Have you ever had to cut the things in your life that were hindering progress toward where you were trying to go? God does this to us all the time. He cuts away the parts of us that need to be pruned, trimmed, or cut back. It does not feel good, God knows it is an uncomfortable process for us, but He knows it’s necessary.

In John 15 we see that Jesus is the true vine. “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-2).

When we choose to be a part of the true vine as believers, we must know that there is a pruning process we cannot escape. God does this to ensure we are producing things that glorify Him. He wants to see growth and that we are not hindered by the mistakes of our past. The fruit Jesus is referring to in the John 15 is living a godly life that glorifies God in every way.

There are times as believers where we draw away from God because we don’t understand that we are in a pruning phase in our lives. We may ask God why am I struggling in this season? God is all about pushing us past human capacity to grow us spiritually.

Everything God does through us is about spiritual maturity. He does it many ways. He can use a person who is at a place of spiritual maturity that they can pour into us. He can bring circumstances in your life that change you for the better though it may feel like a deep cut.

When God is pruning you, it does not feel good, but when the vinedresser is done you will be so much better. It’s like the gardener in the garden pruning and cutting back the dead things to produce more harvest in the coming months. God is the same way with us. He wants to see us reach our full potential.

We should be striving to be better with each passing year. We should want to grow spiritually and produce in a way that we are blessing others with our gifts and talents. Everything God puts in us is for His glory and to bring healing and growth in someone else’s life.

When God is cutting away the dead things, remember He wants you to be spiritually mature.