You Were Made to FlourishSample

Day 6: Make Room for Pruning:

Welcome to day 6! You’re over halfway done with the You Were Made to Flourish Plan. Today, we’re talking about God’s pruning.

Pruning doesn’t sound enjoyable, but I can say from experience that submitting to God’s pruning process is one of the best choices we can ever make! God knows our potential and is helping us get there by His grace. The encouraging fact is that despite how much fruit our lives bear today, we can always produce more. We’ve got to make a choice, though. We’ve got to choose to live surrendered to God, allowing Him to remove things holding us back from growth.

2 Corinthians 7:1 compares our surrender to another process—one of purifying precious metals. When a refiner wants to purify gold, he continually raises the heat to draw the dross (the scum) to the top. Then, he skims away that dross, bringing the gold to a higher level of purity. And God does the same with us according to 1 Peter 1:6-7!

When we walk through a tough time, we can trust that God is purifying us, preparing us for an increase. Like a good metal refiner, He removes things holding us back so we can be all He has called us to be.

God makes a strong point about pruning in Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV). He actually tells the Israelites to forget about the past! Through the prophet Isaiah, He said:

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

The key to making room will always be hearing God and obeying His words. So, take time to seek God. Ask Him what you need to lay aside to accept the new things He is bringing. Then, obey. Make room for the new. Though this cycle never ends as long as we’re on earth, it gets easier with time as we enjoy flourishing in every season!

Before moving on to day 7, ask God what you might need to be pruned from your life today. Take time to repent of sin and lay aside any weight that would hinder you from moving forward and flourishing in this new season.