Return, repent forgive and do works of charity. Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—- to the glory and praise of God. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation–the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ–for this will bring much glory and praise to God, (Philippians 1:11 NLT). Have we considered that our Lord is coming during the Fall? The Fall season or Autumn season is the fruit season. Did Jesus not tell us, if we abide in the Vine we can bear fruit? Did Jesus not clarify ‘Who’ that Vine is? “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing, (John 15:5 NLT). I know I desire maturity and to bear much fruit, becoming more fruitful for the kingdom of God.
Teshuvah is an appointed season of time. It is a set apart time of preparation and work of introspection in our souls. Our soul is our mind will and emotions. It is our place of volition, the place where decisions and choices are made.
Winds of Change
Letting go is not simple or easy to do,
Just watch the leaves as winds blow through.
Looks like chaos as first rearranged
Then I am reminded; oh here comes change!
God’s sweet reminder to me, seek and you shall find
It isn’t so difficult it’s all in the mind.
How I imagine and fear it could be,
Remembering, His plans are only good toward me.
What can I learn from watching His creation?
About these changes and the duration;
His ways are fashioned and mimic trees,
What is the lesson to learn from these?
It is the end of this season change is in the air.
Something’s I can tell something’s I can share.
We are the branches-He is the Vine;
Seasons must change, He is redeeming the time.
The winds of change are bringing home,
The lesson learned, now let go and move on.
Not at all frightening if I can grasp
God is Creator, I’m designed for the task.
The inner drive compelling and calling me,
A longing for much more than eyes can see.
It’s a longing and groaning from deep within,
Oh the winds of change must be blowing again.
It is time for promises to come forth and bloom,
So it is necessary to let go, create needed room.
Open my mind and nourish it with Your word;
Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard…..
All You have planned for those whose mind can conceive,
Just let go of the old and the new receive.
Teach me Lord as I sense it is in view,
Deep in my spirit I know this is You.
Help me to not fear or become apprehensive
This change is from You, deep and extensive.
For money can’t buy and not humanly possible,
Revealed by Your Spirit, throughout Your gospel.
Such precious promises if I can believe,
Being rooted and grounded like a tree.
Winds of change blow through I’m going to stand
And humble myself under God’s mighty hand.
Poem written by Laurette Laster © 2017
all of my poetry is copyrighted with Library of Congress Copyright Office, rights reserved.
1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV
Eye has not seen, nor eye heard, nor has entered the heart of man, nor human mind conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love Him—
These things God has revealed to us by His Spirit.
At the beginning of the 40 Days of Teshuvah in 2017, I prayed and ask The Lord if indeed this season still applies today. I believed I knew the answer but wanted His seal of approval on the teaching. For years I have felt and sensed this appointed time. I speak to so many people today who describe the wooing of God. They tell me things like; I just knew I had to be here. Or they say I just knew I needed to come. I knew I was supposed to apologize to that person. I have been praying for so and so and I have forgiven them. Or I went to so and so and I apologized for my part in the mess. All of these are the wooing and the plan of God during the 40 days of Teshuvah. So I get to tell them, “The Lord drawing you and yes you are being led.” I have had so many supernatural experience of people pouring out their story to me during this season. Is this an appointment that cannot be denied? I know the answer.
Even when I didn’t understand it, I sensed it. Our spirit knows the things of God and definitely discerns these seasons and appointed times.
For it is God who is working both to will and to do in us for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13).
Some believe the Feasts or Mo’edim are “Old Testament” or under the law, therefore no longer valid or necessary, both are incorrect. These Feast or Mo’eds are commanded by God and were set prior to the law being given to Moses. These are not Jewish Festivals they are God’s Festivals or appointed times. God said they are to be a statute forever. Leviticus 23
We do well to remember we are grafted in. Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.…Roman 11:17-18). We do not support the root, the root supports us. Jesus is Jewish. Our Messiah is Jewish; there is no getting around this fact. As a matter of fact we should not want to change this.
I assure you this is a sacred and appointed season assigned and designed from God. As I prayed and ask The Lord concerning the season of repentance and the relevance of Teshuvah, this is what I was shown about this season. It blessed me and I pray it blesses you and gives more understanding.
He began by showing me an apple tree. No pun intended it’s just what I saw. I heard in my spirit: The Lord said, just as this tree remains an apple tree forever, each season it loses its leaves. The leaves are for a season not forever. I got it and I could see and understand fully so that I could share it simply.
What I didn’t know but have learned is that the tree realizes it cannot afford to keep the leaves during the cold or dry seasons of the year and survive. Therefore it cuts the leaves off from receiving nourishment. A tree that loses all its leaves at the same time is known as a deciduous tree. The apple trees along with many other varieties of trees are what are known as deciduous trees. Live oaks and other evergreen trees lose their leaves but have new leaves to take the place of dead leaves immediately or soon after. These evergreens always have leaves but they grow new leaves each season as well. This speaks to me concerning Christians and new believers. The mature Christian may appear evergreen; however we are still growing and replenishing. Our root seasons and pruning don’t seem as severe the more mature we become.
A deciduous tree sheds its leaves as a strategy for survival. Shedding the leaves is to conserve water and energy during the root season. The tree actively cuts off the life flow to the leaves. This process is called abscission. It is the same Latin root word we get our word scissors from. The word abscission means “to cut.” At the start of the process of abscission the tree actually absorbs necessary nutrients from the leaves and stores these nutrients for later use in their roots. This is why leaves change colors. Interesting huh? I love to find out facts like this that help explain our walk as believers. Jesus said if we could understand the parable of “The Sower”, we could understand all things pertaining to the kingdom.
Repentance is being smart enough to know what cannot go with us into the next season of our lives. The Lord showed me that even though the apple tree continues the cycle of ‘loosing’ it’s leaves, (remember it cuts them off), throughout its life cycle it never has to be reprogrammed. The tree continues to know it is an apple tree and will remain an apple tree. That is never a question.
I pray we know and discern the seasons of The Lord as we continue to know Him.
Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, I want to be a branch supported by the root. A branch that bears much fruit. I know that in order to bear much fruit I will have to have deeper roots. I know that I need to be rooted and grounded in Your love to produce the fruit of The Spirit. I know that the only way to grow in maturity and to bear good fruit requires root seasons. Lord Jesus as I prepare for my upcoming root season, show me how casting off dead works and letting go of the lust of the world is beautiful to You. I want to bear fruit and much fruit for the kingdom of our Father. I long for my life to bring glory to our Father. Spirit of the living God help me grow deep roots. Amen
Hosea 10:12
Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and brake up you unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and showers His righteousness on you.
Don’t miss the season of Repentance, Teshuvah; it is my favorite time of the year.
Until next time, thank you for listening with me. Laurette
Through All Seasons 