Stop Just Pruning, and Start Healing
by Lonnie Mackley
LK 13:8 " `Sir,' the man replied, `leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around
it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "
I want you to think of your life as a tree, and the things that your life produces
as the fruit of that tree. We may bear good or bad fruit on that tree depending on the health of the tree, its roots, and
the amount of nutrients and sunshine that the tree gets. But supposing that tree was planted in a bad spot, got its roots
damaged by toxins in the soil, was in the shade most of the time, and it was never cared for properly, what would
it produce? Yep, bad fruit.
Most of us as addicted people have damaged roots from childhood, have had to grow up
in a very volatile environment, were neglected in our upbringing, might have genetic disorders or chemical imbalances,
and we live by many life-lies that cause us to choose the wrong ways of relieving pain; so we are constantly bearing bad fruit
and hoping things will change, when they don't. We try treatment, meetings, medications, counseling, but still we relapse
again.
LK 3:9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce
good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
When things get too out of control we just allow our life tree and its destructive
addictions to be pruned off for a while, but soon they grow back, and once again we see the bad fruit of addiction. We cry
out to God for help, but see very little change and why is that? Because we need to let the Master Gardener have full control
this time, and allow Him to dig down to the damaged roots of lies and pain and heal them. Only then can we stop bearing bad
fruit.
Aren't you sick of just having your life pruned and then relapsing again? The only
way that we let go of a lie is to fully embrace the truth, and that truth is whatever God says it is in the bible
since that is the one and only true life-manual that we have. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your life today and to help
you to stop just pruning, and to start healing. Also ask Him to fill and baptize you with His Holy Spirit so that the Master
Counselor can come heal you.
JN 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in
you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
Here is a prayer to pray of you need it:
"Dear God, I am sick of bearing bad fruit in my life, and I want to bear good fruit
from now on. Please come into my life and help me to heal and change now, rather than always just pruning my addictions and
sin off and seeing them grow back again. I accept the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for my sins, and I ask for you
to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. I also ask that you would fill and baptize me with your Holy Spirit so that
I can have the Counselor living inside me and helping me to overcome my addictions, and to bear good fruit from now on. Thank
you for saving me and helping me God, and I promise to help other people to receive the same help that you give me. In Jesus
wonderful name I pray, amen."
JN 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he
will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because
it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
