I will tell you right now… that even as I write, I can feel the resistance to pruning and more change in my flesh!

Are you in a pruning, shocking, “getting trimmed back” season right now?

Feeling like your wings have been clipped?

Are you seeing a pattern of sin and a dullness of joy in your daily life?

Don’t waste your struggles! Know that God is very… VERY… intentional. He has a good plan for all of it.

Every challenge is an opportunity to practice walking in the Spirit, and He is right there, inside you, to help you.

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!”

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 the 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 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, 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.

Trying to use old things when God is trying to give us new things is really such foolishness!

Psalm 85 talks about restoration 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.

He will “give the increase” when I reach the end of this, and let me tell you, I feel it coming! I’m learning to WALK in accordance with the truth that He is dwelling in me, and will keep sin from having dominion over my life, (Romans 6:14).

 

In His Shadow,
~ Mary Lindow ^©

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” THE MESSENGER ” ~ Mary Lindow
www.marylindow.com
Global Prayer Rooms

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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.

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