A pruning of the assumptions we thought we would carry into the future is taking place. Some are wasting their sorrow over the pruning because they do not understand its purpose. In the coming days, we will see the “why” for the removal of our assumptions. It is a preparation for what is coming. If the Lord did not prune away our assumptions our lives would topple under the coming pressure.

We had an arborist come to our home to work on the trees on our property. As he explained what he planned to do, I was surprised by his proposal. He told us he needed to remove some branches from our trees. I asked why and he said, “When strong winds come, the wind needs to be free to move through the trees, not topple them under the pressure of the wind. Cutting away the right branches will allow this to happen.”

There has been an accumulation of assumptions about what we thought we needed to have a strong faith and a viable expression of the Church. This has created an overly dense accumulation of these assumptions. In a consumer-driven culture and faith, we have been told more is better when it is actually a hindrance and jeopardy. The Lord is pruning His Church in preparation to release His Spirit in unprecedented fashion to bring the winds of revival and reformation. Lives and ministries filled with an abundance of assumptions will not be able to stand under the force of such winds.

Those who are willing to allow the Lord to trim the tree of their faith will be able to stand when the winds come and they will still be standing when the winds of change have finished their task. We are being prepared for an assumption-free future where simplicity and clarity will be the hallmarks of an overcoming faith.