Effortless Fruitfulness: Living a Life of Supernatural Growth

Effortless Fruitfulness

Copyright © 2022 Emily Fieg

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Step In Hope LLC

Acworth, GA 30101

StepInHope.com

ISBN: 978-1-7348609-2-4 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-7348609-3-1 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022902568

Printed in the United States of America.

Cover Design and Interior Design by Emily Fieg

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked AMP  are taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to some of my favorite gardeners:

Grandma Joyce, your flower gardens were always the most beautiful. You poured your heart and your hard work into them, and the results were magnificent and brought so much joy. Your love for colorful flowers is the perfect complement to the joy you carry—you were truly named well, and I’m honored to share that part of your name.

Grandma and Grandpa Etzel, I wasn’t often around to see your garden in season, but we always enjoyed the results of your labor. I remember more than a few disagreements over who was getting the canned green beans. They were always my favorite and far better than anything we could get from the store. I’ll never forget how we enjoyed those. But even more, I’ll always remember the tender love you shared and showed to one another. I knew from a young age that it was special, and I strive to replicate it as I love others.

Mama, every year, you take time to care for your garden, no matter what else is going on. The flowers in the front yard, especially the roses, are a permanent part of how I see your house in my mind. Your garden has certainly grown larger over the years, but no matter the size, you are always faithful to tend it well. I feel like you care for people with the same faithful steadfastness, patient love, and generous effort that you care for your garden, and the resulting harvest of both is a testament to you. I’m beyond blessed to have you as my mother!

Acknowledgements

Mama—Thank you for allowing me to share my memories of you as a gardener, and for your helpful feedback you gave me as an early reader of my manuscript. You’ve invested so much of yourself in me over the years, and I am a far better person for all the time, energy, and support you’ve poured into me.

My Husband, Brian Fieg—Thank you for always believing in me, and for knowing I had a voice to share with others long before I believed it myself. Your practical, financial, and emotional support have been paramount to my ability to write and publish. Also, I cannot thank you enough for your tireless efforts in proofing the book formatting.

My Children—Thank you for challenging me to learn how to love better, pray harder, and pursue God more fully out of a need to be better for you. I hope you will embrace what spiritual legacy I can build for you and then take it for your own and go farther than I ever could.

Rhonda Fleming—Thank you for your amazing editing work and bringing greater clarity and flow to this book. I’ve always recognized the value of a good editor, but you’ve been far more than that. Thank you for sharing my vision and passion for this book and encouraging me along the way.

Peter and Masha Oswalt—Thank you for not only teaching me to hear God’s voice, but always making room for me to be taught by the Lord, even when I bring direct questions to you. I also greatly appreciate the example you provide as you live out what you teach.

My Women’s Bible Study—Thank you for praying for me and for this book through the ups and downs of writing and formatting. I’m so grateful for your love and support. I’m blessed to run with you on this journey of life.

Contents

eBook Note

About the Study

Introduction

LESSON 1: The Condition of the Soil

LESSON 2: The Lie of Toil

LESSON 3: The Gardener’s Heart for Gardens

LESSON 4: What Plants Need

LESSON 5: Basics of Bearing Fruit

LESSON 6: Keys to Bearing Good Fruit

LESSON 7: How Do I Abide?

LESSON 8: Hearing God’s Voice

LESSON 9: Barriers to Good Fruit

LESSON 10: Tending a Growing Garden

LESSON 11: Fruit is for Others

LESSON 12: Sowing and Reaping

LESSON 13: Harvest

About the Author

eBook Note

How exciting that you are getting ready for a journey to greater fruitfulness! I love eBooks, so I’m excited that you are taking advantage of this study in eBook form. The print version of this book is formatted as a workbook, providing space to answer the questions. I strongly encourage you to read this with a pen and paper close by, so that you have your own space to process and answer questions. If you love journals, maybe look for a nice, new one. If you don’t love journals, just grab a notepad or scrap paper.

You’ve made an investment in this study financially, and as you read you will be investing your time. You are making an investment in yourself as you engage with the Lord and with the material in this study. The enemy would love for you to miss out on the most life-changing part by having you skip the questions. But I’m praying and believing that you will make the choice to engage and write. The physical act of writing something down helps you focus and remember. And pausing to answer the questions will allow you moments to engage with God for yourself. Don’t miss out!

Either way, I’m praying you will be blessed and transformed by what the Holy Spirit works in you as you complete this study. Let’s get started!

About the Study

God often does things in unexpected ways. The process of producing this study has not gone the way I would have chosen at any point. I have a feeling that the Lord will do unexpected work in you as you complete the study as well, whether you study it alone or with a group.

I published my first book in April of 2020, right as we discovered life was going to be different for a while with the global pandemic. I had to switch gears and prioritize motherhood entirely, with all my kids at home doing virtual learning and nowhere else to go. I’ll admit that I didn’t have the best fruit in those first couple weeks of uncertainty. A small part of me expected that I might eventually write another book or study years down the road, but I didn’t have much time to consider it.

Toward the end of 2020 and into 2021, the Lord began growing me in other areas of my calling, giving me opportunities to speak at church groups and conferences. As I looked at what I thought 2021 might hold, another book was not in my sights. Then, late one Thursday night in February, I was lying in bed hoping sleep would come quickly since I had some very full weeks ahead of me. In that place, the Lord poured the idea of this study into me, as well as a children’s book with the same topic. The timing and the topic were completely unexpected.

When the Lord told me the study would be about all things related to producing fruit and sowing and reaping, I remember feeling a bit let down. If I had made a list of topics I might want to write about, the topic of producing fruit would not have been anywhere on the list. I didn’t know if I even had enough material to fill a study, and I was resistant to the topic because of the years of guilt and disillusionment I suffered in areas of spiritual fruit.

God is just so good, though. Through writing this study, I was able to process the changes that had taken place in me, and God showed me the journey I’d been on. I realized how far I’d come from those years of shame and self-effort induced exhaustion. And He showed me how simple the process of bearing fruit should be.

He took my years of shame and replaced them with a passion to release others from incorrect understanding about fruitfulness, sowing and reaping, and harvest. Learning to bear good fruit is our ticket out of a mundane life and into the life of promise and victory we were designed for. And though this topic is addressed in many areas of Scripture, a lot of Christians are not walking out that fruitful life.

There is no secret knowledge in this study. Bearing fruit wasn’t meant to be hard. We’ve made it hard. This study’s purpose is to reveal where and how we’ve made it hard and give practical guidance to get us to where we need to be. As we look at Scripture together, we will discover how we can get back to the path we were always meant to be on to produce better and greater amounts of good fruit.

The timing and deadline for the study were no less surprising than the topic. When I asked God about the deadline for the first draft, I could barely believe the response. He told me a date that gave me two weeks to finish the rough draft. And the date was the final day of a women’s conference I was already a major part of planning and leading.

Do you remember the story of how Sarah laughed when she heard God say she would have a child? She knew it was impossible at her age. Well, I think I felt very much the same way when I heard my deadline date. I think I literally laughed as well (maybe it was a scoffing laugh), because it seemed like a joke.

I thought I might have heard God incorrectly, but I figured it was better to err on the side of having heard correctly and see if there was any grace to finish it in the time given. I told God I would be faithful to sit down, make an effort, and not give up if He would meet me there and provide content to write about—and give me grace to get it done.

And then do you know what He did? After working with my editor for months and finalizing the whole manuscript, God made me wait. And wait. And then wait more. What was with the two-week deadline if we were just going to wait for ten months? He says that He is teaching me how to follow Him in this beautiful dance we are doing together.

As I type this, all I can say is that I have a far deeper understanding of the grace God gives after this process. Each day that I wrote, the Lord provided such favor over the time and the writing, and what could have been a great deal of effort flowed almost effortlessly. Then He provided grace in the waiting. And many months later, He taught me how to typeset and layout this study.

When I say that this book is truly only here by the grace of God, I am not overstating. I’m honored He allowed me to partner with Him to write it and share the Scriptures and my experiences with you. I’m praying it blesses you half as much as it has blessed me.

Introduction

Have you ever looked at a plant that is struggling to grow and wondered what is going wrong? Many plants have suffered at my hands. I’m often left wondering why the plant is growing so little, why its leaves are turning brown, or why it looks like it is unhappy where it is planted. I try to give each one the right amount of water and light, but so often that doesn’t seem to be effective.

Just as regular plants can struggle to grow, Christians can also struggle to flourish. We can often feel like we are trying hard but not growing well or bearing fruit. If you are like me, you may have spent time feeling condemned, frustrated, or worried about your spiritual fruit.

There are so many places in Scripture that command us to bear good fruit. But just as I am frustrated and confused when my plants don’t grow well, it can be exasperating and difficult to figure out what we are doing wrong in the area of growing spiritual fruit. I’ve been tempted, at times, because of my numerous failures, to give up on growing any plants. I’ve also felt the same way, at times, about giving up on ever seeing spiritual fruit. Have you felt that way, too?

Reflect and Write:

1. Share an example of a time when you felt tempted to give up. Did you give up or did you push through?

Do you remember the very first things the Lord talked to Adam and Eve about in the garden? First, he told them to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28 NKJV). Let’s consider this for a moment. In one very literal sense, this is talking about having children. But considering the teachings of Jesus, I think there is a good possibility this is also encouraging them to be fruitful in other areas as well.

John 15:16 NIV says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask