Hardest Spiritual Lesson #2: Prunings
[This is similar to #1 ("Let go"), but a little more specific.]
Throughout our lives, we will find ourselves being pruned over and over again as God continues to weed out anything that doesn’t bring Him glory, doesn't fit His purposes for our life during the season we are in, and isn’t for our best. And this isn’t always easy. In fact, it seldom is.
We like things to be our way. We like having the control, following our own wisdom, relying on ourselves and our strength, holding onto the things we want.
Well, we like it until we see what a mess we've made of things... and then we cry "O God, why did You let this happen!?!"
But God wants more for us. And He's got not just the here-and-now in mind, but also eternity, the things that will last. And in order to help us have the best - the best eternities, the best now, the best relationships, the best Christian witness - He needs to prune us of the things that get in the way, that work against us, that hold us back, that dishonor Him. And we need to let Him.
And like any kind of surgery, it's going to hurt. We don't always want to come face-to-face with our true selves and our sins and our shortcomings. We don't want to give up things we like holding onto (even things that hurt us). We don't usually like to change (we'd rather our circumstances or other people change, making it easier for us to stay the way we want to be).
Pruning hurts. But like any necessary surgery, it also heals, putting you in a position to flourish, to have a better future than your past, to reach the kind of wholeness and Christian character and witness that God wants for us. And so... it's worth it.
Growing in our faith and maturing as a Christian is a life-long process, full of many painful lessons, challenges, and prunings. But the end goal of all of this is to become more Christ-like, more whole, more healed, more humble, more firmly rooted in Him, to help us have more impact for God’s Kingdom, and to bring Him more glory.
Sometimes pruning comes through gentle guidance and insight. Sometimes it comes through the times when God has to discipline us. Sometimes it comes when times are sweet and when we desire growth. Sometimes it comes through the struggles and when we are fighting, kicking, and digging in our heels the whole way. Sometimes we never even see it coming. And sometimes He has to prune off things simply because it’s not the right timing. But there is always a reason for every cut God makes.
Some things we might need to be pruned of...
- selfish motives and goals
- pride and self-inflating behaviors and attitudes
- our own "wisdom" and timing (if it differs from God's) and desire for control
- "idols" of the heart
- our pursuit for fulfillment in anything outside of God
- self-reliance and self-sufficiency (instead of being God-reliant and finding our sufficiency in Him)
- reliance on other people, our need to find our importance, value, worth, purpose in them, instead of in God
- bad habits, bad attitudes, bad self-thoughts, bad thoughts of others or of God
- unreasonable/unbiblical expectations of ourselves, other people, or the Lord
- the self-protective walls we build around ourselves that keep God from fully entering our hearts and minds and lives
- unreasonable fears
- shame that holds us back or keeps us in bondage
- the things that keep us too busy to meet regularly with Him
- the phony, polished "good Christian" masks we wear to hide the fear, doubt, pain, or shame - the "I've got it all together" mask, the "I can handle it all and with a smile, too" mask, the "I always know what I'm doing" mask, the "I'm such a great Christian" mask, the "I'm not hurting that bad" mask, the "It's all good between me and God" mask, etc. [Ask God to reveal if you're wearing any masks, hiding your true self from Him, others, or even yourself. Ask Him to help you replace that mask with the truth, with authenticity, genuineness, and humility, so that your relationships with Him, others, and yourself can start to become more real and fulfilling. Note: When it comes to relationships with others though, especially those who hurt you or are toxic, sometimes discretion and boundaries are needed. So ask God to help you know the things you can adjust/improve and how you should do it, and yet which boundaries and self-protective mechanisms are helpful and should still be kept in place.]
- envy, bitterness, unforgiveness, etc. (things that hurt us as much as, or maybe even more than, they hurt other people)
- settling for “good enough” so that we can strive for “best”
- some of the dreams we have for ourselves and our futures and our families
- habits, pursuits, behaviors that are morally-questionable or out-right ungodly
- misconceptions we have about faith, ourselves, life, and God (ask God to search your heart and reveal these to you and to help you work through them)
- lazy spiritual disciplines and the comfortable-ness that keeps us parked on the side of the road in our spiritual growth
- the things we call "needs" which are really just "wants," such as the "need" for success, approval, appreciation, attention, etc. Ask God to help you put these things in His hands, trusting Him to meet your true needs while He prunes you of the false/distracting/harmful ones, helping you get to the point where you find your fulfillment and contentment in Him and where you can fully trust/appreciate that He sees you, cares about you, and values you (even if others don't) and that He will reward your faithfulness in the end.
- and of -ask God to help you fill in the blank-
Spend some time today asking God to search your heart to reveal if there's anything you need to be pruned of, anything that isn't pleasing to Him or glorifying to Him, anything that's hindering your relationship with others or with Him or with yourself, anything that's keeping you in bondage, anything that's giving Satan a foothold in your life or mind, or anything that doesn't fit this season of life you're in right now (even if it's a good thing).
What do you need God to prune you of?
Do you trust Him? Do you trust that He wants the best for you and that He will lead you right? Are you willing to obey whatever He tells you? (Talk all this over with Him. He already knows it all and is just waiting for you to be honest with Him.)
And don't forget to bring everything back to the Word. God guides us through His Word and speaks to us through His Word. He will never tell us to do anything that violates His Word. So always go back to the Word when trying to figure out what God wants to say to you and how He wants to lead you. Here are some verses to meditate on (ask God to lead you to more):
Psalm 4:4: “. . . when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”
Psalm 139:23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 26:2-3: “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.”
Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Isaiah 29:13: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Hebrews 12:5-6: “My Son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves ...”
1 Cor. 3:10,13-15: “But each one should be careful how he builds ... his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”
Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
1 Cor. 10:31: “... whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
[If you'd like to do more in this area, check out "Through the Refining Fire: Your 'Sweetly Broken' Journey" for help working through things that might be hindering your relationships with God, others, and yourself.]
