"And the name of the second he called Ephraim: For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Genesis 41:52)
Fruitfulness simply means being productive and being profitable. In the above scripture, Joseph named his second child Ephraim which means fruitfulness. Joseph rose to Prime Minister position in Egypt where he was a slave and a prisoner. Despite his travails and hardship in the land of bondage, God favored Him and His gifts brought him to limelight.
The essence of this write-up is to highlight the fact that despite our circumstances in life, we can live fruitful lives which in turn will bring deliverance and breakthrough to us. The Israelites despite being in Egypt the place of bondage were fruitful and they multiplied and were so numerous in the land that the new King Pharaoh became intimidated by them. The Bible says the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew (Exodus 1:7, 12-13). Leah, the first wife of Jacob kept on having baby boys in a bad marriage where she was unloved by her husband and in serious rivalry with her sister, Rachel (Genesis 29). Jacob was extremely fruitful in the employment of Laban who cheated him for twenty years; his fruitfulness eventually brought him his deliverance from the grip of Laban(Genesis 30-31).
In all the above scenarios, the common thing about all the personalities was that despite their ugly circumstances, they were still able to get enviable results. Below are some ways by which we can prosper and be fruitful in unpleasant situations:
Discover what you have in your hands and begin to use it: One definition of Fruitfulness is to maximize returns on what has been given. We all carry seeds of destiny that has been given to us to create a desirable future. For Joseph it was his ability to dream. For the widow of the prophet in 2 Kings 4:1-7, it was a little despised jar of oil. For Moses, it was the rod in his hand. For Tim Tebow, the American quarterback footballer, it is his willingness to openly demonstrate his faith by kneeing on one foot and praying after every touchdown by his team that has led to “tebowing” becoming a word recognized in the English language. May God open our eyes to recognize Heaven’s deposit in our lives. Once discovered it is up to us to develop and deploy the gift accordingly.
Have a right mindset: Our lives gravitate towards our predominant thoughts. The quality of our minds determines the quality of our lives. Not too long ago, a lady who had immigration challenges approached me to pray for her for divine intervention. While talking to her, I realized she felt her breakthrough and deliverance lie solely in regularizing her papers. I tried explaining to her that though it was important to regularize her papers, she could still go ahead and get good financial returns with a gift she has. Her mind was firmly set on immigration papers as the meal ticket she requires and she was unwilling to do something about a gift that could reward her very handsomely. Her mind was set wrongly. Joseph was described as a prosperous slave in Potiphar’s house because he carried God’s presence and also had the mindset of a king (Genesis 39:2).
Keep on keeping on faithfully: It was Joseph’s faithfulness, a right mindset, his willingness to always serve his gift and talent and the favor of God that made him Prime Minister in the same country he was once a slave and a prisoner. He became fruitful in the land of his affliction, and that fruitfulness turned to his deliverance and promotion (Scripture reference: Genesis 39-41). When the heavenly deposit in you matches up with faithfulness in you, God will leverage on that to bring the desired deliverance to you. Moses was said to be faithful and dependable as a servant of the most High (Numbers 12:7).
CONCLUSION: To be fruitful in affliction, one needs God’s presence. This presence is made manifest on us after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is not so much what we can accomplish by ourselves, what makes success is what God can do through a yielded and obedient life. Go ahead and be fruitful against all odds. Have a blessed new month.
Ade(Gboyega) ESAN
