Are you being pruned?

"Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bringeth forth more fruit." John 15:2

Do you feel like God is constraining your life?

Do you feel the brutal force of the shears?

Have you asked God for something from those really deep down desires?

If you have that is probably why you are being pruned.

When we are being pruned God is trying to talk to us.

He is wanting us to get rid of some of that baggage that we have so we can get closer to Him.

He wants to get rid of the lesser things in our life that has take the time away from Him.

He wants to make room for more of His glory!

You see, when God prunes, He is out to thin out, to reduce or even cut off some things.

When God wants more of us, less is best.

He wants there to be more room for His glory.

He wants more room for Him!

God does this by pruning.

Does it hurt?

Sure it does.

Some of us do not even like the word pruning.

Just think about that closer walk with Him.

How bad do you really want it?

When God prunes, he wants to get rid of those dead and dying things in our life that does not produce His fruit.

He is cutting away that which is not necessary.

He wants to develop and increase in new fruit.

God is essentially asking us to let go of those things that hinder us from getting to Him.

Sometimes pruning can hurt, but it is a good feeling at the end.

Did you know that when you grow grapes, the older they are the more that you have to prune.

If you don't prune the grapevine then you will be left with little fruit and a whole lot of leaves.

The older the grapvine the more that it can produce.

It is just like our spiritual walk with Christ.

If you want to stay on the baby milk don't look for a pruning, it is when we are ready for that next step, becoming a mature Christian.

If you plan on becoming a mature Christian, look out there will be a pruning coming.

God will start with your outward activities and your priorities.

God will then go to the inside and work inside of you.

Mature pruning is about your values.

Do you have God's values or those of the world?

Does He have all your heart?

Are you ready?

God has a unique destiny for you!

With each trail, each snip, those pruning shears cut closer to the core of who you really are.

He wants to add strength.

He wants to add spiritual power to you life.

He wants to bring you as close as He can to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." II Corinthians 3:18

Don't pull out of the race now.

You will never know how much you can and will truly grow if you do.

In order to keep going deeper in Christ, we must first pass that which is in front us so that we may go on.

If we do not pass that which is in front of us we will be going around that mountain again.

Once around should be enough.

Don't get frustrated and give up, blessings are just around the corner.

How you respond does make a difference.

Are you going to complain?

Are you going to rebel?

Are you going to compromise?

Are you going to try and run away?

Going through the pruning process will give you joy.

Going through the pruning process will give you comfort.

We are to keep our eyes on the prize which is Jesus!

When we do we will experience rest, and we will forget about the pain of being pruned

When you invite God into your circumstance, He will keep His promise to do all that He has promised for you.

"And know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." I Peter 1:7