The Story: That One Time I Almost Left the Grocery Store in Tongues

Let me take you back.

I was in line at the grocery store tired, over it, just trying to get in and out. I’d made it to the front when I heard it:
“Price check on aisle 4.”
Then the register froze.
Then the lady in front of me pulled out a coupon book the size of Leviticus.

And suddenly I felt the tension of being right there, almost done, almost free, but delayed.
My ice cream was melting. My patience was gone. I stood there muttering, “Jesus, if You don’t move, I might…”

And isn’t that life right now?
Right in the middle but everything feels stuck.
You thought you’d have clarity by now. Healing by now. A breakthrough. A spouse. A job. A reason not to scream into a pillow.

But instead, you’re holding melted dreams in one hand, and unanswered prayers in the other wondering where God is in the mess.

But hold on Firebrand

Even checkout lines end.

The Middle Is a Real Place

Let’s call it what it is:

The middle is when the excitement of January fades, and the grind of everyday life sets in. It’s a time when bills are high, morale is low, and the “promise” of a better future feels like a fairy tale that someone else is living. People are losing jobs, homes, and sense of self and wondering if God has overlooked them. You’re not lost; you’re in training. The middle isn’t meaningless; it’s the breakthrough under construction. But listen to me:

God is not just the God of beginnings or endings but the Lord of the middle. Even when the world feels chaotic, His presence remains constant.

What Happens When We Stay Stuck in the Middle?

Let’s be honest: the middle isn’t simply a season of stagnation; it’s a battleground. Many of us find ourselves not just in the middle but truly stuck in it.

We continue to pray, but we’ve stopped expecting. We show up, but we are slowly shutting down. When we cease to encourage ourselves in the Lord, we don’t simply pause; we risk falling into patterns that quietly stifle our purpose.

Emotional Paralysis

You’re not careless, you’re just exhausted.

Dreams fade. Hope dims. You slip into survival mode.

Spiritual Amnesia

You forget what God brought you through.

You doubt His words and question His faithfulness.

Fear-Based Decisions

You move from panic, not purpose.

You say “yes” to anything just to feel like you’re moving.

Self-Sabotage

You speak death over delay. You leave rooms you were called to. You start building Plan B because Plan A feels too far gone.

“David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” – 1 Samuel 30:6

No one came to hype him up. No friend sent a prophetic text. No preacher laid hands on him. He laid hands on himself. And sometimes? That’s the move.

Anchored in the Middle: When Life Feels Messy

You don’t need a new plan, just roots. The middle isn’t about perfection, but posture. Here’s how to re-anchor:

1. Pray Before You Post
   Talk to God before scrolling, venting, or shutting down. The world is loud, but Heaven listens.
2. Write Truth Over Feelings
   Feelings shift faith stands. Write what God has done and already promised.
3. Start a “God Kept Me” List
   Not just gratitude remembrance. He kept your mind, your peace, your sanity.
4. Pray Bold, Even Shaky
   God doesn’t need filters just faith. Shaky prayers still shake Heaven.
5. Speak Up, Don’t Isolate
   Tell someone, “I’m not okay, but I don’t want to stay here.” Healing needs community.
6. Revisit January’s Word
   If God said it, it still stands. Reread it. Declare it. Believe it again.

Reflective Questions for the Firebrand in the Middle

Take 15 minutes this week. Journal. Reflect. Ask:

• What have I stopped praying for that I know God still wants to do?
• What lie have I believed about this season?
• Who do I need to invite into my healing and help hold me accountable?
• If I believed God still has something good planned for me what would I do differently this week?

A Prayer for the Firebrand Generation

God,

 We’re tired. Not of You but of the waiting, the weight, the wondering. The world feels heavy. Life feels loud. And the middle feels like a mess. But we believe you’re still moving. We believe you’re still writing. And even when we don’t see it, we believe you’re still the God of miracles. Give us fire for the second half of this year. Please give us the endurance to outlast the storm.

And give us joy in the waiting, peace in the wilderness, and faith that finishes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wrapping It Up: Don’t Die in the Middle

Dear Firebrand Generation,

Firebrand,

If you’re in the middle, don’t mislabel it. It’s not your failure. It’s not your finish line. It’s not proof that God forgot. It’s the forge. The stretch. The space between what was promised and what’s about to be delivered.

And no, it doesn’t feel like a revival. It feels like survival. But survival proves that you’re breathing, and God is still building. So, wipe your eyes. Lift your head. And remind your soul:

“We’re not dying here. We’re going through.” The same God who saw you in January will crown you in December. The story isn’t over. The miracle is still moving. And your middle is about to make sense.

 Key Takeaways: Truth in Tension

✅Not behind—just being built.

✅Not denied—just delayed.

✅Not buried—being planted.

✅Not stuck—being stretched.

✅Not silent—just sacred.

✅Not empty—being poured into.

✅Not broken—being birthed.

✅Not done—just in the middle.

• Love is selective.
• Joy is shallow.
• Peace is performative.
• Patience is replaced by pressure.
• Kindness is filtered.
• Goodness is situational and conditional.
• Faithfulness is optional.
• Gentleness is mocked.
• Self-control is excused.

We know how to look like fruitful believers, But when heaven inspects us, there’s no harvest to gather. Maybe it’s not that your fruit is missing. Maybe your outward Christianity has just been hiding what’s truly growing beneath.

The Fruits of the Spirit: Evidence, Not Extras

In Galatians 5:22–23, Paul lists the nine fruits of the Spirit not as a suggestion but as evidence of a life genuinely led by the Holy Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23, ESV)

These aren’t personality traits or performance metrics. They are the proof of the living signs that the Spirit of God is present, active, and forming Christ in us. The Greek Word for “Fruit” – Karpos

• Meaning: That which originates or comes from something; a result or outward expression of inward nature.
• In simple terms: Your fruit reveals your true root. 

Fruit isn’t what we perform for others. It’s what’s produced in us when the Holy Spirit accesses our inner life. You can fake a gift. You can rehearse a sermon. You can stage a revival. But fruit? Fruit is honest. Fruit is tested. Fruit is grown.

The Tale of the Counterfeit Fruit Stand

Imagine walking into a grocery store and seeing the most beautiful display of ripe, shiny, and colorful fruit. The apples look flawless, and the grapes glisten. You pick up one of the apples, sink your teeth, and nearly break your jaw. Why? Because it’s plastic.

Fake. Manufactured. Empty. You march over to the store owner, holding the apple, offended:

“Why would you sell fake fruit?”

They shrug and say, “Well… it looks good, doesn’t it?” And just like that, conviction hits. Because how many of us have done the same? We look the part. We know the language. We serve, post Scriptures, wear the Kingdom identity

But when life takes a bite out of us? What comes out isn’t fruit. It’s flesh. It’s the the anger when someone disagrees with us, the jealousy when a friend succeeds, or the pride when we think we’re better than others.

Fruits don’t lie. What’s truly growing will always show.

The Hard Truth: Your Heart Determines Your Harvest

You can’t produce what you haven’t planted. You can’t harvest what hasn’t been nourished. And you can’t fake what’s supposed to grow from the inside out.

 So here it is :

• Your fruit is speaking even if your mouth is silent.
• It’s either testifying to you or exposing  what’s missing.
• You don’t grow fruit by performing. You grow it by abiding.
• If the root is corrupt, the fruit can’t lie.

Luke 6: 45 –”A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart… for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

What’s stored up in your heart, bitterness or blessing? Control or surrender? Because what’s hidden in you will always grow through you.

The Consequences of Fake or Fruitless Christianity

1. Delayed Destiny– God cannot release the next level of your calling if your character isn’t cultivated to carry it.
2. Public Collapse– You may build a platform with an image, but only fruit can sustain it. Eventually, what’s fake will fall.
3. Spiritual Stagnation– Fruitless Christianity can repeat cycles, familiar warfare, and unanswered prayers can often be traced back to what’s being cultivated(or not) at the root.
4. Disconnection from the Vine– Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” When you live detached from Him, fruit stops growing.
5. Wasted Seasons– A tree with no fruit wastes water, time, and space. God is too intentional for wasted soil.

Bulletin: Let’s Check Our Fruit

Here’s your spiritual inspection. Ask yourself:

1.  Am I Bearing the Right Fruit?

If heaven examined my life today, would it find love? Joy? Patience? Peace? Or would it find offense, anxiety, selfishness, pride, and un-repented compromise? You can’t cover rotten fruit with a “Christian “caption. Eventually, it stinks.

2.  Am I Rooted in the Right Soil? Good fruit grows in healthy soil.

• Am I planted in God’s Word daily?
• Do I allow the godly community to challenge me?
• Have I let the Holy Spirit uproot toxic patterns?

Because bad soil can’t bear kingdom fruit, no matter how hard you try.

3.  Am I Growing or Just Posing?

Growth is often quiet. But it’s real. Don’t ignore if you haven’t evolved spiritually in the last 6–12 months. That’s not warfare. It might be a warning.

God prunes what He wants to multiply. If He’s cutting something off, it’s because He’s preparing something greater.

So How Do We Guard Against Fake Fruit or Fruitless Christianity?

Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by chance, it requires intentional cultivation. Here’s your battle plan against fruitless Christianity:

1. LIVE IN THE VINE, DON’T JUST VISIT

“Abide in me, and I in you.” (John 15:4)

• Start each day in Scripture before social media
• Turn daily activities into prayer moments
• Practice listening, not just talking to God

Fruit check: Does my schedule prove Christ is my source?

2. LEAN INTO THE PRUNING

“Every branch that bears fruit He prunes.”(John 15:2)

• Thank God when He removes unhealthy relationships
• Welcome conviction about bad habits
• See discipline as divine investment

Pain checkpoint: Is this some hardship punishment or pruning?

3. AUDIT YOUR MOTIVES DAILY

“The Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

• Ask: “Who am I trying to impress here?”
• Serve in secret regularly
• Celebrate others’ successes genuinely

Heart check: Does this glorify God or just polish my image?

4. TEST YOUR FRUIT’S FLAVOR

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”(Galatians 5:22-23)

• Can coworkers/family confirm your Christlikeness?
• Do you respond to stress with faith or frustration?
• Are you quick to repent when wrong?

Reality check: Does my fruit taste like Kingdom or the world?

5. GUARD YOUR SOIL DAILY

“Planted in the house of the Lord…” (Psalm92:13)

• Choose friends who sharpen your faith
• Consume content that nourishes your spirit
• Protect your prayer time like your phone’s battery

Environment check: Is this helping me grow or just feeling good?

Until Next Time

“The world is passing away…but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”  (1 John 2:17). 

THE WORLD SHOUTS:   

“Build your brand. Chase metrics. Collect accolades.”

BUT HEAVEN WHISPERS:

“Build My kingdom where the only metrics are love, obedience, and fruit that remains.”   

LET’S DOUBLE DOWN ON WHAT’S ETERNAL:   

Not  your follower count  →  but your  fruitful obedience .  

Not  your résumé  → but your  righteousness in Christ.   

Not  your social noise  →  but your  Spirit’s overflow .  

 “For the Lord sees not as man sees…He looks on the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7).

 THE UNSHAKABLE TRUTH:  

One day, God won’t audit: Your platform stats, your bank statements, your earthly trophies. He’ll inspect your fruit.   

“By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”   (John 15:8).

Until next time, Stay rooted. Keep burning. When eternity leans in May your life roar Christ so loudly , the world’s applause becomes static.   Walk in this truth. The harvest is waiting.

Reflective Challenge. The Fruit Audit

Take 10 minutes this week to ask yourself honestly:

• What fruit is most visible in my life right now?
• What’s been growing beneath the surface?
• Have I been “posing” or truly producing?
• What needs pruning so that God can multiply?

Write it. | Pray it. |Confront it. And let the Holy Spirit transform it.

A Prayer for the Firebrand Generation

We come before You, not with performance but with honesty. We ask You to search the soil of our hearts and reveal what needs to be pruned, uprooted, and replanted. Forgive us for faking fruit.

Forgive us for presenting an image of spiritual health when disconnected from the Vine. We surrender to Your process no matter how uncomfortable it feels. We want real fruit. Fruit that pleases You. Fruit that lasts. Make us firebrands who are not only filled with power but marked by character.

Let our lives speak louder than our platforms, and our fruit speak louder than our voices. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wrapping It Up

Dear Firebrand Generation,

Let’s be clear:

Fake fruit might impress people, but it never fools God. This is not the season to look fruitful; it’s time to be fruitful. Because, in the end, God’s not inspecting our platforms. He’s inspecting our trees.

He’s not applauding how loud we are. He’s checking what’s growing beneath the surface. So, if your fruit is talking Let it be a witness, not a warning.

Key Takeaways

✅The Fruit Inspection Checklist

“Fruit is the Spirit’s resume not religious performance. You can’t Photoshop spiritual growth. The harvest always tells the truth.” (Matt 7:16)

“Titles lie. Followers lie. Platforms lie. Fruit never lies.”

✅Warning Signs of Fake Fruit

“If your kindness only works for people who can pay you back that’s networking, not fruit.” (Luke6:32-34)

“Sunday anointing + Monday arrogance = A  filtered faith.”
“Bible-quoting without love is just spiritual spam.” (1 Cor 13:1-2)

✅The Cultivation Principles

“Fruit grows in the secret place before it’s seen in public.” (Mark 4:28) “God prunes what He plans to multiply.” (John 15:2)
“Your roots determine your fruits. Dig deeper.” (Col 2:6-7)

✅The Bottom Line

“At judgment, God won’t review your highlights reel He’ll inspect your fruit basket.” (Matt 3:10)

✅LAST WORD:
“Don’t cultivate image. Cultivate intimacy. The fruit will handle itself.”

Have We Replaced Fire with Fog?

The Tale of the Conference That Changed Nothing

A young believer saved up the last of his money to attend the biggest Christian conference of the year.

The room was electric. Thousands of people. Lights flashing. Music booming. Preachers preaching. People dancing, shouting, weeping.

Everything screamed revival. But when she left…
– His addiction still gripped him.
– His depression lingered.
– His soul still felt empty.

He had an experience, but no encounter. He got caught up in the performance, but never entered His presence.

How Many of Us Have Been There?

We attend events for the hype… but did we leave with Him?

We lifted our hands in worship… but did we lay down our hearts?

We fill venues… but are heaven’s books recording transformed lives?

Bulletin: Are We Building Altars or Just Stages?

This is not about perfection. It is about posture. It’s a heart check for all of us.

1. Am I Chasing Crowds or Christ? Would I still serve if no one clapped? If the lights were off, the camera unplugged, the applause silenced, would His whisper still be enough?

2. Am I Prioritizing Performance Over Prayer? We prepare worship sets, craft sermon outlines, design stage visuals… But how much time have we spent on our knees?

Exodus 33:15 – “If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”

If God is not in it, we do not want it.

3. Are We Just Loud… or Are We Truly Lit? You can be loud and still lack power. You can create movement but carry no momentum.

The prophets of Baal danced and shouted all day no fire. Elijah whispered one prayer and heaven responded. There is a difference between noise and anointing. One entertains. The other transforms.

So How Do We Guard Against Fog?

Let us be clear: This is not a call to eliminate structure, excellence, or creativity from our gatherings. Those things matter. But if Jesus is not the center, we have missed the point.

Here is how we can spiritually prepare:

✅ Consecrate before we create.
Do not just plan pray first. Set the tone spiritually before setting the tone visually.

✅ Prioritize intimacy over image.
Spend more time with God in private than you perform in public.

✅ Slow down to listen.
Ask the Holy Spirit what He wants to do not just what will “wow the room.”

✅ Leave space.
Give God room to move beyond your run sheet.

Reflection Challenge: Bring Back the Fear of God

Take 10 minutes and ask yourself:

– Have I replaced presence with performance?
– Am I building for likes or for legacy?
– What can I do this week to invite God back to the center?

Write it     |    Pray it    |    Live it

A Prayer for the Firebrand Generation

Father,
We repent for every time we prioritized appearance over Your presence. For every event we planned without praying. For every moment we made it about us. Forgive us for choosing fog over fire. Strip away the show. Silence the noise. Bring us back to the secret place. Let us be carriers of real glory. Let us hunger again for the real thing. Let Your fire fall again. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wrapping It Up

Dear Firebrand Generation,

This is not the time for polished appearances with no power. This is not the hour for curated crowds with no consecration. God is raising a remnant not performers, but priests. Not those who chase stages, but those who chase surrender. The remnants do not want fame. They want  faithfulness. The remnants do not want to be seen. They want to see His glory. The presence of God is too holy to be managed casually.
It was never meant to be background noise at our gatherings. It is the very reason we gather.

So…

Let us stop hosting events that forget to host Him. Let us stop confusing emotional hype for sacred holiness. Let us stop settling for performance… when we have been invited into presence. This is the dispensation of Firebrands  Not Entertainers. Not influencers. But intercessors, worshippers, revival carriers. And the world is waiting for us to burn again.

Until next time  stay bold, stay faithful, and keep the fire burning. The stage may be crowded. But the altar still has room. He is calling us back. Let us respond.

Key Takeaways

✅ “A full room doesn’t equal a full move of God.”

✅ “A gathering without consecration is just a concert.”

✅ “Firebrands don’t chase platforms, they build altars.”

✅ Revival begins at the altar, not the stage.

✅ Emotion is not encounter.

✅ If there is no presence, there is no point.”
✅ Firebrands don’t perform,  they posture themselves at the altar.”
✅The presence is the point. The fire is the proof.”