~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Are You In Season?Psalm 1:3He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,Which yields its fruit in its seasonAnd its leaf does not wither;And in whatever he does, he prospers.Power Tip:Every Season of life is precious. Don't rush any of it!The Seasons of LifeWe often view life as having 4 seasons.SpringSpring time is your youth. It is the time of flowers and optimism. Where our ideas and our ideals are shaped.SummerSummertime is your early adulthood. Its the time of heat, passion, vitality and stamina. This is where we decide we decide our world view.FallFall is the middle age. This is the time of harvest. Time to slow down and maintain what you have created.WinterWinter is Old Age. This is the time of scarcity. Time slows to a crawl. It is the time of reflection.While these can be an accurate general picture we can see this same cycle repeating itself throughout life. There will be many springtimes, summers, autumns and winters. No matter where we are in life, no matter the season we need to focus on what God is doing."As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." - Genesis 8:22And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to seperate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth."... And God saw that it was good. - Genesis 1:14,15,18Maximize Your SeasonsDuring the spring capitalize on the excitement of new experiences. Delight in God's creative ability and see the world that He plans for you. Delight in His vision for you. Be thankful for His partnership with you and cultivate His purpose. The the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. - Habakkuk 2:2During summer expand your vision through massive activity. Set God's vision ablaze in your mind and the minds of those working alongside of you. Let the team draw strength from your vision and you can draw strength from them. During the Summer season you begin to see the fruit. Do not be deceived by its often bitter taste and meager yield. The time of harvesting is not upon you yet. Summer is where many people give up. Don't give up and let your true harvest die.I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God. -Psalm 27:13-14 msgFall is the harvest time. Excitement beams as we look at what our partnership with God has yielded. We see the vision that fought so hard through the summer to achieve. It is critical to recognize the harvest time. We often miss when we should pluck the fruit when we are too busy admiring its beauty. Take it in. Use it to sustain yourself and your family. Whether it is a financial, spiritual, physical, or vocational harvest enjoy it... But only for a time. Fall is a dangerous season. We feel good when people give us praise. We feel good when a job is completed. Accomplishment is a double edged sword. If we stare at it too long we take the focus off of the gift-giver and put it on the gift. God is a jealous God. He will now walk with you if you don't put Him first.Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. -1 Corinthians 9:24-26Winter brings with it a cooling effect, as we snow birds know. This cooling can often cause us to walk away from God. We spent the other seasons feeling God's presence but something has changed. It is that feeling that "God isn't there". It reminds me of buyers remorse. "God I saw you in the desert but now that I have reached this destination I can't see you. Were you ever really there?" Now what do you do. If you'd lost something precious you'd seek it out wouldn't you? When you've lost God you have to seek him out. Prayer, fasting, bible study are the tools that we have for facing the winter. Don't give into despair. God never leaves you nor forsakes you. He does however move further ahead of us so we can be tested. He wants to see if we are ready to do something more for Him. He wants to see if we are ready to embrace the springtime of His vision once more.There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: - Ecclesiastes 3:1Are You???-God's Man