest I die!!!” Hmmm, isn’t she the drama queen. She’s throwing a grown up fit! Really, like Jacob can control this situation. Jacob’s response to Rachel in verse 2 is angered frustration. It says that his anger is aroused. Here’s a revelation. . .I don’t think deep down that Rachel is mad at her husband but that’s misplaced anger. She’s really honked off at God because she’s not producing. After verse 3 we don’t hear much from Jacob for awhile. How do you respond to a child throwing a fit. . .you ignore it.
I remember a time early in our time here in Florida when I found myself in Rachel’s shoes. God called me into ministry young I was so sure we were going to make this cross country move and God would immediately start doing in my life what had been on my heart for years. But that didn’t happen. . . .instead I found myself pregnant, across country with no family, no friends, and no money. I slowly began getting very grumpy towards Dan. I have news for you all. . .I don’t think it was Dan I was mad at but at God. When I realized this I was able to repent and adjust but it wasn’t an easy season.
So what does Rachel do? She gives her husband her maid trying to make the will of God happen. Her maid Bilhah starts conceiving. She’s getting more envious. Then we get to verse 14. To paraphrase it Rachel’s sister Leah sends one of her sons out for some mandrakes. Rachel asks for one, and in order to get one Leah makes a deal with her that Jacob their husband will have to spend more time with Leah. Rachel agrees to this. What’s a mandrake? I did some research. A mandrake is the witchcraft of the day. It’s like a plant root that’s considered to promote fertility. Hmmm, Rachel is now so desperate to produce that she will settle for the witchcraft and prostitute out her own husband saying he has to spend more time with the other wife then with her. She’s not going to get pregnant that way! And she doesn’t.
It is at least four years later until Rachel does get pregnant. I know that because her sister has 4 more children. Down in verse 22 is that “God remembered Rachel.” That remembered looked up in the concordance is that God made her ready. I want to point out here too, that we are not in a competition here. Rachel’s sister had way more kids than her. But by Rachel’s offspring, she goes to have two boys, God saves the whole tribe from starvation. It’s Joseph who later gets the children of Israel to Egypt.
Rachel had to go through the process. She had to stop looking at what everyone else was doing around her and trust that God would work it all out. She had to stop competing with everyone else around her and realize that God’s work would be done in her life. She had to allow God to make her ready.
I personally know how frustrating it can be to have so much to do for the kingdom in your heart and be frustrated because you haven’t seen it come to pass. But you must submit yourself to a process. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God doesn’t start things in people for the sake of just starting things. He does not mess with his children. But He will finish what He started. He desires that His children fulfill their destiny in Him. You just have to submit to the process and allow Him to make you ready.
I encourage you today to spend sometime considering Rachel’s story. Are you so competitive that your constantly looking at what everyone else is accomplishing? Have you grown envious? Are you so desperate to fulfill what God has for you that you’re willing to settle for what isn’t God? If you find yourselves saying yes to any of these, pour it all out to God repent and allow Him to get you back on track. I assure you He’ll remember you and make you ready!
The very first commandment that God ever gave Adam and Eve was Genesis 9:7
As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it." Again, for the sake of this teaching I’m talking about spiritual fertility. I’m not about to preach God wants everyone to have 50 kids. That takes a very special person and God knows I’m not one of them. What God is saying here also has spiritual implications. He wants us as his children to go forth and have spiritual children and reproduce for God. What does it mean to have spiritual children? It means that you’re going around and helping spiritually raise ones in the faith. You’re nurturing them and helping God bring them into a place of maturity. You’re reproducing little Jesus’ on the earth. It is beyond frustrating when you have it on your heart to produce for the kingdom of God and you feel that you’re not. It can be a mental challenge that will push you beyond yourself.
I began to see that there are very specific times in the Bible where some of the woman dealt with infertility and how we could translate that into our own lives. There is another Biblical example of this with Abraham and Sarah also Michal has issues, but for the sake of this blog I’ll leave it with Rachel.
In Genesis 30 we see how Rachel dealt with her infertility. Genesis 30: 1 it says, “Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, ‘Give me a child or else I die!’” Ok, so first of all she looks at her sister and envies her. Envy will dry up a spiritual womb. It makes it very difficult for you to produce for the Lord because you’re so busy looking at your brothers and sisters. You’re all about your own struggles. You stop caring about the people around you, and are so caught up in yourself. Instead you have to look to God. Secondly I love what she says to Jacob here. . . .”Give me a child lest I die!!!” Hmmm, isn’t she the drama queen. She’s throwing a grown up fit! Really, like Jacob can control this situation. Jacob’s response to Rachel in verse 2 is angered frustration. It says that his anger is aroused. Here’s a revelation. . .I don’t think deep down that Rachel is mad at her husband but that’s misplaced anger. She’s really honked off at God because she’s not producing. After verse 3 we don’t hear much from Jacob for awhile. How do you respond to a child throwing a fit. . .you ignore it.
I remember a time early in our time here in Florida when I found myself in Rachel’s shoes. God called me into ministry young I was so sure we were going to make this cross country move and God would immediately start doing in my life what had been on my heart for years. But that didn’t happen. . . .instead I found myself pregnant, across country with no family, no friends, and no money. I slowly began getting very grumpy towards Dan. I have news for you all. . .I don’t think it was Dan I was mad at but at God. When I realized this I was able to repent and adjust but it wasn’t an easy season.
So what does Rachel do? She gives her husband her maid trying to make the will of God happen. Her maid Bilhah starts conceiving. She’s getting more envious. Then we get to verse 14. To paraphrase it Rachel’s sister Leah sends one of her sons out for some mandrakes. Rachel asks for one, and in order to get one Leah makes a deal with her that Jacob their husband will have to spend more time with Leah. Rachel agrees to this. What’s a mandrake? I did some research. A mandrake is the witchcraft of the day. It’s like a plant root that’s considered to promote fertility. Hmmm, Rachel is now so desperate to produce that she will settle for the witchcraft and prostitute out her own husband saying he has to spend more time with the other wife then with her. She’s not going to get pregnant that way! And she doesn’t.
It is at least four years later until Rachel does get pregnant. I know that because her sister has 4 more children. Down in verse 22 is that “God remembered Rachel.” That remembered looked up in the concordance is that God made her ready. I want to point out here too, that we are not in a competition here. Rachel’s sister had way more kids than her. But by Rachel’s offspring, she goes to have two boys, God saves the whole tribe from starvation. It’s Joseph who later gets the children of Israel to Egypt.
Rachel had to go through the process. She had to stop looking at what everyone else was doing around her and trust that God would work it all out. She had to stop competing with everyone else around her and realize that God’s work would be done in her life. She had to allow God to make her ready.
I personally know how frustrating it can be to have so much to do for the kingdom in your heart and be frustrated because you haven’t seen it come to pass. But you must submit yourself to a process. Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God doesn’t start things in people for the sake of just starting things. He does not mess with his children. But He will finish what He started. He desires that His children fulfill their destiny in Him. You just have to submit to the process and allow Him to make you ready.
I encourage you today to spend sometime considering Rachel’s story. Are you so competitive that your constantly looking at what everyone else is accomplishing? Have you grown envious? Are you so desperate to fulfill what God has for you that you’re willing to settle for what isn’t God? If you find yourselves saying yes to any of these, pour it all out to God repent and allow Him to get you back on track. I assure you He’ll remember you and make you ready!
Comments
Post a Comment