Pruned For More

Ever have one of those moments when you're feeling really spiritual and thinking you are about to make this big decision that will make life so much better? You make the decision. We surrender the issue to God and bam, something feels “off” instead of better. And we feel like, “What is going on?”

Recently I made a decision when afterward I sensed that. I thought after I surrendered this concern to the Lord that everything would be just fine. But at first it created more questions. I was reminded that even when some things that are necessary are not always pleasant, such as pruning. Pruning often happens when God is about to change the season in our life.

¹I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2 NASB)

Let's talk a little bit more about this pruning process. Before making some generalized comments, of course I'm going to do an acronym of the word prune.

Preparation - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

I once read the following - "In this season of pruning God is removing what you have outgrown., what is no longer necessary, or what serves no purpose." (Author unknown)

As I mentioned earlier. Pruning is often a sign of a season change. Oftentimes when we find ourselves in a wilderness (pruning season) we think of it as a negative thing. Really, we should look at it as a time of preparation, refocus, and soul searching.

How do we Prepare? Prayer first and foremost. As you pray be willing to listen and respond to what God says. They ask for a hunger for the scriptures like you've never had before and study it. Be willing to refocus and readjust calories in any area of your life the Holy Spirit instructs you to do.

Repent - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NASB)

Sadly, many people don't realize that this book was written to believers as was this verse. You see, repentance is not just something we do when we come to Jesus for the first time, it becomes a part of our everyday life. None of us will be perfect until we're in heaven. But the hope found in this verse is that with repentance there is forgiveness and cleansing.

Undivided – Many are so quick to quote Jeremiah 29:11 about the good plan that God has for us. But for some reason most don’t seem to make it to verse 13, which says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

This brings to mind the question, are really seeking God for our character to be changed or just for what He can do for us? Are we half-hearted, saying, Lord, I’ll obey you in this area but not this other one.” Remember what Revelation 3:15-16 says - I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will ^[l]spit you out of My mouth.

Nevertheless -  Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”  (Luke 5:5 NASB)

Remember, these guys were professional fishermen and had fished all night and knew what they were talking about. There were no fish. But at last, they said “nevertheless.” There will be times when things don't make sense in our lives, and we will have to say nevertheless. Another statement I often say is, obedience doesn't require understanding.

Examine - Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

After some fruit bearing, we're pruned and need to be cut back to bear MORE fruit. During the pruning process, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to make things right through the Word.  Examine yourself. The Word will keep you clean! (John 15:2)

What does this all boil down to? - CHANGE! 

Change, even when it's for the good isn't always easy.  But when truth is faced, change is always possible. 

Till next time, keep moving forward with God’s grace. Grace is God’s ability in me to do what I don’t have the ability to do.

 

 

 

 

Chnage - Time to Move Forward

 

Change…. That is a word that most of us don’t like to hear. Even when change is for the good, it can sometimes be difficult, even scary.  But change is one of those inevitable pieces of life.  We all experience it one time or another. I heard this statement from an inmate one time: “When the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the pain of change, you will change.” That is a power packed statement.  Change will take courage. The definition of courage is: “Fearlessness when facing change or a difficult situation, following difficult instructions.”

One of the biggest hindrances to change for many people is that they are stuck in their past or even in a present dilemma. Think about this. If you drive down the road in your car looking in the rear view mirror the whole time, what is going to happen? Obviously, you will crash. Well, it’s the same thing in life. If we keep looking back, we’re going to crash into various obstacles in life. So, what is the answer to this fear of change? The bible gives us several answers.

First of all in Philippians 3:13,14 it says, “13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Emphasis added)

The first step in moving forward is to stop looking backwards all the time. Take your hurts, your questions, your fears…. Everything and give them to God. His Son, Jesus Christ took all your pains on Himself when He died on the cross.

Let’s quickly look at a few other hindrances to moving forward that the bible mentions.

Forsaking God - In other words, preferring your own way. So many of us think we know what’s best for our life. But who would know better than God Himself, the Creator of the universe who knows everything? Take the risk to step out and trust God with your whole life. In Matthew 6:33 it says: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” If we put God first in our lives, He will meet all of our needs.

Fear of man - Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” We will never take risks or try new things as long as we fear what others will think of us. One way to help fight this is to remember the following statement: “I am not responsible for anyone else’s actions or reactions except my own.” Besides, if someone is truly your friend, they will encourage you to move forward and be happy with you for the changes in your life.

Worldliness - This could be a lengthy subject, but for now let’s simply say that if we allow the ways of the world influence us, it will choke out the truth of God’s Word. See Mark 4:18, 19 and 1 John 2:15.

Misplaced Confidence - Relying on anything or anyone other than God for your needs. It is only in a relationship with the Lord that we can have all of our needs met. Remember the scripture quoted earlier from Matthew 6:33? Put God first in your life.

Self-sufficiency – This is when we think we don’t need anyone. We think we can do it ourselves and refuse to ask for help. But Proverbs 3: 5,6 says; “⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Another scripture that talks about self-sufficiency is Rev. 3:16-20 where the Laodicean Church thought they had it all together more than anyone else but didn’t realize they were spiritually blind.

Neglect of the "little things" – I once read a statement that said. “We stumble over pebbles, not rocks.” We often tend to overlook what we think are the little things. But then these little thinks pile up into a big mountain and next thing we know we’re totally overwhelmed. So, don’t let little things go unchecked in your life. Ask someone you trust who you know will be truthful, who will give you godly counsel, to be an accountability partner to help you monitor your progress.

Finally, our last point is

Not counting the cost – It makes a made-up mind to decide we’re moving forward with our lives no matter what. We need to be aware that not everyone is going to like the changes in our life. Family, friends, and co-workers may not understand. Some may try to put fear in you, some will threaten you by saying they won’t be your friends anymore. Reality is there will be a cost to change. The people you surround yourself with may have to change; your priorities will have to change, etc. But with God on our side, we can overcome anything. Read Roman 8: 31-39, it declares that God is for you!

Take the risk and step into a new season in your life! If I can be of help to you feel free to contact me.

 

Fruit That Remains

 I have been frequently drawn to John 15:1-16, especially verse 16 which says: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” (Emphasis added)

Most of us are quick to quote the first part of that verse but tend to forget the second part. Yes, we want to be chosen and bear fruit. But it doesn't stop there. It goes on to say, “that your fruit should remain.” How does that fruit remain?

It's a two-step process. The first part is making sure the fruit that we are producing is relative to eternity in the Kingdom of God. You see, there's a lot of good work(s) that can be done but our focus is to be winning souls for the Kingdom of God. Seeing lives transformed from hopelessness to hope. Then the fruit you planted in an individual is planted by that person in another person. The seed keeps growing and remains. New life breeds new life.

What are some of the other works? Most would say it's the supernatural gifts - healing, prophecy, etc. which are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Supernatural Gifts have their place in the community of faith but it's not to be the primary focus, winning souls is. We don't decide when they happen, that is up to the Holy Spirit. I'm not saying the gifts are not necessary. Just not the focus.

Are the gifts available to every believer? Yes. Is victory available to every believer? Yes. But before anyone, especially a new believer can grow in those areas, he has to learn how to get there. That's where discipleship comes in.

People need to be taught how to resist temptation, how to overcome certain strongholds, how to build the character of God into their lives, etc. Think of it like this, when a person gets a new job, he usually has to wait 30 to 90 days to get the benefits. During that time. He learns about the company and learns about his position and how to grow in it, then he begins to gain some of the benefits of being in that company.

it's the same in the Kingdom of God. We become born again, start to learn the ways of the Holy Spirit. We begin to learn how to live as a Christian and eventually we really begin to walk in the “benefits” of spiritual gifts, victory, freedom, and so much more. It’s called, “Sanctification.” Which is also discipleship.

“Sanctification is the ongoing process by which believers grow in holiness and are gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ. This involves the work of the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to overcome sin and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit. Philippians 2:12-13 encourages believers to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose." This process requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit, obedience to God's Word, and participation in the life of the church.”    (biblehub.com)

OK, back to our discussion about bearing fruit for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

When spiritual gifts become the focus there is the danger of people being caught up in sensationalism, celebrity preachers, manufacturing gifts from the flesh. Anyway, this subject of gifts can be a whole discussion in itself.

As mentioned above, the spiritual gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. However, spiritual fruit is listed in Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”

It would be safe to say that spiritual gifts are incomplete if the individual operating in those gifts is not living in the fruit of the spirit. Keeping a focus on the fruit of the spirit helps us stand guard against things such as the image we present, sensationalism, wanting to look powerful, thinking it will draw the crowds. At the risk of stepping on toes of those who want to be gift focused, when the gifts are in operation the goal should be to bring people to salvation, not to say look at all we have happening here. What will truly draw crowds is transformed lives.

There are many examples in the Bible of a person encountering Jesus leading to a transformed life that drew a crowd. One example is the woman at the well. She lived in shame most of her life. Listen to what she says after encountering Jesus. The full story is in John chapter 4, but here are a few key scriptures.

²⁹ “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” ³⁰ Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” 

Then the result of her sharing the encounter with Jesus comes next. ³⁹ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of His own word. ⁴² Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (Emphasis added)

Before this blog gets any longer, let me close with a quote that I read recently.

“Instead of measuring ourselves by the gifts we have – perhaps we should consider the depth of our love.” (Wanda Alger)

 

DIVE IN AND THRIVE IN 2025

It will be a year to dive into the Word of God, His presence, and focus more than ever on the things of God so that we and those around us can thrive in the power of His Spirit. We won’t settle for just His omnipresence; we need His Manifest Presence. There is a movement happening around the country called “Presence Movement.” More on this in just a bit.

Things are going to be quite different in 2025. It will not be church as usual, as we've always known it. Therefore, we must prepare for the harvest that God has for us. Ask yourself, what do I want my church to look like twenty years from now and what am I called to do to help facilitate that?

Let's start off with a familiar scripture.

^“ Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:17 NKJV)

Referring to this scripture, Pastor Todd Coconato said, “We cannot remain in the old thing and expect to thrive in the new year… God is calling us to lay down our old ways, old habits, old mindsets so that we can fully receive the new thing He is pouring out into our lives and in our ministry ….”

 That brings to mind the question how can we “dive in” so that we can “Thrive in 2025?” Let’s take a dive into 2025 in these four ways.

Diligent – “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV)     

We must be diligent in our pursuit of the Lord. Oftentimes we are quick to quote verse 11 before reading verse 13. We all want that “good plan “God has for us. But instead of seeking Him for what He can do for us, let's seek Him in prayer and worship more than ever before. Then, we will know what He wants us to do not what we want to do.

Look at 1 John 2:15-17 for reminder to not live for ourselves but for the Lord ready to not follow the ways of the world but the ways of the Lord.

Intentional – ^“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)

In this next year we are going to need to be more intentional about being aware of the needs around us to reach lost and hurting people. That means we need to make an effort to reach out to initiate conversation with others. Some folks argue that If the Holy Spirit wants to reach a particular person, He can do it all on His own. There is a truth to that however one of my favorite quotes by author Henry Blackaby says, “God chooses to work through people. Look to see where He is moving and join him.”

Here is another scripture to look at later - Ephesians 5:15-16.

Vigilant - No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:4 NKJV)

Using the word vigilant here I'm not saying to be riotous or anything like that. What I am saying is let's be bold and take a stand for truth. In Acts 28:31, look at what is said about the Apostle Paul – “boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.”

One more verse – “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;” (1 Peter 3:15 NKJV)

Read and study your bible, join a study bible group to prepare to have biblical answers for those who ask.

Oh, in case you're concerned that you won't know what to say, check out Matthew 10:19,20.

Embrace - To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

We start off here with a common scripture that is often quoted but are we truly ready to walk it out? Look again at Matthew 9:17 ^“Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Another scripture – “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” (Isaiah 42:9 NKJV)

I often say, change, even when it's for the good it's not always easy. We're living in a very different society today. Our churches need to have a vision to prepare for a harvest of hurting, broken people. Some adjustments are needed for reaching the people in our churches and communities. The message never changes but sometimes the methods do. Sadly, many churches have drifted away from foundational doctrines, the importance of discipleship and being prepared to have something to offer to show people the path to repentance, forgiveness, transformation, and hope. I once heard a pastor say, “The way you birth them is the way you have to keep them.“  We must be prepared to show them the truth to a transformed life. People don’t need gimmicks; they need an encounter with God.

Talking about the year 2025, Bible teacher Mario Murillo says the following: “The fastest growing churches in America will feature the presence of God, true worship, deep repentance, signs and wonders, and a focus on preaching the doctrines of the Bible. For the first time, they will grow faster than the attraction churches.”

As I close one more thing to address is a phrase I mentioned in the very beginning. The phrase is “Presence Movement.“ It is happening especially among the younger generation, but really in all ages. People are hungry for the presence of God. They are hungry to be in an environment where Holy Spirit power is present to give them hope to be transformed and set them free.

We need to make worshiping Jesus a priority and realize the power of praise and worship in spiritual warfare. Mario Murillo mentioned deep repentance along with signs and wonders. That happens when Jesus is the focus of our worship, and we experience His manifest presence. It’s not about how hip the band is. Rather, are they fulfilling their biblical responsibility as a modern-day Levitical priesthood to lead the people into the inner courts of worship. This means we need to get back to the altar. The altars need to be open during worship and we need to get back to the altar calls that call people to repentance, transformation, and hope.

Well, I’ve shared a lot in this blog. Friend, are you ready to be a part of the next Great Awakening? Let’s be Diligent, Intentional, Vigilant, and Embrace the new as we Dive in and Thrive in 2025!