“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
The Lord gave me a word today about seasons as I walked a trail alongside the river at the base of a mountain. The air was crisp and cool and the leaves had fallen from the trees giving the landscape a stark, barren look. Fall is giving way to winter here in the mountains and the first snows have already come.
The Lord told me that fall is a season of dying. Fall begins when we start to walk with Jesus. It is a time when the old self dies along with all our old habits and thought patterns. Fall can also come at other times in our lives. Sometimes, the Lord finds it necessary to purge us of things that have entered our lives that are displeasing to Him.
In contrast to the astonishing beauty that ushers in fall is the inevitable starkness that follows. The trees are stripped of dead leaves. In the same way, negative thought patterns and behavior fall from us. Sometimes friends and associates are removed from us. But remember, like the barren trees, although our lives may appear bleak, our core, our spirit, our essential self is still alive.
Winter is a season of waiting and renewing. There is nothing whiter than snow except the garments of our Lord’s righteousness that He cloaks us in. During this season, He protects and nurtures us in the same way that the snow blankets the earth. Beneath this snowy protection, we grow strong and allow the seeds of faith to germinate. Winter is also a time of hibernation. It is a time to remove ourselves from the world, get deep into the word while fasting and praying. Under the blanket of His righteousness and protection, we begin to grow in the things of the Lord in preparation for the next season.
Spring bursts forth and is a time of new beginnings and revival. In the spring of our lives, we are ready to manifest the new self that God was working on during the winter of our lives. In the spring, we begin to bud and flower. Like the birds, our spirit begins to sing of God’s goodness and mercy. We are new creations, ready to glorify Jesus. The gifts of the spirit have had time to germinate and grow within us, we have put aside the old man and with Jesus, we are ready to be all that we were meant to be in His kingdom.
Summer comes and during that season in our lives we are in full flower. Oh, what a glorious time the summer of our lives are! It is a time when we bask in the glory of the risen Christ and we glow with His Jesus light. During the summer of our lives, we walk in His anointing and according to His will. We are in step with the master because we hear His voice and obey Him. The summer of our lives brings forth manifestations of power and miracles.
According to John 14:10; “the Father Who lives continually in Me does His works, His own miracles, deeds of power.” And, Jesus goes on to say in verse 12: “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.” (Amplified)
That is the summer of our lives, when we do His works, His miracles and deeds of power. Notice, that the Lord did not qualify who the “he” is. His promises are for all who take up the cross and believe. Therefore, this promise is not for all Christians but only for those who have mountain-moving faith. Are you ready for God’s promises in the Bible? Then take up the cross and follow Him!