210. Don’t Be the Fig Tree

 The Lord is calling his church to be ready out of season! 

I saw a video about the fig tree the other day, and when I was praying this morning it came to my mind again. The Lord cursed a perfectly good fig tree for all eternity. The fig tree was just doing it’s fig tree thing. Minding its own fig tree business. The scripture even says in Mark 11:13 that it wasn’t the season for figs. So by the season of the year the fig tree was technically doing what it was supposed to be doing. Not having figs. 

The Lord reminded me of two things. The first was that the figs and leaves normally grow together. The tree had the appearance of leaves, the appearance that figs should be there and they weren’t there. This is much of todays church. The appearance of full leaves and no actual fruit underneath. 

I saw a vision of the Lord walking through this beautiful hallway. All through the hallway there were lampstands. Some weren’t lit, some were dim, some were on fire. I saw the Lord remove lampstands. I saw positions shifting in major churches due to the appearance of fruit but lack there of. I saw churches that have become circuses falling apart. I saw steady glowing lamp stands shining together like never before. It was like once the Lord put everything into position, His way, the Lord’s glory couldn’t be denied. The Lords fire will not be stopped. 

The second thing the Lord brought to mind was that the fig tree remained subject to its season. In the presence of the Lord, the fig tree failed to produce a fig for the Lord when He needed it. Why? Because figs take time to grow, they can’t grow in an instant. In that season, that tree couldn’t hurry up and produce a fig. Not even for the Lord. How many of us go through “seasons” and pull away from the Lord? How many of us use those seasons as an excuse not to have fruit? Oh I’m going through a hard time, God can’t possibly expect me to be able to act like Him while this is going on or while this person did this or said that. He does. All day every day the Lord sees us as sons and daughters walking equipped and filled with His Holy Spirit. 

God is BIGGER than your seasons! 

He’s bigger than your divorce, than your job loss, than your crisis. He’s bigger than your cancer diagnosis, your relapse, your death in the family. 

Yet we use all of these circumstances or seasons in our lives as perfectly good excuses to miss church, to fall away from the Lord, some fall back into sins of anger, jealousy, drinking, addictions, porn, food, social media, etc.

It’s time to be ready out of season church. The fig tree didn’t have to be cursed for all eternity. It had to have the fruit to back up the flashy Jesus bumper sticker, and it had to be ready to give the Lord what He expected it to give Him when He came.

Don’t be the fig tree. He is bigger than your seasons. Do you treat Him like He is?

Be ready out of season, read your word, know it. A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. It’s says we will know the season, but I hear the Lord saying BE READY OUT OF SEASON. 

Mark 11:13, ESV: And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

Revelation 2:5 - Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Matthew 5:14-16 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Ephesians 3:20-21 20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Acts 3:19 - Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Luke 13:3 - I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Acts 17:30 - And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.