An Appointed Time for Everything

steps2successwithspiritualsolutions

Oct 31

An Appointed Time for Everything Today's Devotional October 31, 2023

"For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven…" —Ecclesiastes 3:1

Reflection: Does my time and lifestyle demonstrate total surrender and loyalty to God? Is my faith strong enough to wait patiently for His answers?

The [lengthy] Pruning and Preparation Season is the most important season in our Christian experience. Yet, it is the season that produces the greatest despair. To attain a Christ-like character, we must wait for God to eliminate our unrighteous traits through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Still, our spiritual transformation is a journey that requires Human Effort and Divine Intervention. "The closer we become to Christ, the more we recognize our sinfulness." —Billy Graham

"How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin." —Job 13:23

God always reveals our sins and unrighteous character traits through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit speaking to our conscience. We acquiesce to the Voice of God by confessing, repenting, and agreeing to do our part in the cessation of wilful disobedience and letting go of worldly habits and behaviors.

When we are in agreement with God, we receive spiritual strength from the Holy Spirit to change our minds, characters, personalities, and lifestyles. During this season, the Holy Spirit's assignment is to produce spiritual growth within us. He teaches us to recognize and obey the Voice of God.

The Holy Spirit imparts the wisdom of God's higher thoughts which changes the perception of our earthly purpose. For us to become the recipients of God's greatest blessings, the Holy Spirit places us in alignment with God's will and plans for our lives. Our love for God is proven through faithful obedience.

Because Christ is our First Love, we follow in His footsteps to use our spiritual gifts, talents and spoken [and written] words to give honor and glory to the Most High God. To receive spiritual transformation is a free-will choice. We must put forth the human effort to willingly cooperate with Divinity by seeking God daily in prayer and supplication. "Not my will, but Your will be done" and renouncing sin.

"When You said, 'Seek My face,' My heart said to You, 'Your face, Lord, I will seek' " (Psalm 27:8).

"Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). While in the pruning season we must develop the habit of continuous communication with God. Praying once or twice a day is not enough. If we fail to use our faith to stay in the presence of God, we will lose touch with the Holy Spirit and end up following our inclinations.

Waiting on God is the ultimate test of our willingness to surrender and faithfully obey when we have no idea of where God is leading us. David identifies that waiting on the Lord separates the weak believer from the steadfast believer. "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed, That I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Psalm 27:13).

To lose heart: To begin to feel that one cannot do something that one has been trying to do: to become discouraged.

When studying Psalm 27, we find that becoming discouraged during the wait of this lengthy season is a character weakness—one that has existed since the creation of humanity. We easily tell others, "You just have to wait on the Lord" but how strong do we remain when our wait extends from days into months and years?

The Holy Spirit directs the baby-step journey of our spiritual growth and development. Still, at times our human weaknesses will prevail, slowing down the progression of our spiritual journey. Although we strive, we will fail and fall into temptation. We may possess most of the traits of the Fruit of the Spirit, but our behaviors reveal impatience, or we become distracted by earthly pursuits and our time with God becomes nonexistent.

God knows in advance the struggles we face and factors in our falls and level of spiritual maturity when determining the length of our pruning and preparation season. Christians tend to think that disobedience is the only reason God extends our wait time.

Spiritual readiness is not determined by our academic degrees, achievements, a ginormous knowledge base, our status in society, or attending church every week. Spiritual readiness is evidenced by our faith, obedience, perseverance, and the desire to do part in possessing a righteous character.

"For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light." —Luke 8:17

Without pretense, we stand naked before God who looks at our hearts when determining how long our pruning season will last. He knows our weaknesses, yet, our Father extends grace and mercies to lovingly place us back on the Path of Righteousness. Yes, the Pruning and Preparation season with its continuous wait times is necessary to prepare us for life in the Heavenly realm.

Sanctification is the lifelong spiritual journey of continuous growth and development into the likeness of the Character of Christ. We do not determine the pace or the steps required for the pruning and preparation of our character. Although we may succumb to doubt and discouragement in the wait, asking why has God forsaken us, we must change our mindset. God's lengthy baby-step plans always result in victorious, holy, and righteous transformations.

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

Sadly, in the pruning and preparation season, many "lose heart" or become angry and stubborn. Still, God is not moved by emotional responses. Even if this season leaves us in turmoil, we know that God is faithful. If we repent for our displaced emotions which momentarily overruled our sound mind and faith, our Heavenly Father extends abundant mercies by leading us back to the Path of Righteousness.

God has his own sense of timing: "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day" (2 Peter 3:8).

The Holy Spirit comforts us through the Scriptures and imparts us with the spiritual discernment, strength, and resilience to keep still or to move forward in this season of transformation. God has perfect timing: never early, never late. God is never in a hurry, but he is always on time.

"He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning." —Daniel 2:21

The Lord is sovereign over the future. Although we are driven by our heart's desire for instant gratification and become impatient, we must fight the internal battle by Praying, Pausing, and Waiting to hear from God before giving up and taking matters into our own hands.

Obedience is our highest form of worship. Making hasty decisions due to impatience reveals disobedience and denies blessings. Even the smallest decisions can result in unexpected consequences that change the trajectory of our lives producing lasting regret and remorse. Every day make the faithful commitment of surrender, "Lord, I don't mind waiting on You while I am being transformed. Amen."

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." —Lamentations 3:25-26

Prayer: God, we pray for the strength to obey and wait on You despite the time it takes for our character transformation. We thank You for leading us on the Path of Righteousness despite our human frailties. Thank You for victory. In Jesus' Holy Name, we pray. Amen.