Thank you for making the following testimony possible through your support of The Urban Alternative!

“I have been in church all of my life and I have never heard God’s Word explained with so much power. It has stirred a fire in me again to want to give the Lord all I have."

-W.R.

“Dr. Evans, the message that you brought today was exactly what I needed to give me that extra push. Although it doesn’t make sense, I am ready to take that ‘risk of faith!' "

-G.R.

“Thanks to you, I decided to become more than a Christian but a disciple of Christ. I will no longer be an SMO (Sunday Morning Only) Christian! Remain blessed!"

-J.J.

I have been reading and studying Psalm 1 about the tree planted by rivers of water. The interesting and exciting aspect about this tree is that it was deliberately transplanted into rivers of water, the idea being that it would always be green and fruitful. All that this tree needs is provided for. It just needs to abide in the state it is in. “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NKJV).

We, as believers, are deliberately transplanted and blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). Why then do we sometimes feel fruitless? Could it be that we have started a downward spiral by walking, standing, and sitting with the scornful? The warning is to avoid the counsel of the ungodly. Because we are bombarded by the ungodly in so many ways every day, we have to make choices from what we already have. Our choices are to delight and meditate on Him day and night.

The Bible talks about the date palm tree being placed in rivers of water. The result is that it produces fruit for a number of years. Since dates are a staple, they can be kept indefinitely dry and eaten years later. History tells us that as Herod set forth to pursue and kill the Jews, he decided to starve them out as they hid behind the rocks at Masada. However, he was not aware of the fact that the Zealots had stored dates there and were able to sustain themselves. They had planned for the future. If you are planted by rivers of water, even when your enemies show up, you can be firmly planted and continue to flourish and thrive because of the storehouse you have. No one can starve you out physically, emotionally, or spiritually because your sustenance is built into the fact that you are planted by rivers of water. The Holy Spirit continuously supplies all you need to stay an evergreen (John 7:37-39).

When we realize our position in Christ and act on it, we can be productive in our Christian life and produce fruit in season and out of season. We are like the branches of a tree, tossed and windblown, but with leaves that will always remain green. And like that tree, we will continue to stand tall, firmly rooted, so that those around us can be nourished by the godly fruit of our life.