Pruning

The GT Weekend! ~ Worship VI Week 2

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Do a little self-examination by pulling out a sheet of paper and writing “worship” at the top. Next, write down as many words come to you in the span of 120 seconds. There are no wrong answers; write everything! As you look back over your words, circle the ones that fall into alignment with how Jesus defines authentic worshippers in John 4:23-24. Those who worship in spirit (with the whole of their being, heart, soul, mind, and strength) and in truth (all the Bible says about who God is and who we are). Which ones reflect a method of worship? Challenge yourself to think about other methods of worshipping in spirit and truth. Which descriptions did you write that reflect a more narrow view of worship dependent on a specific song, feeling, or environment? Ask the Lord to keep shaping your heart to worship Him in spirit and truth!

2)  In what ways do you relate to Marietta’s description of believers being pruned back, then crushed, and pressed in order to reap a harvest? Where have you experienced something similar where the Lord “cut back” or “cut off” areas in your life in the pruning process? What has been your heart response to the Holy Spirit as He has done this hard work in our hearts to make us more like Christ? As you reflect on the Holy Spirit’s work in you, consider what an excellent testimony He is building in you! Your hardship will be redeemed for rich good! Every time the Spirit prunes, crushes, and presses our hearts, it is an opportunity for God’s glory to be on display in our lives. Like Marietta encourages, let’s choose to praise God for this gift, even in the middle of the pruning, crushing, and pressing! Start practicing praise today!!

3)  “Walking around these walls, I thought by now they’d fall”, are the opening lyrics Leslie explored in her Journey Study yesterday. I know I can raise my hand that, YES, I have asked the same question. Sometimes, I’ve asked in pleading, quiet prayers. At other times, I’ve bent over screaming in an open field, begging an answer to this lament. “I thought You would have healed.” “I thought you would have restored.” “I thought I would have seen redemption.” All of these prayers end in one frustrated statement, “by now”. How we wish the Lord would work on our timeframe and, if we’re honest, for our own glory. The long waiting between difficulty and restoration is full of tears and brokenness as we learn, oh so slowly, to trust the Savior over ourselves. What wall are you waiting to fall? How are you drawing near to the Lord as you wait for His redemption?

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from John 4:23-24 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Prayer Journal
You are worthy of my worship, Lord God, whether my circumstances are up and to the right or I feel I am drowning under the weight of the world. You are worthy when I’m angry, when I’m hurt, and when I’ve been abandoned. You are worthy of my full, entire life worship when my hands can’t even find the strength to be upraised and when the tears in my throat drown out all other song. Still, You are worthy, my Savior, my King, the Lord of Lords. You are worthy simply because you ARE. Teach my heart to dwell on You and Your unchanging character when praising feels impossible. Teach me to love YOU, not what I want You to do for me or my circumstances. Grow my faith, Lord. Teach my life to worship You in fullness, in spirit, and in truth of who You are!

Worship Through Community

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Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

Worship VI Day 8 New Wine

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 7:9-13
John 15:1-17
Joel 2:25-28
Acts 2:1-4

Worship VI, Day 8

One way my family can tell my mood is to pay attention to the music I’m listening to. They will tell you music is a window into my soul.
I would say it helps make my heart feel well.

This is especially true when I’m in a hard place.

I don’t know about you, but in those hard places, it can be hard to be worshipful. It’s not easy to lift your voice in praise when what you really want to do is cry or complain. But then you hear that song drawing you into worship, into praise and giving thanks in spite of heavy hearts. One such song for me is New Wine.

In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making
New wine
In the soil, I
Now surrender
You are breaking
New ground 

Two things are necessary to make wine. First, the vinedresser must prune the grape vines, which is a cutting back so they actually produce more fruit.

Pruning.
It’s something God does to the believer as well.

And I can honestly tell you, I do not enjoy it!
Like when I had to give up some ministry work I loved. If I had surrendered in the soil to the pruning and gave thanks for how God was working, how much more would I have enjoyed those last moments in that ministry?

As a perfect Vinedresser, God never cuts back in order to harm us. His measured pruning clippings are always for our good and God’s glory (John 15:8).  Knowing this, can we agree to give thanks the next time God takes out the pruning shears?

Pruning is first, but second is crushing and pressing of grapes to extract the juice.
Sisters, as I am writing this Journey, there is a lot of juice being produced in my life! It feels like I’ve graduated from buckets to vats!
Just like pruning produces something better than what’s being taken away,
so too does crushing and pressing.

Since worshipping the Lord through this song over and over,
my perspective has shifted.
I am “considering it all joy” (James 1:2-4) to be in the midst of the juice flowing freely.
I am thankful God is seeing fit to mature me in this way. I pray I keep this perspective the next time, because we all know there will be a next time! (John 16:33)

So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don’t need to understand

It’s important to allow God to have His way with us.
He knows the whole story and how everything fits.
He wrote it!

So what looks like craziness to us, based on our limited knowledge, actually makes perfect sense. It didn’t make sense to me when I got laid off. Then, I realized we needed the severance package to handle unexpected expenses. Additionally, we were able to bless a ministry with some of it as well.
Trusting is more important than understanding.

In Joel, God tells His people how much good is forthcoming after all the “bad’ stuff.
I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust ate,
the young locust, the destroying locust,
and the devouring locust—
my great army that I sent against you.
You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.
You will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
My people will never again be put to shame.

Since God never changes, we know His character promises are true for us too.
His goodness and mercy follow us (Psalm 23:6). We can never outrun His kindness; He will restore and redeem every place of brokenness and loss, even if it’s not in our timing.

Aren’t you so thankful He promises we’ll have plenty, be satisfied, and praise Him?
In fact, why don’t we get a head start on the praises!

‘Cause where there is new wine
There is new power
There is new freedom
And the kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames
To carry Your new fire today

Taking the perspective of being thankful “in spite of” can feel daunting.
But when we have received the power of the Holy Spirit, He crafts our hearts and fuels our faith to do exactly that.

How we walk through our lives –  the good and bad, easy and hard – speaks volumes of the God we serve. When we choose praise, we shine Christ’s light to a world lost in darkness. God will use our offering of praise as sparks of love in others, ignites a hungry fire in them to know this God brings praise in the midst of difficulty. Our worship invites others to do the same, especially when it seems like we should be doing anything but lifting praise.

Jesus, bring new wine out of me

Jesus, we will be thankful. We will praise You. We will worship. No matter what.
Bring new wine out of us. Let it be so.

And all God’s girls say..
Amen!

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Worship VI Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Worship VI!

Anchored Day 6 Beautifully Pruned

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Colossians 1:24-2:3
Colossians 2:4-23
Ephesians 4:11-14
Hebrews 5:12-14

Anchored, Day 6

When we moved into our house, autumn was upon us, and many of the plants had started to fade away. The entire year following, I was delighted and surprised by multiple green sprouts appearing in my little bed at the front of our house. Fortunately, my Gamma had come to visit for several months and was able to teach me about the daisies, hostas, and roses blooming before my eyes. The roses thrilled me the most, and while they weren’t the large yellow roses my Papa and Gamma had always had in their garden, they were still a beautiful, bright pink. My Gamma gently warned me that when I cut flowers, I needed to cut them at an angle right above the growth bud, so the stem would continue to grow and produce more flowers. I hadn’t been as cautious about that before, resulting in an awkwardly shaped rose bush on the side of my house.

I was reminded of this pruning process, but the necessity of pruning when I read this post on Instagram:

“You will go through seasons of pruning,
when God removes you from good things –
friendships, privilege, ministry platforms, money, sustenance, hope, even your reputation. Pruning is always very painful and very difficult,
although you may have a clear conscience and know that it comes from God,
and that there are promises of a better and more fruitful future.
It usually results in being very much alone.
Most people will shy away from you when you experience pain.
David in scripture was blessed to have one friend who stood solidly with him through God’s pruning and he eventually walked into a season of abundance.”

My roses needed to be pruned – correctly – in order to continue growing and produce more roses than they otherwise would.

Another word for pruning: sanctification.
And ooftah does sanctification hurt sometimes.

But is it worth it?
Oh yes, dear Sisters, it totally is.

Because sanctification means that I look more like Jesus and am being used for my intended purpose of bringing glory to Him.

Sanctification means I’m growing.

Paul talks about both the pain that comes with sanctification, as well as its inestimable value. He actually rejoices because of his suffering (and let me tell you, sanctification happens most during suffering).
Paul understands that through this growing, pruning, and maturing process He is being prepared to take new ground for the Kingdom!
Paul speaks of proclaiming Jesus’ name and building strong disciples so we may all be fully mature in Christ.
This kind of maturity isn’t about physical age, rather it’s characterized by the natural growth that comes from intentional willingness to be consistently discipled by the Holy Spirit. By regularly dwelling with the Lord through Scripture intake, prayer, and living authentically in biblical community, the Spirit strengthens our “inner being” to love Christ and be shaped to mirror Him more and more.

Speaking of this maturing, Paul says, “So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

Saying yes to Jesus is only the beginning.
Surrendering your heart and receiving “Christ Jesus as Lord” will save you for eternity, but if you stop here, you’ve chosen to live far below your birthright in Jesus.
Paul urges, “continue to live in Him..”
Become rooted, built up, and established in the faith.
Don’t Stop Now!
Say yes to Jesus, and keep saying yes as He prunes your heart and life!

The “steadying” growth Jesus cultivates in a heart committed to Him,
makes you keenly aware of truth verses a lie.
And, Sister, the world is full of deception and ‘empty deceit’. (Colossians 2:8)

Paul ached for the Church.
He ached for believers to not be stuck drinking milk, but eating solid food.
He ached for believers to grow deep and become rooted that they would be able to distinguish between truth and heresy.

Heresy ran rampant in the Colossian church, and it does in our culture today too.
The only way we will know the difference between what is solid and a deceptive mirage is by renewing our mind through Scripture. We must be….
Regular.
Consistent.
Intentional.
Disciplined.
Mature in Christ.

As you encounter suffering, hold fast to the faith because Jesus is worth it.
Give yourself fully to spiritual disciplines, watch the Spirit grow you deeply.
Stand firm for truth, and lead others well as you love with grace.

The second half of this beautiful post continues:

“I bless you with the pruning of the Lord.
As painful as they are, they are for the best.
They come from a wise Father.
I bless you with pruning that brings redemption.
I bless you with deep, solid, life-giving friendships when you are going through a season of God’s pruning you.
I bless you with friendships that are designed, crafted, nurtured, and given to you by your Father, even at the same time that He is taking away other friendships that you have deemed important and necessary to your life.
Although you may be severely pruned, I bless you with at least one friend who maintains covenant relationship with you in your darkest hour and is able to encourage you, strengthen you, and focus your attention on God’s promises.”

Share your thoughts from today’s Journey Study!
Can we pray for you?
Sign up to receive every Journey Study!
Join our Facebook Community!

Join the GT Community and share your thoughts!

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Anchored Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Anchored!