Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.
I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
The verb “abide” highlights constancy. Abiding in God cannot be replaced by going through periods of time when we genuinely seek God. This is a significant factor in why fewer Christians are living the abundant lives that Jesus came to deliver. (John 10:10). Most individuals only truly abide in Jesus through difficult times. When the strain eases, they go back to everyday normalcy and forget about communing with God. This is easy to do as God doesn’t impose Himself on us as He waits for us to come to Him.
This is the key to producing fruit. Because the fruit is produced on the branch, it is simple to attribute the fruit to the branch while in fact the vine was what gave the branch life and directed it through the branch into the earth.
We can believe that the fruit is produced by our own strength or abilities as we are the branches through which God’s life pours. If we continue to think that way, we will stop abiding (trusting in, clinging to) in the vine and eventually become barren.
The only thing we can do is respond to His capacity to give us the Strength that only He can give. All we have to do is work to rest (trust and depend) completely on Jesus as our source, just as we have never seen a branch toil to bear fruit. (Hebrews 4:11)
Not only in your prayer time but all through the day keeping in the mode of silent communication with God, even meditating on memorised bible verses or promises. I also try to semi-silently pray in the spirit.
He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40
Human strength is limited and can be expended, whereas God’s power is unlimited.
Those who look to the Lord for their strength will never faint. They will draw on the limitless strength of the Lord, as we seek the Lord, looking to Him for all our needs and direction, He will replace our strength with His. There is a connection or communion with the human spirit and God’s Spirit and there is an exchange of spiritual strength.