(Extrapolated and shortened from original post on August 19, 2013 and then published as “Are We Spiritually Prepared and Fit for the Days Ahead”)

I’ve encountered many within the body of Christ who are going through a process of pruning. I first noticed this in my own life and in the ministries I oversee. But I also began to hear from others who felt they were being “cut back.”

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

According to this passage, pruning is not punishment. On the contrary, it is proof that we are bearing fruit and that the Father desires to prepare us for even greater fruitfulness. Unfruitful branches are cut off altogether, but fruitful branches are pruned so that health and multiplication might increase.

If you are in a pruning season, take heart! The Father is tending to you in love, shaping you for a greater harvest.

Challenging Days & Jude’s Warning:

But while pruning is a sign of God’s care, we are also living in days when apostasy is rapidly increasing. Jude 12 gives a sobering picture of false teachers and apostates, describing them as “clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots.”

Pruning is for the fruitful. Judgment, however, is reserved for those who twist God’s Word, despise His authority, and lead others astray. Jude reminds us that these mockers will arise in the last days, following their own ungodly lusts, and causing division in the body of Christ (Jude 18–19).

We are living in such days now. The authority of God’s Word is being dismissed—even within the Church. Sound doctrine is being replaced by teaching that pleases the itching ears of a culture in rebellion against God.

But Jude 20-21 exhorts us: “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

This is how we remain “fit” in the midst of apostasy—grounded in truth, steadfast in prayer, and rooted in the love of God.

Becoming Fit:

When Jesus called disciples in Luke 9:57–62, many responded with “yes” but added their conditions and excuses. Jesus replied with words that cut to the heart: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Fitness for the kingdom requires full devotion. Just as athletes must train for a race, we must prepare spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically for the battles ahead. A casual, half-hearted faith will not stand in days of deception.

Apostasy will increase. False teachers will abound. The love of many will grow cold. But those who are trained in godliness and anchored in God’s Word will endure.

Rejecting God’s Truth:

The days of Jeremiah mirror our own. The people promised obedience—“whatever the Lord says, we will do” (Jer. 42:5)—yet when God’s word came, they rejected it and accused the prophet of lying (Jer. 43:2).

Today, we see the same spirit at work. Many profess allegiance to God until His Word collides with their desires. Truth is being redefined. God’s design for marriage, family, and morality is being rewritten by culture, and those who uphold Scripture are vilified as hateful or intolerant.

But love compels us to uphold truth. To reject God’s Word is to embrace death and destruction. To speak truth, even when unpopular, is the highest form of love.

Lovers of Truth, Doers of the Word:

In days of increasing deception, we must love truth more than acceptance, and we must do the Word rather than merely hear it.

We cannot retreat into apathy or fear. This is our moment to shine as light in the darkness, to be salt that preserves, and to be those who, like Jude says, “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

There will be discouragement. Things once unthinkable are now celebrated, even in the Church. But God has not left us without hope. 2 Corinthians 2:14 reminds us: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”

Dispensing His Fragrance:

Like an air freshener that releases fragrance in the dark, God has called us to dispense His presence in a world full of corruption and decay. Our lives should carry the aroma of Christ, convicting some, drawing others, but always testifying of His reality.

The pruning, the training, the preparing—all of it is so that we might stand firm in truth and be fruitful witnesses of His kingdom.

A Greater Harvest:

If you are being pruned, it is preparation for greater harvest. If you feel the weight of apostasy around you, know that God has placed you in this generation for a purpose.

Now is the time to be strong, steadfast, and “fit” for the kingdom. Now is the time to love truth, live truth, and dispense His fragrance.

Let this be our prayer:

Prune me, Lord. Keep me faithful in these days of apostasy. Make me fit for Your kingdom. Keep me anchored in Your Word, steadfast in Your love, and prepared for the great harvest that is to come.

BY DOUG STRINGER