"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."
John 15:2 NIV

In a season of pruning, we often cling to the things God is trying to remove from our lives. This resistance usually stems from habit, the duration of time spent with certain people or things, and our misplaced loyalty to them. Yet, if God is all-knowing and all-seeing, why do we struggle to release what we know needs to be let go? At what point do we take our hands off the things God calls us to surrender?

Perhaps this season isn’t just about being pruned from people but also from habits, things, and places that no longer align with God’s purpose for us. We need divine discernment to identify the times and seasons that require us to let go or step into something new. Spiritual Discernment, guided by the Holy Spirit, reassures us that we are on the right path to spiritual and personal growth.

 Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, "To everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...” How long will you hold on to the things, places, or people that no longer serve where God is taking you?

What if I told you that the things you hold onto stunt your growth? What if your unwillingness to surrender to God is causing you to miss out on the blessings He has prepared for you?

I challenge you to sit with God and allow Him to reveal the people, places, and things He is pruning from your life in this season.

As the end of summer is near and we embrace the fall, what will fall away from you? Will it be codependency? Relationships that no longer serve you? Self-sabotaging behaviors? Unforgiveness? A stony heart? The paralyzing fear of failure? Or perhaps your limited perception of God?

I implore you to go deeper, not to miss what God is doing within you,
and to not ignore the Holy Spirit's leading.
Conviction is necessary, correction is essential, and change is required.
So, let go and let God.

Your craving for fulfillment,
Yet you want to be in control.
You’re praying for God’s intervention,
Yet you’re loyal to the strongholds.

Self-gratification
Isn’t balanced with gratitude.
Make it less about you,
For His purpose, be the tool.
The enemy
Has played you for a fool.

Promises of worldly things—
The more you run after him,
The further you stray
From eternity with the King.
Chasing people, places, and things,
When God planted a seed—
You’re a solution
To the problems His children need.

The sooner you release control,
The further you will grow.
Sever ties with your old self;
You’re operating from a dead place.
If you’re made new in Christ,
Then the newness must be embraced.

The pruning can’t be escaped.
You’re prolonging the process of suffering.
God can’t produce
What you won’t let loose.
And you get pissed
When you lose,
But you won’t surrender to the truth
That the problem was really you.

Tell the truth,
Shame the devil.
Why sugarcoat it
When the body is in trouble?

You don’t have all the answers;
Your logic is diabolical.
Your false perceptions—
Painful interjections,
Causing you to misinterpret
The Holy Spirit’s directions.
Acting in religion
But living like a heathen—
You say you want to make it into Heaven,
Why are you playing roulette with the demons?

The truth—it’s time to see it.
The Word—you gotta read it.
Take heed to the wisdom,
Receive the knowledge at hand.
Then God can grant you
The wisdom to understand:
Your surrender was always
A requirement for the plan.

Now let Him cutaway
The dead roots,
The branches that bear no fruit.
Soul ties cut loose,
Generational lies hold no truth.
Let God renew everything concerning you—
It’s time!

God's pruning is preparing you for greater blessings. The more you let go, the more room for fruitfulness you will have. Believe that greater is coming; what God has begun, He will complete!