"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 anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." John 15:5-8

God is so good to me. He knows I am a hands-on, visual kinda of learner, so He continually shows me through circumstances and things what He may be trying to teach me. Nothing like an illustration to go with the message huh? I love it! I see it as a form of confirmation that I am hearing Him correctly. Yes, I am a note-taker otherwise I will forget what I just learned. I have ADD and Spiritual ADD-haha!

In my orevious post, I casually mentioned "pruning." Well, I got the visual, so I believe we have ourselves a pruned girl! Our only tree in the front yard is a towering pine tree. Last week, it's pine needles began to turn brown and rapidly spread through the remainder of the tree. It took us a while to figure out what was happening. First, we thought it was in desperate need of water, so for the first few days, we watered it a lot. It didn't make sense because of the amount of rain we have been experiencing, so then we thought maybe a bug was attacking it and we planned on spraying it. By Day 6 the tree was crisp. Toast. Burnt brown amongst the neighbors green landscapes!

We called a Tree Expert who would know exactly what was wrong with our tree and he said it was the Pine Beetle; therefore the tree is dead...no hope for reviving it. He explaind that the beetles get into the core of the tree and suffocate the tree within days. It is a quick death. Removing it immediately was necessary to prevent the bettle from destroying another nearby tree or plant. So, yesterday, finally, the towering tree came down, stump and all. Today, we did notice a dying branch on one nearby tree. Time will tell if the beetle has moved in. My 13 year old grabbed the saw and we pruned out some of the branches, hoping to save the rest of the tree from being destroyed. It was hard work but needed to be done. It looks ugly in form now but we know next spring it will be better for it.

God used this experience to teach me about my pruning. It is necessary to remove the dead places. It is also necessary to stop the spread of any more impurities, to other areas of my own life or in the life of another. Some disease is self-destructive, hurting only itself all the while affecting those that surround. We may be dealing with a personal/private sin but odds are, you are indirectly affecting someone else. There are diseases which are contagious, spreading itself to those around. Sin entangles us and often someone else gets caught up in our web!

Pruning is costly. For the tree it was $350 out of the checking account. Spiritually, it may cost us relationships, pride, temporary suffering. It may be a quick process but it depends on how thick our "branches" are. My son grew fatigued as he sawed the thick middle branch. It took a lot more work of time and energy to cut it off than the smaller branch next to it.

For me, the process of pruning the the fat branch of fear in my life took many months to cut out. As new twigs sprout worry and anxiety (just to name a few), they are quickly snipped off. God has created us to live and be fruitful and joyful. He makes everything beautiful in His time. So, it may be that you have large, thick branches that need to be pruned and removed from your core system. Depending on the amount of smaller branch systems sprouting out of your thick one, it may take extra time and energy to get all the way down to that thick branch. 

Choosing the right tool is important. A dull blade will certainly prolong the process and fatigue you. You need a sharp iron, a sword of the Spirit. God's Word can cut through anything!!! Small or large. God can also bring in a work crew of Godly people in your life to support and mentor you as you work. No one can do it for you. Your property is just that-your property and it is up to you to take care of your space! You are living and anything living is suseptible to disease. When it becomes necessary for a little trim, you can be sure that something glorious is to come in it's place.

Prevention is key! With my tree, if I would have been pro-active, I would have protected it with pesticides at the beginning of the season. It would have been better equipped to repel the bugs. For me, being proactive would look something like this. (Specifics will be as individual as each of us are but this is general foundations.) I would equip myself with and through the Word of God which is Living and acts like a Sword, cutting through to the truth of everything. Within His Word is truth, application and battle gear instructions, such as prayer, salvation, petitions, surrender. We must daily be in His Word so that we know how to live in our space and take proper care of it.Little Satan Bugs are constant pests that we must repel and only the blood of Jesus can repel them from destroying your core and suffocating you. Get them at the boundary before they destroy you. Be on guard. Be ready and prepared.

When you face something that you are unsure about, seek the Expert and heed His advice. He knows what He is talking about. Be sure to take a picture because something beautiful is going to grow.