A seed can only become fruitful when it is placed in the right environment. The seed carries the purpose, potential, and fruit within – but it is the environment that activates that seed to be all that it is called to be.
When we look at the creation of the world and man, we see that God was very intentional about creating the environment before creating the product (Genesis 1).
Before God created the fish of the seas, He created the waters.
Before God created seed-bearing plants and trees, He created the earth.
God created the environment for the product to thrive. If you take the product out of the environment, the product will breakdown and die.
Have you ever seen a fish out of water? It is thrashing and gasping for air. It is outside of its environment and it is suffering. If we leave the fish outside of its environment for too long, it will simply die. If you place that fish back in the water it becomes quick and agile. It is almost impossible to catch them by hand! This is the same for seeds. A seed can sit in my closet and slowly rot and die. But a seed in the soil, in its right environment, can grow to become 5 stories high, provide shade, fruit, and shelter to so many.
Before God created mankind, He created the garden of Eden.
The garden of Eden is a place where mankind and God could simply be together. The garden of Eden is the presence of God, the presence of God is the correct environment for mankind.
When you take man outside the presence of God, we see that man breaks down and dies. Man begins to lie, rape, kill, steal, lust, etc. But a man in the presence of God becomes more than he could ask or imagine. The man becomes fruitful.
You and I are meant to live in the presence of God. We are designed to live and thrive in that environment. We are not meant to visit this environment every Sunday – we are meant to be in the presence every second of every day.
If you feel like a fish out of water, stop and seek the Lord. Go back into His presence. Do whatever it takes – prayer, worship, quietness, etc. This is where you were meant to be.
Just like how fish need to be in water and seeds need to be planted, man needs to be in His presence to be fruitful.