pruned for fruitfulness.

The dictionary defines pruning as, ‘to trim by cutting away dead or overgrown branches so as to encourage growth.’

A farmer will often plant his fruit trees, but within a few years of carefully tending the trees, most farmers find themselves with unsightly overgrown trees instead of the perfect garden they envisioned.

When we become Christians, we are small beautiful seedlings sprouting off the ground but with time, we become scraggly overgrown trees. Therefore, to become beautiful fruit trees, God has to prune us occasionally.

The most appropriate time to prune trees is during winter.  In this season, the trees do not have foliage making pruning much easier.

Winter, we all experience it, sometimes it a winter of pain, of trial or weakness. During this time, it’s easy for God to prune us because all the things that do not represent who He is in us will show up.

God uses the very circumstances in our lives that we despise the most to prune us.

When we are most uncomfortable, He is most at work.

                                                   *The clean up*

The first step of pruning is called the clean up. This is where every branch that is dead, damaged or diseased is cut away.

Dead, damaged and diseased branches will never produce any fruit so they have to be removed.

 We often carry some things in our lives that are dead, damaged or diseased. God begins by dealing with these 3 D’s. He takes these things out so the rest of the tree can grow .

God will use the word as a cleaner for our souls and our minds.

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (John 15: 3)

When I began my journey as a Christian, the first thing that God cut out of my life were the friendships and relationships I had, some, I had built for over 10 years (ouch!). I fought so hard to retain them; I possessively held unto them but they were dead, damaged and diseased and had to go. They were surely not leading me to the fullness of who God created me to be. They were leading me away from God and the purpose He has for my life.

I remember a friend telling me that when I come over to hang out with him, I should put my Jesus in my back pocket( oh!he was the one that went into my back pocket ). I quickly reconsidered spending time with him.

Could you be carrying around some dead, damaged and diseased weight that God has been telling you to let go?

Still in the cleanup process, is removing the branches sprouting from the base of the trunk of the tree. 

They are called ‘suckers’ these are the types that tend to suck the life out of the tree.

In our lives, God has to get rid of the suckers that are depleting life from us.

An example of this is addictions. They deceivingly feel like they give us comfort, but in reality tend to steal life from us instead.

Suckers……When we are feeling lonely we run to them; when we are hurt we run to them ;when we are afraid we run to them; whenever we feel disappointed and discouraged we run to them.

My story

I struggled with masturbation for nine years but God miraculously delivered me from this addiction (I blogged about it here).  You might think that it is not wrong or it’s not as bad as fornication right? Speaking from experience, it was sucking the life out of me and was hindering me from having healthy relationships. It had to go.

Your addiction may not be Lust related (fornication, pornography, masturbation) .It could be something that looks harmless like food, affirmation (this is a sneaky one, got selfies anyone?), success or people’s approval (the struggle is really ya’ll).

Then there is the ‘water sprouts’ branches, these ones are bad for the tree because they block light and air circulation within the tree. Meaning they compete with the main branches on the tree.

God will always prune any water sprouts off our tree. This is anything that tries to compete with God’s first place in our lives.

Any Y shape in a tree trunk creates a weak zone and two competing branches.

Jesus says, “you cannot serve two masters, either you will hate the one and love the other, you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)

 This statement does not refer to  money only( although money is a pretty big deal or Jesus would not have addressed it) still, many things can and do compete with God in our lives.

Anything that comes before my God,

Anything I want and give all of my heart to,

Anything that I feel like I cannot live without,

Is a water sprout that God will have to prune.

                                            * The Thinning Out*

This is the second part of the pruning process. Now that the tree is all cleaned up, it is time to go deeper with the pruning.

Thinning out usually involves branches that are either growing downwards, towards the center of the tree or that cross paths with other branches.

Unlike clean up, the branches have life in them and could very well produce some fruits . 

Nevertheless, the goal of thinning is to boost fruit production and reduce problems with pests and diseases.

In our lives , God will usually do thinning out to the Christian who has submitted to the first process of pruning and is all cleaned up.  The farmer cannot go to the second part until the first part is complete.

We are the ones who decide whether God will continue the pruning process by how we respond to the pruning.

Hebrews 12:5 tells us not to scorn the Lord’s discipline but instead submit to Him because he disciplines us for our own good and so we might share in His holiness.

What happens when we resent His discipline?

But the godless in heart stores up anger (at the divine discipline)

They do not cry to Him for help when he binds them (with cords of affliction)

They die in youth

But, He rescues the afflicted in their affliction and opens their ears (to hear His voice) in times of trouble. (Job 36:13)

God will not force pruning on us . If we become resentful ,He will let us be.

We may have some branches in our lives that need thinning out . Sometimes. We are so stretched by so many responsibilities that if we continue this way we will not bear good fruits in the place that God wants us fruitful in.

Here is an example from the bible.

As  they continued in their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home. She had a sister, Mary, who sat before  the master, hanging onto every word  he said. But Martha was distracted by all that she had to do. 

Later she stepped in and interrupted them,  “ Master don’t you care that my sister has  left me to do the work by myself ? Tell her to lend me a hand.”

The master replied, “Martha, Martha, you are fussing too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. (John 10:38-42).

This explains thinning out perfectly. Martha was busy serving which was a good thing, but in that moment, she was missing a visitation from God. The serving could wait but to sit at His feet was a gift that would pass by.

 God in flesh was in their living room and Martha was everywhere else but in His presence.

Could you be missing out a God moment like Martha because you are too busy doing other things?

Serving and getting involved in projects is not bad. However, when that work consume and distract us from experiencing God, we are no longer going to be as productive as God would like us to be.

God idea of productiveness is that which flows from our abiding in Him.

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5).

God will take us through a thinning process to show us what is important to Him, what we are fussing over unnecessarily and what we need to let go so we can be more fruitful.

                                                           * The Head Back*

The last step in pruning is the ‘head back’.  It is simply giving the tree a haircut. The idea is to prune back the outmost growth of the tree, making the branches shorter and thicker as they grow.

The head back process is necessary because it prevents the branches from breaking under the weight of the fruit.

Fruitfulness can be a danger to a tree that has no structure to sustain it, therefore it is important to do a head back.

A mature Christian will produce fruits. Yet even the mature Christian will still require the occasional pruning. But here the pruning doesn’t involve removing branches but rather reducing the size of the branches to give them structure.

Your gifts (abilities) will open doors for you but your character will keep those doors open, it’s often said, which paints a perfect picture for this step.

Here we know what God has called us to do. We know what our work assignment is, but now God has to take some time and develop our characters, so that when we are flourishing in our gifting it will not break us.

God will often cut off all the pride, lust, envy, bitterness, selfishness, impatience, because left unpruned they will break us in our fruit-bearing season.

Again, God will not force us to go through the pruning process, but if we submit ourselves to His guidance, He will take us through some difficult things that will mould our characters and make us into people who have the capacity to sustain our fruitfulness.

Will you go through the pruning process?

Will you submit yourself to His discipline?

 Sometimes it will hurt like hell… yes you will feel the sting….Sometimes it will be much easier...but God has the future in mind.

Don’t quit. Don’t run.  Put your trust in the father who always knows best and is perfectly good.