Living Life — Cut Back and Pruned
I don’t want difficult.
I will tell you right now, that even as I write, I can feel the resistance to pruning and more change, tighten up the muscles in my stomach!
Are you in a pruning, shocking, “getting trimmed back” season in life right now?
Most everyone is!
Feeling like your wings have been clipped?
Are you seeing a pattern of lethargy and a dullness of joy in your daily life?
Don’t waste those struggles friends!
Know that God is very… VERY… intentional.
He has a good plan for all of it.
Every challenge is an opportunity to practice walking one day at a time, with really clear thinking and gratitude.And,He is right there, inside you, to help you.
Like I said before! I don’t want difficult!
But my oh my, I do want to be like Him!
So I’m in surrender-mode now, friends. I’m saying, “Cut away, LORD. Go deep.”
WHY? Because I want ALL that He has for me.
I want the fruit. I want all that abundance, and I know it’s waiting for me when this weird and awkward season changes.
There is another phenomenon I find that happens during the pruning process, one that I find that is unhealthy to ignore.
The enemy of our soul is observing and is feverishly “taking notes” about the pruning process, and I believe he finds it quite enjoyable; he laughs and ridicules and flings missiles of insults that shout that “only a loser needs pruning”.
This is, of course, a lie but one which we can tend to believe on a bad day!
Listening to the wrong voice can tempt us to believe pruning is punishment and comes from God being mad at us.
It can cause us to pull back from ministry or social engagements, (social distancing engagements too, like FaceTime etc) paralyzes honesty, transparency and humility.
It can lead to self-hatred, self-protection, denial about how we hurt others with half truths, and so on!
But I am truly becoming more aware in my spirit that God can only use me — or best use me — through the partnership of His power and my weakness.
A wise and well tested man by the name of Alan Hood must have had a few clippers dig into his life at time or two and learned this lesson.
He stated,
“To be pruned is to lose the resources whether monies or physical strengths upon which everyone around you measures you as successful.”
READ THAT AGAIN….. S L O W L Y !
Trying to use old things when God is trying to give us new things is really such foolishness!
Psalm 85 talks about Restoration, Re-tooling and Revival. Verse 8 says,
“I will listen to what God the Lord says;
He promises peace to his people, his saints — but let them not return to folly.”
I’m trusting The LORD’s good and gracious hand in the pruning.
I know God does not intend to leave even a healthy fruit-bearing branch how it is, but He is always after a more abundant harvest for His people.
I don’t get it, I don’t like or want difficult! But I also don’t want a puny little sick looking basket of bitter, green, unusable fruit out of life!
He will “give the increase” when I reach the end of this seeming devastation of stymied ideas and “put on hold” plans, and let me tell you something crazy! I feel it coming!
I’m learning to WALK in harmony, in tune with the truth that, He is dwelling like healthy sap, in me, and will keep sin and despair from having dominion over my life. (Romans 6:14)
YOUR LIFE TOO!
Come On! Let’s Pray! We’ve got the time right now!
A Prayer For Enduring Times Of Pruning
Father, You are the Master Pruner who is growing me into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus Christ.
As I remain in the Vine You calm me and tell me that I will bear much fruit that will last far beyond one season.
When I think about the fruit You want to grow in me I recognize that it is all based on character traits seen in you Son.
Help me to respond in agreement to the pruning knife of the Word of God as it penetrates and pierces my soul, honestly judging the thoughts and attitudes of my heart.
Cut out those thing that hinder my growth and soak me in the things which will make me flourish, making me fruitful for the Kingdom of God.
Amen.
In His Shadow,
~ Mary Lindow ©
Duplication and sharing of this writing is welcomed as long as complete message and website information for Mary Lindow is included. Thank You!
” THE MESSENGER ” ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
Global Prayer Rooms
Mary Lindow has a passion for encouraging others – all generations, careers or vocations to live expressing excellence through personal integrity, healthy accountability, and wise management of talents and skills. She’s a sought after keynote, inspirational, humorous speaker and teacher across the USA and internationally in Ministers & Spiritual leaders Conferences, and training seminars for various organizations.
‘ I can feel the resistance to pruning and more change, tighten up the muscles ‘
Thank you and thanks God that He make us aware of that we belongs to the same tree!
Amen!
Beautiful. Thank you.