Joyce Meyer Daily Devotional for April 18, 2024, Thursday Message
Roots and Fruits
Joyce Meyer – Apr 18, 2024
Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers.
Fruit bearing trees are known and identified by their fruit, and people are much the same way. If you could look at the roots of the life of a person who is emotionally unhealthy, you would see that they lead to things like rejection, abuse, guilt, jealousy, shame, and other negative thoughts and feelings.
If you have recognized unhealthy attitudes in yourself, they are most likely the bitter fruit of some- thing rooted in your thinking. They may have come from unhealthy or traumatic experiences during childhood or from being exposed to bad examples in your early years. If parents, teachers, or other authority figures told you during your youth that you were no good, that there was something wrong with you,
that you couldn’t do anything right, and that you were worthless and would never amount to anything, you might actually believe it.
Research has shown that when people believe something about themselves strongly enough, they actually begin to behave the way they perceive themselves. They will think, feel, and act according to what they have experienced or been told.
But I have good news: Your mind can be renewed by God’s Word (Romans 12:2). This does not happen immediately or even quickly. It may take a while, but it is possible with the help of the Holy Spirit, and it is worth the time it takes.
God wants you to bear good fruit, and He will help you do so by replacing unhealthy roots with strong, healthy roots in your thoughts, emotions, and actions as you meditate on His Word.
Prayer of the Day: God, as I meditate on Your Word, help me replace roots that lead to unhealthy thinking, feelings, and behaviors with ones that lead to healthy thoughts, emotions, and actions.