Mark 11:12-24

How To Make Sure Your Leaves Are Producing Fruit:

1 - No matter what you do externally, Jesus will always seek to purify you internally. How he purifies is by drawing close enough to challenge the leaves to produce fruit. If you're the one who sings/yells 'Hosanna", don't be surprised when the Spirit shows up in the temple of your heart to purify it in order to produce the right fruit of a surrendered spirit. External fruit is born from the internally disciplines life. The internal life must be reoriented, repositioned, and renewed to the heart of Jesus for fruit to be produced.

2 - The fruit of a healthy tree is there to be picked by others.... if people can't see the fruit of a godly lifestyle or don't want to pick the fruit that is present in your life, be careful.... as the roots may be withering. The purpose of fruit being picked is so a tree can produce more in the future. You cannot be a tree that produces fruit if you're too busy being a tree that protects its fruit. Don't be a leaf that turns to a thorn, when you're supposed to be a fig that quenches the needs of the hungry souls of this world.

3 - It's easier to choose leafiness over fruitfulness. Anyone can grow leaves, but it is hard to produce fruit. Leafiness is elementary knowledge of Scripture, but not fruit of the Spirit present in the my life. Leafiness has spiritual activity, but not deep sacrificial dependency. Leafiness knows what to say, fruitfulness learns to listen and discern what the Spirit is saying. Leafiness wants a testimony, but won't embrace the test it takes to produce the fruit of one. You produce leaves first that then produce fruit, but the leaves will never be the same as fruit.