Seasons of a Tree

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A good tree produces good fruit; a bad tree produces bad fruit. Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” are true believers. You will be known by your fruit.

Yet, trees are not always producing fruit. There is a time for growth, for soaking in nutrients and a time for rest. Growth leads to fruit, fruit leads to needing nutrients, storing nutrients leads to rest, and rest allows the tree to once again grow and flourish.

There is a season when the Gardener will prune and weed and trim and whack and dig and uproot. While these may seem like traumatizing, destroying actions the Gardener actually has the trees best interest in mind. He sees the potential of the tree and must make decisions that will allow the tree to grow to its fullness. He may even prune branches that are producing good fruit in order to redirect growth to the branches that are the best and will yield the most abundant fruit. The Gardener may also prune fruit bearing branches because He sees how vast the tree has spread, and perhaps if it’s spread so thin the quantity of fruit may be much but the quality is not much.

If we look at the different seasons of a tree we can see four distinct times, just like our climate. Expanding on what I mentioned above, let’s look briefly at those four seasons. There is a time for growth, when we begin to see the life within the tree show itself to the world (spring). There is a time for produce and fruit, when others are blessed by the abundance of the tree (summer). There is a time when the tree begins to shed its outer appearance, so that the inward may soak up the nutrients needed for the next season (autumn). And there is a time when what you see on the outside of the tree is no reflection of what is happening within, this is a time of rest and hibernation for the tree (winter).

As I look over the past several years of my life I see this pattern of seasons. I was most recently enjoying my summer season; fall came and past quickly, and this winter seems to be the worst I have ever experienced. But I have been reminded in this moment that my Gardener has my best interest in mind, there is a reason for this winter, and one day, one glorious day, spring will come. Life will return to my heart and soul. Color and beauty will once again be a part of me. Until then, I must remember that God’s Word is true, powerful, the most important weapon I have, and needs to be louder than any other voice.

May the Lord reveal His truths to you in your season. May He grant you peace, satisfaction, understanding, and hope where ever you are in your journey.

Joy

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An apology is first and foremost necessary: I am deeply sorry for my lack of writing. Sheri and I had planned to do a post every week this summer to offer y’all encouragement, but that hasn’t happened, and it’s my fault. Moving, then not moving, then moving again, pregnancy (first trimester has been awful), and life has sidetracked the mission that God has given us. I ask for your forgiveness and pray that I may be more focused.

Fruit of the Spirit: Joy

Let me tell you what! 4 months ago I could have written a book on joy, but the last couple months with the way that my life has been going…well, joy has been lacking.

As some of you know, I struggle with depression. I’ve lived in it and with it for longer than I haven’t. But over the last few years I really went to war with the enemy. Claiming back the ground that my Savior died for. No longer would I be dictated by feelings. No longer would I stand for the lies that swirled in my head. No longer would I be a victim to the enemies schemes. I was in a battle for my life! It was a long hard year (or more) of constant inner work. But I can stand before you today and say, “I am free. Because my Jesus said I am free indeed!”

This process of trusting God in ways I had never before, having great faith when I wanted to give up, and choosing to believe what He says about me is true led me to discover, that just like love, joy is a choice.

Joy is completely determined by your proximity to God.

The sheer joy I feel pulsing through my body when I’m doing the Lord’s work is not only contagious to those around me, it’s confirmation that I’m doing what He has called me to. When I can find joy in God’s Word after an argument with someone close to me, I know that it’s because my heart was longing to be close to Him. When someone looks at a snippet of my life and wonders how I could possibly be standing under the weight of that which I carry (whatever that burden may be at the moment), I know it’s because my joy is not determined by my circumstances. My joy is my salvation (Psalm 51:12).

Joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

In His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).

God’s character brings us joy (Psalm 63:7).

God created you and called you to His name with a shout of joy (Psalm 105:43).

Joy is healing (Proverbs 17:22).

When we abide in Him His joy is in us, and that joy will be whole and complete (John 15:1-11).

I have also discovered that joy is not happiness. They are not the same thing. Joy is a choice, happiness is a feeling and feelings are fleeting. Joy is not determined by your circumstances, whereas happiness is. Think about it. You’re happy when you get a compliment, but then you stub your toe and that happy feeling fades with the pain. Of course, we have experienced that happiness can last for more than a mere moment; I assume that when you buy your first house, along with anxiety, fear and dread there is some amount of happiness. Which I will also assume can last for days. (Obviously, we haven’t bought our first home yet…in the process of…).

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you already have joy abounding, because it’s a fruit of the Spirit. You may just need to make some changes in your life to experience it (more). What works for me is not going to work for you. But I do believe that for everyone-young, old, man, and woman-your proximity to God determines the amount of joy you will experience. I know this from personal experience, and as you can see from the Scripture passages above, the Bible says it too.

The takeaway:
1. You already possess joy as a believer
2. You’re proximity to God determines your amount of Joy
3. Joy is a choice
4. Joy is not dictated by your circumstances

My prayer is that the eyes of your heart would be opened to understanding what true joy is. That your relationship with Christ would flourish, and in that newness with Him you would experience and forever crave the joy that He gives.

What have you found to be the most joy inducing activity or action or thing in your life?

For me, it’s simply being in the presence of the One who loves me. Whether that’s through singing a song, writing, studying His Word, serving or something else entirely. Being with Him gives me the greatest joy I have ever experienced. A joy that cannot be taken away.

Let’s Talk LOVE

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LOVE.  It’s the first Fruit of the Spirit mentioned in scripture.

I’m not gonna get into what love is as that is a whole ‘nother Bible Study in itself.  And I’m not going to get into the different types of love.  What we will focus on here is the LOVE that is displayed when we let the Holy Spirit dwell in our hearts.

When we allow God to lead our lives, the first fruit we begin to bear is love.  Now I’m pretty sure this must come first as all the other fruit is created when love is at the center.  It’s like a tree, where all the new growth is budding.  Those buds represent love.  As love sprouts forth, all the other Fruit of the Spirit will burst from the fresh blooms of love.

So how do we let love pour from ourselves?  Willingness.

Personally, I created a morning habit.  I wake up and say, “Lord, who do I get to love on today?” 

Let us not miss opportunities to love on others because we are so caught up in our own lives. 

Love is beyond feelings and emotions; it is an act of giving of oneself.  Even on tough days and rough moments, carry on, and love anyways!

Is there a screaming kid out in public?  Give the mom an reassuring nod.
Is there an elderly person unloading groceries in their car?  Offer to help.
Do you know of someone facing a new medical diagnosis?  Be there to listen.
Is your spouse cranky today?  Offer grace.  (do it-it’s worth it!)
Has someone just had a baby?  Volunteer to do laundry or clean a bathroom.
Know anyone moving?  Get over there and help pack or help move big items.
Is your child melting down or having bursts of fits?  Hug them, then listen.
Has someone lost a loved one?  Just be there.  No expectations.  Your presence is enough.

The possibilities of sharing love is endless!  What are some ways you are going to live-out-loud love today?!

The Armor of God: Prayer

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Ephesians 6:18-20 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

There are many types of prayers and petitions: thanksgiving, praise, lament, mourning, asking, seeking…

Prayer is simply to ask of God, to talk to Him, to express your wishes to Him but I liked this definition, “literally, to interact with the Lord by switching [your] human wishes (ideas) for His wishes as He imparts faith.” Otherwise known as “divine persuasion.” Prayer and faith are closely connected, interwoven, you can’t have one without the other.

Petition on the other hand is a need, to be in want or need of or lacking something. Often it is looked at as a heart-felt, deep, personal need that may be urgent but is definitely specific. Have you ever been moved to tears by a prayer that God presses on your heart? This happened to me several times within a matter of a week some months back. I was overcome with a deep end to pray for weary couples, marriages, and those feeling lost.

To pray at all times means at all times, every fitting season, opportunity, occasion, any other synonym you can think of for time. Derived from the word kara which means to come to a head, to take full advantage of at the opportune moment. It reminds me of a zit. Waiting for it to come to a head so you can seize the moment to pop it. With a zit there isn’t anything you can do except wait for it to come to a head. You can try to treat it in the mean time, but then hopefully it will treat the inflammation and infection and then dissipate. Unlike with prayer, in which we are to be praying at all times. And then, when that one moment comes, where you can seize that moment to pray for someone in the aisle at the grocery store, you can pray healing over someone, whatever that moment may be…you’ve been practicing for it. And if you’re in constant communion with God then those moments aren’t scary, we don’t shy away from those moments. They are natural, and joyous.

In the Spirit…if the Church was praying at all times in the Spirit, we would have a very different world. Very, very different world…marriages would be stronger, children would be walking in righteousness rather than down a path of destruction, we would be out changing our world rather than sitting down doing nothing to further His kingdom. Oh, how lazy we’ve become as followers of Christ. How complacent we have become! Believe me when I say: this is the pot calling the kettle black. I am talking to myself more than anyone else.

“Be on the alert” is to be sleepless; not to be asleep; especially, to be watchful and careful, staying vigilant, without any unnecessary “time-off.” What is unnecessary time-off? Necessary would be sleep, but we see Biblical examples where even sleep, food and drink are pushed off as unnecessary. The more we have, the more we fill our schedule, I fear the more selfish we are with our time. The importance that we place on things that don’t really matter, in the grand scheme of eternity. How many opportunities I have missed, how many times I have regarded myself as more important than another, how many times…

When we look at this passage about the armor, Paul’s first instruction is what? “To be strong in the Lord.” How are we able to do that? Through reading the Word, prayer, and love and obedience. You can’t be strong in the Lord without seeking God, and you can’t seek Him fully without talking to Him.

We must remember to always be praying for our fellow brothers and sisters. To me, particularly those who are of higher target: missionaries, pastors, elders, leaders, teachers, FaithFull politicians…but everyone. No one is above need of prayer.

One of the most inportant things we could pray for fellow believers is that we may all speak about Christ boldly, without fear or shame. I would say particularly in this society but back in Paul’s time when he wrote this people were being grievously killed at the mention of His name. What happens to us, people oppose us with words?

He’s some more Scripture about prayer.

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; (Colossians 4:2-4)

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. (2 Timothy 1:3-4)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21)

Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:13-18)

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you; and that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; (Colossians 1:3-4)

“[In our fast-paced life] we have no time for contemplation. We have no time to answer God when He calls.” A.W. Tozer

How wonderful is it that we get to talk to God on someone else’s behalf? We get to pray for blessings and protection and aide for someone we love, someone we don’t know, a non-believer, anyone. And not only does God hear us, He answers. We get to help someone out, and God is going to take care of it.

The Armor of God: Sword of the Spirit

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Calvin’s commentary says this about the Sword of the Spirit, ”There is no man of any rank who is not bound to be a soldier of Christ. But if we enter the field unarmed, if we want our sword, how shall we sustain that character?” This is so true, isn’t it? No one is exempt from needing God’s Word. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, what your title is, or how much schooling you have, it certainly doesn’t matter if you come from a family with generations of Christians. And most importantly, it doesn’t matter if you’re in charge of a church or not. No man is exempt from needing the Word of God.

What other book can give us the solution to every question we have, every political issue, guide us to world peace, show us how to feed the starving, and give the answer to some of our major medical issues of today?

As a yong teenager I often find the Bible was boring. I would almost completely ignore the Old Testament; and honestly, when I did pick up my Bible, I didn’t know where to start so I was often reading a Proverbs to correlate with the date. The Bible was not alive and active to me, and this was by no one elses fault except my own.

As Believers we have become complacent in the most important thing we can do for growing our faith. Too often we excuse away time with God. How many times am I guilty of saying, “I’ll read my Bible after I do this…” But something else always comes up that’s more pressing than sitting with my Lord.

There are those who claim to be Christian that believe the lie, ‘the Bible is a bunch of stories, made up to prove a moral point or to convey a general concept’, particularly the Old Testament. There are men and women who claim to be Christian that do not pick up their Bible and do not pray, except on Sundays and maybe a midweek service; maybe they were really good this week and went to a Bible study too.

We have to stop playing the Heaven game and actually live the Heaven life.

Do you understand what I mean by this? We must be authentic in our walk. Walk the walk and talk the talk. We have to stop doing all the things because it’s the right thing to do, or because it’s what we’re supposed to do. We have to starting doing because we love. Start reading your Bible because you love God and want to know Him more. Start praying, without ceasing, because you love talking with God. Start serving because you love to further His kingdom on Earth. Start telling people the truth about Jesus because you love them, and would not see them perish but have everlasting Life!

Enough just going to church. The revival we pray for beings within. How do we seek out the lost, how do we find those that are pushed to the side, how do we love the unlovable?

First, we have to catch that fire. And we catch it by reading God’s Word, meditating on it, delighting in it, and do according to all that is written (Psalm 1:2-3, Joshua 1:8). The Bible is inspired by God, it’s useful for teaching truth, and for convicting our hearts (2 Timothy 3:16-17), it’s sharper than any two edged sword-it pierces the division of soul and spirit (Hebrews 4:12). It is alive and active, the Word is the main vehicle to which God uses to speak to us, to convict us, and to restore us.

In Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from Heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Now turn to Luke 8:4-18, the Parable of the Sower. This passage alone could be a study itself. But here are two things that I want to point out that Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear.” And towards the end He says, “So take care how you listen…” This goes back to inner revival and what you do with the calling God has placed in your heart. This goes back to what you do with the spiritual weapons you have. This goes back to how you are loving God. What are doing with what you have heard?

You know, naturally, I’m not a “start something up and get it done” sort of person. If there’s a cause or an event to get behind, I’ll jump in, but to lead something, no that is not me. God has pressed it so hard on my heart that we as the Church are not doing our part. We are not loving as God loves. We are not loving the way our Jesus demonstrated. There is still so much more we could be doing. We just have to have His eyes. I say this not to shame, but to inspire, just as the Word does. Catch that fire that God offers within His Holy Word.

Hebrews 6:5, God’s Word is good. Hebrews 4:12, sharper than any two edged sword. Ephesians 6:17, take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

I found something written in my Bible: strongholds of my soul will be destroyed by the sharpest sword, God’s Word. My strongholds at the time were fear, self doubt, selfishness, low self esteem, worry of what others think of me. As I have dug deep into the Word, as I have applied the Truth to my life, as I have believed the words that God has spoken about me as His child, as I have allowed His Word to transform my heart and renew my mind all these strongholds have been demolished. That ‘s not to say they haven’t tried to come back and rebuild a place in my heart and life. But I have found that it’s all about what I am doing, or not doing, with Scripture.

Are you feasting on the bread of life, or surviving on leftovers from last week?

Are you drinking the living water, or sipping from the well of self?

Are you delighting in the promises of the Lord, or are you overcome by the weight of the world and your circumstances?

The Bible “reveals a different kind of wisdom, comes from a different source, and tells of a different love.” It’s in the Bible that we will find the ability to forgive the unforgivable, to love the unloveable, to help the needy, to find the lost. It’s here we will find the strength and boldness and courage we need to face another day, to defeat our giants, and to win souls for Christ. It is His Word that will break the strongholds of your soul. It is Scripture that will provide you with the wisdom, the joy, the comfort, the compassion, the answers you need.

You can know the truth, but until you start walking in the truth, it doesn’t do you much good.

I want to encourage you that if you find reading the Bible a duty, or challenging, or boring even, talk to God about it. Tell Him your woes, ask Him to change your heart. I am a big advocate for exploring the Bible on your own. I think we get so caught up in “this is how you should study the Bible,” and forget that God gave us a mind of our own. Devotionals are amazing, don’t get me wrong, I still use them. But I have found the most joy, the most passion, the most information, the most knowledge by exploring on my own. That’s how this started. I had always wanted to know more about the Armor of God, but hadn’t ever found a study that went in-depth. So, I just started doing it myself, because why not.

If you’re feeling stale in any way in your faith, let us know. We can pray for you, encourage you; and trust that God will inspire you. But you have to be seeking, you have to be willing, you have to be ready for what He’s going to show you.