Growing Pains.

John 15:1-10; Galatians 5:22; Psalm 37:23; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Romans 12:2; Proverbs 23:7; Joshua 1:8; Daniel 2:22; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 7:1-2; Luke 23:42-43; Proverbs 13:24

We are walking in today:  Growing Pains.

John 15:1-10 1) I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3) Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4) Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6) If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8) Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9) As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.  Is it painful to grow as a Christian?  Have you ever said in the natural, that it hurts to grow up?  Or when will it all end?  How many times have you heard someone say, we must grow up in Christ or let us move on to maturity in the things of God?  Other times we may have heard these trials help you to grow.  I have heard these questions in sermons and books that it seems like a never ending process.  When I asked God, His response was. "it is."  I think I was hoping that some day I would feel I had arrived.  Because of the daily struggles caused from the pressures of life, and the trials that help to build character, I felt like I should be one of the best characters anyone could meet (just kidding).  I have been through so much, that I understand what it means to go through the growing process.  The fruit of the Spirit will be evident to those around people who allow the Holy Spirit to deal with their imperfections.  He will change them by helping them to have godly attitudes.  They will find that they are more kind, patient, loving, and selfless.  They will not be so critical or judgmental of others.  The list goes on and on.  If at this point you feel you haven't arrived, don't worry, we will cross over this Jordan together.  The journey will end when we cross to heaven's side and the Lord says, "well done my good and faithful servant.  Because you endured, took up your cross, denied yourself, and followed Me, you will enjoy the rewards of the kingdom!"  The journey may seem to be too hard, but if you allow the Holy Spirit to deal with you in certain areas, the process will be easier.  In spite of all trials, growing pains, or whatever you choose to call them, thank God there is away out!!  The way out is Jesus.  Remember on yesterday my seed is a promise.  He promised that He would make away of escape through every trial.  Is is like going from kindergarten to the first grade, and then on to middle school, then to high school, and finally to graduation day.  We don't want to be like the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, going around the same mountain over and over again.  Let us tell the Lord that He has permission to teach us and we will do our best to get it right and graduate!  When you think about the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith.  The word purge is defined, to remove (impurities and other elements) by or as if by cleansing to rid of sin, guilt.  Then the word prune is defined, trim (i.e. a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, to increase fruitfulness and growth.
You gotta think about this--this morning, as you go through your growing pains.  The word we had this morning said that Jesus is the vine and God is the husbandman, that any branch not bearing fruit is taken away.  What God is doing is purging and pruning us to make us better, wiser and stronger!  He is teaching us how to love unconditionally in your marriage, while you are experiencing growing pains.  Some of us have growing pains because we are not forgiving what our spouse has done, not letting that thing go.  For those of us having growing pains in our finances, because we have not been good stewards over what He has given us, by not giving Him our first fruits.  Don't forget that God is the Provider not the money.  He may strip it away so that you can place you trust in the correct place--no longer relying on the things that your flesh or thoughts can produce.  There is no one and nothing that can surpass God's perfect record of keeping and providing for us!  There are so many of us that are asking why do we have to go through or suffer?  Look to the only Begotten, He suffered, why not you?!  God will not put more on us than we can bear!  Look to Jesus, He is the Way, the Truth and the Life!  God has already made a way of escape for us!  Will we turn to His word to find out exit strategy?!  You do know that this life is open book, yes it is better to study and have it written on the inside, but for those that have not gotten there yet--there is no shame in diving into the word of God to get what you need!  He inspired it, and had it written down just for you, to speak to you, comfort you and  to direct you.  We serve the living God and His word is alive also!  No matter how many times you read a scripture over and over in different times and seasons and there is something that you take away.  That you can grasp on to, that will pull you up out or take you to higher ground!  We are experiencing growing pains, because God is stretching us to take us to another level.  As children when we would hit growth spurts we would often experience growing pains and then none of our clothes would fit within the next few weeks.  We are coming up out of our old clothes/old ways into the good clothes and way of our God!  God is moving us to the place that we need to be in!  Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Fiveamprayer, time for a self-check--are you doing what God has told you to do, in His word?  God is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle, you know that we are the church!  He is shaping and molding us to make us stronger.  Pain is apart of the process.  We have to grow up in Christ, fiveamprayer!  No more milk, it is time for meat!  We need to grow up and see we are living in the last days of the book of Revelation.  This is about working out your own soul salvation. We each have our own relationship with God, and have to go before Him to give an account.  We want to hear well done, My good and faithful servant.  Growing pains may continue, we must not cease in our study of His word or prayers, for our marriages and health.  Fiveamprayer keep standing and looking to God.  Who the Son sets free is free indeed!  The righteous are never forsaken!  We are to pick up our cross and follow Christ.  He has planted us in His word.  Are you holding on  to His word or your flesh?  Line up with His word like never before!  It it time to burn up your flesh, before you flesh causes you to burn in that eternal flame!  Let us walk in the spirit man, some of these growing pains are from our own imaginations.  God's word has directions for that:  2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.  Time out for just accepting everything that shows up.  We must purge our minds from all that is not from God!  Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  The enemy comes to attack us in our mind, planting seeds of doubt and fear.  Fiveamprayer, cast it down!  We are to be the head only, never the tail, lenders and never borrowers.  We must walk in the authority that He has given us!  God clean up our hearts and wash us in the blood!  Get it right--so that we can serve You!  He knows our hearts. Think of David who fell many times but he repented, but he is known as a man after God's own heart.  We need to be like David and repent for out wrongs, not trying to hide from God--fixing it ourselves.  That is another reason why the heat is on and we are squirming in what we are in.  Come to the Father and repent and He will get you taken care of!  Fiveamprayer, we must even repent for the thoughts that we think--Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.  God we come to You today to repent for what we have done and thought that was not in line with Your word.  We cast down every imagination that would exalt itself against the high knowledge of God.  Lord cut off pride, unforgiveness and fear--You did not give us a spirit of fear--but of power, love and sound mind!  Wash us Lord, that our old ways are no more, that we fully take on the new creature that was purchased by the perfect blood of Christ.  Many are sitting in church, stagnant, not hearing a liberating word.  We have to really get into His word from Genesis to Revelation!  We want more of You Lord and less of us!  Fill us with Your Spirit!  Many of us are dying, due to no water in the churches!  Christ gives us living water that we will not thirst for the things of the world any more!  We have to get more and more of His word on the inside, that it can rise up when we are not able to speak for ourselves!  We are supposed to each work out our own soul salvation.  God tells us that if we seek Him, we shall find Him!  Some of us are only looking to be spoon fed on Sundays.  If you don't get into the Bible and hear what God wants to speak to you!  No more of this ask God what I should do.  You have to seek Him for yourself.  Just like if you were to pick up a package they will ask for ID, so if your name and the package don't match they will not give it to you.  We each need our own relationship with the Father, you can't just keep going on the blessings of those around you.  You are to be a blessing as well, how can you allow the blessing to flow through you into someone else if the Father doesn't have a close relationship with you?  Fiveamprayer we are to know who He is for ourselves!  He is Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Tsidkenu, Jehovah Nissi, Emmanuel, the King of kings and the Lord of Lords!  We want to know Him and be known by Him!  How do you get to know someone?  Spending time with them and talking with them frequently is a great start--just enjoying their presence.  Spend some time with the Father, He is waiting for His wayward son or daughter to come back home.  He has open arms and heart to receive you!  He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Look to Him, He makes all things possible!  Growing pains.  He is trying to get you right--He is looking for a church without spot or wrinkle.  We are the righteousness of God, He has to cut off those things that are not bearing fruit so that you can grow.  That is why they cut back plants in the natural, the dead portions will take up the nutrients and the healthy/viable portion will be undernourished.  But once cut back or pruned they begin to flourish!  Fiveamprayer, get ready to flourish with a influx spiritual of nutrients--we are spiritual beings wrapped in flesh.  Time out for playing church and all of those sugar coated messages.  Yes we have the joy of the Lord but what is gonna save our souls?  What is gonna set us free?  How do we deal with trials?  The answer, only God's word!  Go ahead and find a word for yourself that speaks to you and what you are in.  Read that scripture out loud so that God's word is in your atmosphere and being planted in your heart because you are reading it and hearing it also.  We are to watch and pray.  We are called to meditate on His word, day and night, as God told His servant in, Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  Hallelujah God!  Growing pains are the only way to grow, with your unforgiving and prideful self.  Growing pains, asking why am I going through this test, trial, tribulation, it is to make you stronger, better, wiser!  In all of our ways we are to acknowledge Him.  He is directing our path.  He is the Author and Finisher of our faith!  He knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning.  He has already written our story, a long time ago.  We need to go take a look in the mirror, the enemy is us!  God is trying to clean us up--out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  It is not some thing that we can hide.  Although many try to hide it but it will surface, eventually and come out.  Thank You God for giving us discernment so that we know who we are dealing with.  In every growing pain we must seek Him like never before!  God is trying to fix you heart--Jesus is the vine and God the husbandman, those that don't abide in Him are cut off.  Look to God He is the one that is in control of this whole thing anyway.  Tell those you are hanging around with the truth.  Knowing the truth shall make you free!  Tell them what thus says the Lord!  Stop walking around in bondage and set you brothers and sisters free by the word of God.  Stop telling them that it is ok, and sugar coating things!  A lie is a lie even it if is a pretty lie.  We are not children of the liar, the devil--we are children of the Truth, the Living God!  Daniel 2:22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.  2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  We must turn from out wicked ways!  Stop giving out sugar coated-answers and baby formula.  We all need to grow up and eat meat!  There are children dying, even in the churches.  Hallelujah God!  When Jesus came He said that He did not come to put together, but to separate.  If you are not on God's side, you won't see the kingdom.  Don't you want Him to say well done good and faithful servant?  Ministry is not only in four walls, it is outside the walls too!  Stop putting God in a box, take the limits off!  He said to preach His word in and out of season!  That we are to take His word out to all nations!  Don't be afraid, preach it!  It is God's word, He is the one responsible for backing it up, you did your part sharing the gospel.  Get somebody free today, who is going through growing pains.  Care enough to give them the truth!  We are the church and we also assemble as a congregation.  Clean yourself up, wash in the blood and stop judging!  God is the only judge!  Matthew 7:1-2 1) Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  Fiveamprayer, let us walk in the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, gentleness, longsuffering, goodness and faith.  We are of the vine of Christ, are you bearing good fruit?  Or will you need to be pruned?!  Hallelujah Lord!  We lift up fiveamprayer this morning, there is someone going through growing pains.  Set them free with Your word!  Help them to pass this test that they don't go around the mountain again.  Wash them in Your blood, Lord.  Have those that are around them give only Your word.  Are you operating in the fruits of the Spirit?!  You can tell what kind of tree you have by the fruit it bears.  We lift up prayer requests those known and unknown this morning.  We lift up bereaving families, the Tate family who experienced the loss of their 18 year old son in a rollover accident.  The Rutherford family for the loss of a brother who was killed.  We know that absence from the body is presence with the Lord.  God send the Comforter to these families.  We lift up the family of one fiveamprayer's own who was sick in his body and not able to attend church, and was faithful to call in at 5am, was found dead in his apartment on yesterday.  Who is bringing a word from God?  He was looking to the hills for his help, his help came from the Lord!  We lift up bereaving families everywhere.  We lift up that Pastor's mother who was shot in the parking lot.  Keep the families, Lord that they are comforted.  Lord we come to repent, we have got to get some things right!  Lord take our pride and unforgiveness, clean us up.  We come to repent this morning and God's response, no condemnation.  Jesus has already died for our sins.  He cast our sins into the sea that they are remembered no more!  Thank You Lord for teaching us how to forgive.  Help us to forgive others that we too are forgiven by You.  We have to get it right and get it together!

We seal this prayer in His precious blood, by His Spirit:  Thank You God for the growing pains!

Welcome to the overflow...
We got more wisdom, knowledge and understanding--in all thy getting get understanding!  Praise God!  Hallelujah!  Anybody have some growing pains this morning?  Hallelujah!  Guess what, God is getting ready to wash us in His blood!  Wash us on one of those old wash boards.  He is gonna wash us and clean us up!  He will present us clean before the Father!  Growing pains, that is all this is!  We are going to another level in God!  We can't stay here, stagnant.  For His Glory, it is just growing pains.  Life by Design, it is just growing pains. God is taking us to a new level in Him!  His mercy endures forever!  His mercy endures to all generations!  Without His mercy we would be consumed!  Thank You for Your grace and mercy!  Have mercy on us Father!  Luke 23:42-43 42) And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43) And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.  Don't get to the end and hear God say, I know thee not--there is a flip side to, well done thy good and faithful servant.  But Lord, we cast out demons in Your name.  I never knew thee, thou workers of iniquity.  The truth will make you free!  Take time out and truly seek God in His word.  Walk through these growing pains while studying His word!  Who He loves, He corrects!  Proverbs 13:24 (AMP) He who spares his rod [of discipline] hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines diligently and punishes him early.  Sometimes you need a rod to clean you up.  A Holy Ghost whipping for all of us today.  It's all good, it is all God!  We are His children, who else could or should correct us?!  Hallelujah God!  Don't look around, look straight ahead, this message is for you!  Thank You Lord!  Visit us on facebook, it will encourage you, have a blessed day!