Pruning is Part of the Plan; All You Have to Remember is What God Has Said… “…I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING…” Every Living Thing Needs to be Pruned, So It Can Reach Its Fullest Potential – Including You And Me. God Is Using Four Methods To Prune Us Today.

“I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” (John 15:1-2 AMP).

“Better to be pruned to grow than cut up to burn.” (John Trapp).

We all need to understand this pruning process, especially since it’s one of God’s Most Important Methods In Growing Us! Some of the difficulties and losses that you’re experiencing right now May Be Your Heavenly Father Cutting You Down to Help You Grow Up! And the results are going to be far greater than they ever could have been if He left what He has been taking away! “If God didn’t think twice about taking Pruning Shears to the natural branches, why would he hesitate over you? He wouldn’t give it a second thought…” (Romans 11:21 MSG). In other words, God is not struggling with cutting you down so He can help you grow up! He hasn’t given it a second thought, because He knows it’s ultimately for your good, growth, and development!

As Jesus was in His final hours before the cross, He prepared His disciples for the battles and the assignments ahead with some powerful teaching. And since they saw grapevines often, He chose that as an analogy of their, AND OUR, relationship with Him. In John 15, beginning with verse 1, Jesus says: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (NIV). Another version says it like this: “I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” (AMP).

In short, HE LEAVES YOU WITH LESS, SO YOU CAN BE AVAILABLE FOR MORE!

Sidebar: Pastors, when the ministry begins to go through shifting changes and suddenly you notice that the numbers are lowering, don’t panic! This is not always a bad sign! God simply has the Pruning Shears on the ministry for its future growth and development! It’s a necessity to have the ministry pruned for its later potential and prosperity. Before God takes you into Greater, He will Cut Off those who have Stunted Growth and even those who are Consistently Growing, just so they will Grow All the More! Remember: “…He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” Sometimes when it looks like a Loss, it’s God’s Greater Gain! Of course, He loves the fact that the ministry has experienced Growth, but that’s why He Prunes, so it not only experiences Growth, but so it can, “…Bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.” Take note, the, “…richer and more excellent fruit”, only comes after the pruning process! So, don’t be discouraged, just continue to trust your Gardener during the Pruning Process!

Jesus went on to explain that all the things we do for Him have to flow from our deep relationship with Him – “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…If you REMAIN in Me and My words REMAIN in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” If you keep pursuing Jesus and getting ever closer to Him, your life is going to be Abundantly Fruitful! You’re going to make a Greater Difference in your life than you’ve ever made before! You’re going to be More Spiritually Magnetic, and having you around is going to be more and more like having Jesus Himself around! You are going to attract more people into the Fruitful Kingdom of God! The key is to Remain in a Healthy Relationship with Jesus! Why? Because Apart from Him You Can Do NOTHING! But If You Remain In Him and His Word Remains in You… “…Ask Whatever You Wish And It Will Be Given You!”

BUT…Before You Receive the Richer and More Excellent Fruit, FIRST COMES THE PRUNING!

I imagine if a vine could talk, he’d say to the pruner, “You’re killing me, man!” And the gardener would reply, “I know this hurts, but I’m removing things you don’t need so you can explode with greater fruit.” That May Be Exactly What’s Happening In Your Life Right Now! It Doesn’t Feel Good, oh, But It Is Good! Romans 8:26-28, “Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, and our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s Why We Can Be So Sure That Every Detail In Our Lives Of Love For God Is Worked Into Something Good.” (MSG)

AS BAD AS IT FEELS NOW, STAY IN THE PRUNING PROCESS BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT TO GET GOOD!

God Is Lovingly Removing Things (And People) You Think You Need, But More Often Than Not, These Things (And People) May Be Holding You Down, Holding You Back, And Holding You Captive! So, Be Encouraged, The Cutbacks Are Costly But Worth It! Pruning Is Painful, But Essential To Your Potential, Productivity, And Prosperity!

I learned that there are a few types of pruning methods: God uses these methods today to help us grow.

FIRST, THERE’S “THINNING”: This is a drastic form of pruning, a thinning-out cut is the removal of an entire shoot, limb, or branch. When performed correctly, At Its Point of Origin! Thinning Encourages The Formation Of New Growth That Will More Readily Bear Fruit And Flowers!

NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “THINNING”: For many of us to grow properly, we have to be pruned to the extent that we remove, entirely, people, places and things that helped us get to this damaged place we’re in now! Remember thinning removes the entire shoot, limb, or branch at its origin! In other words, where it all started! for instance, if that’s liars who got you lying; the bars that got you drinking, or the credit cards that got you in debt, remove them entirely! Don’t be afraid or ashamed to remove some folks and some stuff out! Remove him, her, or them if they dare to compromise your potential to prosper! If you do, you’ll then be in the position to formulate (healthy people, places, and things) so that new growth can transpire, more readily for bearing fruit! respect God’s thinning process! Let Him remove people, places, and things that you started with…but don’t need to finish with it!

SECOND, THERE’S “TOPPING”: Topping is a very severe form of pruning that involves removing all branches and growths down to a few large branches or the trunk of the tree. When performed correctly, It Is Used On Very Young Trees To Train Them To Grow Into Specific Shapes!

NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “TOPPING”:  When used correctly, TOPPING IS USED ON YOUNG TREES TO TRAIN THEM TO GROW IN SPECIFIC SHAPES OR SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS! When you see those beautiful trees, with all their unique twists and turns in various shapes and designs, They Are The Result Of Topping! But for that to take place, It Has To Start Young! Now, it would be very easy for me to pick on our Young People (Which the Church Does Far Too Often), but instead, we’re going to go in a different direction and speak of “young” in terms of “immaturity!” If you’re ever going to finally grow up, and come to full maturity, you’ve got to surrender yourself to topping! It means bringing all your immature issues before the gardener for Him to prune, so you can finally grow up into the specific shape and design that He had in mind long before your birth! The good news is that you can’t do this for old trees, they’re already set in their ways and hardened, so if you’re still an “immature saint”, there’s help and hope for you yet! You’re in the best possible position to be re-directed for the destiny you’ve been designed for! People may talk about your “immaturity” but God is waiting, willing, and ready to use His “topping” pruning method to specifically shape, design and direct you to look more beautiful than you ever thought possible! Think about it: those beautifully crafted trees always make people stop and stare or take a double look! and when God gets finished “topping” you…they will do the very same in looking at your life!

THIRD, THERE’S “RAISING”: This removes the lower branches from a tree to Provide Clearance For Buildings, Vehicles, Pedestrians, And Vistas!

NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “RAISING”: This type of pruning is a necessity, not for you, but for those around you! “Raising” is a form of pruning that moves you out of the way, so others can get by and get through! I hate to say it like this, but this level of pruning is often for those who have been doing something so long that they’re perfected it and can’t nobody else on planet earth do it like them or better than them, as long as they’re still alive! You must be pruned to make room for others! After 40 years, you shouldn’t see all the same preachers in the same pulpit; the same choir members, the same musicians, the same deacons, the same members! Where’s the growth in that? Look at it from this simple analogy: you can’t put any more water in a full glass without it spilling over and making a mess! No, you drink it all! And then if someone comes along that needs your glass, you don’t hand it to them used and dirty! nor do you tell them I only drank water out of this glass, so you must do the same! No, what you do is clean it (remove all evidence of what you had in it), then you give it to them gladly that they might fill it halfway or all the way, with whatever beverage of their choosing! You don’t, however, attempt to control the use of the glass just because you had it first or had it longest! Listen, there is a whole new generation that is trying to press forward but can’t because those who have been in the same place for 40 years won’t move over and make room for fresh growth! They will replace you (that’s the law of age), but that’s not their goal! They’re simply trying to help, in their youth, in their strength, with building the kingdom of God! So, stop being selfish, and move out of the way so others can get by and get through! Moses is dead and so is Joshua…but there is a new generation! Don’t block them with your old set ways!

FOURTH AND FINAL, THERE’S “REDUCTION”: This reduces the size of a tree, often for clearance for utility lines! Reducing the height or spread of a tree is best accomplished by pruning back the leaders and branch terminals to lateral branches that are large enough to assume the terminal roles! Compared to ‘Topping’, ‘REDUCTION’ HELPS MAINTAIN THE FORM AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE TREE!

NOW FOR THE SPIRITUAL APPLICATION OF “REDUCTION”: This type of pruning hurts leadership! because reduction removes branches that are high up by the power lines, cuts them back so that room for those underneath them can assume their role! Ouch! Lord help! This shouldn’t be all that hard at all, since the leader branch that is being cut back is only making room for the lateral branch to come up and take its place! Not because the leader branch did anything wrong, it’s simply the time for what’s growing out of its side (lateral) to come up a little higher! “Lateral” means: “from the side of; especially a shoot or branch growing out from the side of a stem”.  It's Latin origin “lateralis” literally means “side”. Leaders, it’s not some strange, foreign entity, but something/someone that came from out of you! That should put your ego, pride, and competitive nature to rest! It’s a part of you, therefore, regardless of how high it or they go, they still came from you! Leaders endure the pruning of reduction, it does not reduce your ministry, purpose, gifts, anointing, or effectiveness, it simply makes room for others to reach the heights of power that you have already attained! truth is you may not enjoy the process…but you and everybody else will love the results! You may have to step aside, but you’ll always be close enough to watch your “lateral” step up and step through! Be proud…their productivity and prosperity came out of your pruning process!

Listen, I know a lot of this was hard to take in, but I promise you, it was indeed to encourage your heart! Pruning is Painful, but nothing is more painful than Missing Out on Your Purpose, Potential, and Prosperity! Let God do the Gardening that’s a Necessity to Your Future Growth! He Knows What He’s Doing After All His Pruning is A Part of His Great Plans Just For You!

Jeremiah 29:10-11, “This is God’s Word on the subject…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I Know What I’m Doing. I Have It All Planned Out—Plans To Take Care Of You, Not Abandon You, Plans To Give You The Future You Hope For.” (MSG)

Pruning is Part of the Plan; All You Have to Remember is What God Has Said… “…I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING…” Every Living Thing Needs to be Pruned, So It Can Reach Its Fullest Potential – Including You and Me.

When God Has You in a Place of Waiting, He’s Preparing You for Greater. He’s Sifting, Pruning, Refining, and Shaping You for the Best That is to Come.

Remember that growth always involves some pruning. Prune the branches that no longer belong to the future.

Blessings J.P. Olson www.journeyintotheword.com Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday evening at 6:00 PM CST & 7:00 PM EST on the NOW Network  http://www.theNOWnetwork.org ROKU, Cable & Online: https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday

Sometimes People Miss Their Blessings Because They Don’t Like The Help God Sends Them. Learn To Be Content Both With What God Gave You, And With What He Saw Fit NOT To Give You! Rejoice Over What He Has Approved AND What He Has Denied!

Sometimes People Miss Their Blessings Because They Don’t Like The Help God Sends Them. Learn To Be Content Both With What God Gave You, And With What He Saw Fit NOT To Give You!  Rejoice Over What He Has Approved AND What He Has Denied! 

There is absolutely nothing you can walk in where God is absent. Do you believe that there is absolutely NOTHING taking place in your life that is too hard for your God to handle? There’s absolutely nothing that you’re experiencing, enduring, suffering, or struggling through or with that is too hard for your God to handle. There’s NOT ANYTHING that you can name that will EVER be listed under the TOO HARD FOR GOD TO HANDLE category!

Now, Let’s look at Sampson: I already know Samson’s story, but might I ask YOU, “what have you tied up today?” Or better yet, “what have you ALLOWED to tie you up today?” “What/Who have you ALLOWED to bind you, tie you up and hold you back from the work assigned to your hands?” 

SO, DO YOU KNOW WHO HE IS? WHO HE REALLY IS? Because if you did, you wouldn’t worry about WHAT is going to happen in the government, WHEN will I be healed, WHERE will I find the money to pay the bills. HOW am I going to get out of this? NOPE! You stand confident in your faith knowing that the God WHO is responsible as the source of your faith has never failed before and He most certainly won’t fail you now!  

So, despite WHAT you’re going through, WHO will you allow God to be to you? There is absolutely nothing you can walk in, where God is absent! . Will you allow God to untie you today? I hope you’re getting this. Samson was successful because he used what was made available to HIM! He did not attempt to grab anyone else’s weapon in his warfare! And neither should you! What God Gave YOU Is Enough! It’s so sad to say, but we’ve become a comfortable circumstantial church of convenience. If we don’t like the circumstances we quit; if it’s not comfortable and convenient, we quit. NO! Believers, that’s not our lot. We value and appreciate what/who God has made available to us to help us and make us better! So don’t be so quick to quit! Don’t throw away your ‘jawbone’, you need it to fight and win! Be careful in the decisions you make to discard people! You Have Everything You Need in YOUR Jawbone, Keep It!

Trust God, Not Your Circumstances. Know This: Trusting God, Not Your Circumstances, is What Matters Most. “…AND HOW ABOUT YOU? WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?” (Matthew 16:13-19 MSG).

Meteorologists have studied weather patterns to discover the WHAT, WHEN, WHERE WHY and HOW of rain, thunder, lightning, hail, drought, monsoons, and the like. They have pondered why deserts receive less than an inch of rain per year, while India’s monsoons pour down over 400 inches annually. Why does lightning strike? What causes hail? Why does thunder make the sound it does? How can we predict hurricanes and tornadoes?

While great strides have been made in observing, predicting, and understanding the weather, no one has been able to change it. Why? Because while human beings have studied the WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW, they often have forgotten to ask the most important question of all: WHO?

Maybe you’ve been making the very same error. Looking at your situation and focusing on WHAT, WHEN, WHERE HOW and even WHY? But falling short in focusing on WHO?

So, what’s keeping you from reaching that same place? A place of complete confidence that even when you don’t understand all that’s going on in your life, you yet trust HIM. You Trust GOD! You may not understand the WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW, or WHY, but what’s keeping you from trusting the WHO that is Always Faithful? “God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out; his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left” (Lamentations 3:22-24 MSG); “For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation” (Psalm 100:5 TLB); “God is faithful (reliable, trustworthy, and therefore ever true to His promise, and He can be depended on); by Him you were called into companionship and participation with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9 AMP) Sounds to me as though we gravely underestimate our God’s Faithfulness towards us. In fact, hearing those Scriptures alone ought to lead us to repentance and a newfound attitude of gratitude for the Lord’s Consistent Faithfulness.

Furthermore, the first words in the Bible are, “In the beginning GOD. He was there before any of it came into existence AND HOLDS IT ALL TOGETHER RIGHT UP TO THIS MOMENT. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and HOLDS IT TOGETHER, like a head does a body.” (Colossians 1:15-18 MSG). 

Now, if God can create and hold all of this together, surely you have no doubt about His ability to hold you and all that concerns you, together?

Jeremiah states: “Alas, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! There is nothing too hard or too wonderful for You” (Jeremiah 32:17 AMP). Did you read that? “…There is NOTHING too hard…for You” The word ‘nothing’ is defined as, ‘not anything.’ Where is your level of confidence in your God? Do you believe that there is absolutely NOTHING taking place in your life that is too hard for your God to handle? There’s absolutely nothing that you’re experiencing, enduring, suffering, or struggling through or with that is too hard for your God to handle. There’s NOT ANYTHING that you can name that will EVER be listed under the TOO HARD FOR GOD TO HANDLE category! Which is why you should be encouraged to finally reach a place where you can confidently say: “…With men this is impossible, BUT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD” (Matthew 19:26 AMP). In other words, don’t let the government scare you; you don’t allow the doctor’s diagnosis to cause you to panic; don’t let the marital discord make you believe that what’s out of your hands is also out of God’s; don’t focus on your children doing the very opposite of what you’ve taught and trained them to do under the admonition of the Lord (God has His hands on them too); stop pacing the floor over the funds that are no longer piling high in your bank account (God is neither limited by money or intimidated by numbers). Learn how to trust God even in the moments when you can’t trace Him. Know that He’s still your LIGHT even in DARK places and seasons of life. Believe that He is still a very present help in times of trouble and that no matter how dark your circumstances get, your God is not afraid of the dark, therefore, neither should you be!

When will you reach a place where you trust what He SAID and not what you SEE? After all, “…we walk by faith [we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our convictions…” (2 Corinthians 5:7 AMP. You see, when you reach a growth level where you trust God without question, you began to stretch and strengthen your faith. Your faith reaches a point where you’re convinced and believe firmly in the truth of what God has already said concerning you, knowing that His Word can’t fail and can’t lie, therefore, you are fully persuaded to overcome your fear by the demonstration of your faith and conquer all that life’s struggles tell you can’t be conquered! You began to walk, talk, think, act, and live in the full knowledge that there is Absolutely Nothing Too Hard for Your God, and Nothing With Him Will Ever Be Deemed Impossible!

Know this: Trusting GOD, NOT Your Circumstances, is What Matters Most!

So, are you going through a difficult situation in your life right now? Are there circumstances that you cannot understand? Well, instead of trying to fix it or control it, rather than trying to figure out the WHAT, WHEN, WHERE WHY and HOW of your struggle, why not simply focus instead on WHO:

FOCUS ON GOD WHO IS ELOHIM: The Creator, Who Made You With a Plan and For a Purpose!  “…I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (Jeremiah 29:10-11 MSG). People of God, you have no need to worry, fret or fear about your past, present or future, for God has a plan, a purpose, and a promise, and neither of them will fail due to your problems!

FOCUS ON GOD WHO IS EL ELYON: The God Most High, Whose Ways are Higher Than Your Ways! “I don’t think the way you think. The way you work isn’t the way I work.” God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them” (Isaiah 55:8-11 MSG). So, stop trying to figure this out on your own! God’s Got It And You! Trust Him, Follow Him, Lean On Him, Obey Him! He Cannot Lie And Won’t Fail You! He Can Handle What’s Got a Hold of You! “This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own” (Jeremiah 33:2-3 MSG). Imagine That! God Himself is sitting by waiting for you to call on Him! He’s waiting for you to bring to Him all your WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW questions! Because He alone will “…tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own” So, why are you still struggling with this? Why are you continuing to lose sleep, hair, peace, joy, comfort, and strength? When you can simply talk to God, the One WHO is the answer to all your questions?!

FOCUS ON GOD WHO IS EL ROI: The God Who Sees and Knows Where You Are and How You Feel! “So, she called the name of the Lord Who spoke to her, You are a God of seeing, for she said, Have I [not] even here [in the wilderness] looked upon Him Who sees me [and lived]? Or have I here also seen [the future purposes or designs of] Him Who sees me?” (Genesis 16:13 AMP). Much like Hagar, you can be at your lowest point in life right now, wandering through the wilderness ready to give up and throw in the towel. Not knowing what to do for yourself or your child. With no provision or protection, and worse yet, having those who should be there to support you, be nowhere to be found. And yet, it is at this very same place where God manifests Himself to you and like Hagar all you can say is “I looked upon Him Who sees me [and lived] …”. In other words, yes, you’ll survive this, yes, you’ll make it through this! There will be an “After This” testimony for you too! But like Hagar, you must focus on WHO, not WHAT! “Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but sin. So, let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” (Hebrews 4:14-16 MSG). Did you catch that? “…Take the mercy, accept the help”. God is waiting to extend mercy and help to you, so, what are you waiting for? If you can simply take your eyes off everything and everyone else and focus them where they need to be on (WHO) you will come out of this a lot better than you went into it!

FOCUS ON GOD WHO IS EL SHADDAI: The Lord God Almighty, the One Who Can Change You or Walk With You Through Your Circumstances as Surely as He Can Send Rain From Heaven! “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!” (Proverbs 3:5-12 MSG). If you want to live and have a good life than simply follow God! You want restored health than simply follow God! The WHO is all you need to get through all the WHAT, WHEN, WHERE HOW and WHY! The greatest exercise to maintain good health and a good life is walking with God! “But look!” he said. “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Daniel 3:25 NKJV). Saints, there is absolutely nothing you can walk in, where God is absent! Remember: “God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 AMP). The Message Bible says it like this: “God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea storms and earthquakes, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains.” (MSG). You are never alone! Your God loves you too much to ever leave your side! “Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 MSG). Now that’s what you call comfort! Need a little more reassurance? Here you go: “for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]” (Hebrews 13:5 AMP). You my friend are tucked away safely under the wings of God and in the hands of God, whereby nothing and no one can touch you or take you away! “Count on it: Everyone who had it in for you will end up out in the cold – real losers. Those who worked against you will end up empty-handed – nothing to show for their lives. When you go out looking for your old adversaries you won’t find them – Not a trace of your old enemies, not even a memory. That’s right. Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go. I’m telling you, ‘Don’t panic. I’m right here to help you.’ (Isaiah 41:11-13 MSG). Now that’s what you call safe!

And just in case you think something or someone in the world can harm you, God loves you enough to even give you a protection plan that’s better than ADT:

“You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this: “God, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!” That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge, outstretched arms protect you—under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes and kick young lions and serpents from the path. “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!” (Psalm 91 MSG).

And just in case your faith fuel hasn’t reached all the way on full yet, here’s a little more:

“The earth belongs to God! Everything in all the world is His!” (Psalm 24:1 TLB)

“Do you have any idea how powerful God is? Have you ever heard of a teacher like him? Has anyone ever had to tell him what to do, or correct him, saying, ‘You did that all wrong!’? Remember, then, to praise his workmanship, which is so often celebrated in song. Everybody sees it; nobody is too far away to see it.” (Job 36:22-25 MSG)

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG).

Don’t Allow Focusing On WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY, and HOW, Distort Your Vision That You Can’t See WHO! And YES, It’s Vital That You Know WHO He Is!

Remember you have a history with God, He has brought you through before and He will bring you through again.

“Discontent is a sin that is its own punishment and makes men torment themselves; it makes the spirit sad, the body sick, and all the enjoyments sours; it is the heaviness of the heart and the rottenness of the bones. It is a sin that is its own parent. It arises not from the condition, but from the mind. As we find Paul contented in a prison, so Ahab was discontent in a palace.”  (Matthew Henry).

Learn to be content both with what God gave you, and with what He saw fit NOT to give you! If you truly trust Him, then you’ll rejoice over what He has approved AND what He has Denied!

“The very first temptation in the history of mankind was the temptation to be discontent…that is exactly what discontent(ment) is—a questioning of the goodness of God.”  (Jerry Bridges). 

“God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.” (John Piper).

Samson’s “…jawbone of a donkey…” may seem little, insignificant, unnoticeable, irrelevant, unimportant, useless, and unimpressive. But the Bible states: “…He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it, AND KILLED A THOUSAND MEN…” Pay close attention, what God provided for Samson appeared, little, insignificant, unnoticeable, irrelevant, unimportant, useless, and unimpressive, but “…HE REACHED OUT HIS HAND AND TOOK IT…”

Listen: If you don’t learn anything else, learn to accept what God has given YOU! Accept what God has made available for your use. Accept the road He’s called you to travel and the path He’s allowed you to cross. Whether it’s your spouse, your children, your job, or your church, reach out your hand and take hold of what God has blessed you with!

I hope you’re getting this. Samson was successful because he used what was made available to HIM! He did not attempt to grab anyone else’s weapon in his warfare! And neither should you! What God Gave YOU Is Enough!

Can you imagine if Samson picked up that jawbone and said, ‘I don’t want this, I want a big, shiny, new spear!’ And so, he throws away the very thing that was made available to him to win! Do not discard your ‘jawbone’! You see, jawbones are easy to dismiss, after all, who wants one? It’s the remains of something that died! It’s a bone with no life, no breathing, no organs! And since just about everything was dust and dirty then (not like our marbled streets, and paved roads) the jawbone would’ve been dusty and dirty too. Not to mention the bible says it was a ‘fresh jawbone of a donkey.’ So, it had rotting flesh and blood on it as well. Surely everybody wants to be given that right? Wrong! But regardless to what was left of it, regardless that it’s no longer what it used to be, regardless that it’s bloody, dirty, and dusty and a very little use, still it was what Samson needed to use to kill his enemies and win his battle! 

Yes, it was just a “…jawbone of a donkey…” but it “…KILLED A THOUSAND MEN…”!

So, I admonish you today, be careful about underestimating, overlooking, undervaluing, and discrediting what God provided FOR YOU, IT JUST MAY BE THE WEAPON YOU NEED TO KILL YOUR ENEMY! Your spouse, children, job, and church may not be all that you thought they should be, or all that you wanted them to be, but if God provided them, YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL, Samson had to see what God ALREADY had provided for him, accept it and use it, and so do you! Why? BECAUSE IT IS ENOUGH!

Blessings J.P. Olson www.journeyintotheword.com Join Journey Into The Word each Sunday evening at 6:00 PM CST & 7:00 PM EST on the NOW Network  http://www.theNOWnetwork.org ROKU, Cable & Online: https://www.thenownetwork.org/sunday