Responding well in the season of Pruning

Its amazing that the more he (Jesus) speaks about his coming suffering and death the more they (disciples) argue over the fantasy of their ultimate triumf. Who's the greatest? The more he prophesies suffering's coming, the more they envison the triumphalism that is rooted in fantasy.

Pruning... Its a season that obedience demands and ushers in. The hour of the power of darkness is coming.

The good news is, if you pick up your cross daily, you won't have to be shaken by it seasonally.

You will be introduced to the cross, sooner or later, voluntarily or involuntarily, it's the centerpiece of everything we believe in.

The process of loss on multiple fronts produces weariness, fear, despair. The tempatation comes when you're being pruned and you want to draw back into your own little controllable environment. Just gonna keep it safe.

But in the pruning season its not time for retreat, it's time for refocus. The pruning season demands that you refocus without retreat. You can't draw back from what God called you to. The safest place is in the battle.

"You know, nobody really gets that prayer thing. And I'm really good at accounting" :-(

Nothing can derail the Christian like the reinterpretation of the previous season. Suddenly it wasn't all that good. Suddenly, you're making concessions. You know why you're making the concessions? You interpreted the last season wrongly. You interpreted it through the lens of the evil one. And in the weakness of pruning and despair you heard the wrong voice.

Pruning makes fruitful branches more fruitful. That's the difference. We think that obedience leads us to painfree triumphalism, but you've received the power of resurrection to lead a crucified life.

You don't have to waste a good trial. They don't come around often. You can count it all joy. :-))

In the pruning season you realize you don't have any life outside the vine. That's good news. Why? Because that means he didn't pick you because you were impressive. He didn't call you because you were noble and talented.

Beloved, when you discover that God didn't choose you because you were unique, impressive, talented, then you are free. You've got nothing left to prove. You're free. Why? He called me because he called me. Why? Because i'm the most unimpressive, untalented, least smart and God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. I'm free. Why? The Life's in the vine. I have nothing to prove, no one to impress. I just gotta get in there and become available and abide.  The pruning saves us from ourselves.

If we cooperate in the season of pruning, He will give us authority in prayer in the next season.

Remember the great cloud of witnesses who are so glad they cooperated with God. There are hundreds of millions of saints who have walked the same trials you walked and every one of them are shouting over the balconies of heaven: YOU. KEEP. GOING! If you don't quit, you win! Don't you draw back! You're going to be ruling class for all eternity. Don't you dare let the little trial, don't you dare give up the kingdom because of that! Get back in the game! You sign up again! These are momentary light afflictions. If you could see what we see now, you wouldn't have wasted that good trial. Get back in the game!!!

Beloved, do you know you're going to inherit the universe. You're going to be a ruling class with for all eternity with King Jesus.

There's a special place in God's heart for the pioneering minority. He remembers.

In the season of pruning I get real simple. I go to my friends and ask: give me 2-3 things that are not worthy of the calling... you probably talk to others about it. Give them to me,    but be real gentle;-)

I only correct my own sons, not my neighbor's kids. The truth is, I'm correcting you for one reason: I want you to have a really joyous pleasurable life and if you're filled with dishonesty and conceit and greed, irresponsibility, then .... errr, its not gonna bode well for you. So, because I love you I'm gonna let you in on some secrets on how to be successful and to grow in favor w God and men.

Recognize the corporate season of pruning and encourage the daylight out of everybody. The call to leadership is  when you're being pruned, God asks you to step outside yourself and recognize you're not alone. God's call to leaders is this: encourage everyone else while you're being pruned. When you're in the corporate season of pruning, the gift of encouragemnet is your gift. This aint about you, Peter, it's about feeding my sheep.

You asked for the authority in prayer, but you didn't understand the verses in John 15:7-8. God is answering your prayers!!!

Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ihopkc-marketing/resources/Session+05+4-20-12+6pm+Allen+Hood.mp3
 
Pdf: https://s3.amazonaws.com/ihopkc-marketing/resources/Pruning+-+Heb.+12.pdf