Sunday, April 13, 2008

Picture of an Olive Tree

Unripe Olives

Last evening during pre-service prayer, a dear woman of God received a picture of an olive tree full of many olives. This tree was being shaken and many olives were falling to the ground. She said she believed the olives represented souls coming into the kingdom of God. My Pastor then prayed a declarative prayer about our receiving the anointing (oil) to gather the harvest.


What's been on my heart regarding this is that there is an appointed time for ALL things...God has appointed a time for each one's salvation, each one's deliverance, each one's healing. God has appointed a specific time for restoration of relationships damaged by sin. If we move out of God's appointed time, then our efforts are mediocre at best and possibly even damaging. If the Lord has revealed an appointed time and we attempt to make the thing happen in our own time...we sin!!!
Ripening Olives

Think about fruit; If fruit is picked prior to it being ripened on the tree (the appointed time), then it is immature, not ready to be consumed. The seeds within the vessel of the fruit are not capable of reproduction.

Ripe Olives


Sometimes unripe fruit will ripen in the process of time, as in a banana, but most times an immature fruit will rot before ever ripening. This happened to me a few months ago with some bananas I had purchased. Most of the time the bananas I buy are a little green, but these bananas were green and never did get ripe, instead they rotted before they could be used.



What do we do? Ask for good judgment and wise and right discernment!!! Psalm 119:66 "Teach me good judgment, wise and right discernment, and knowledge, for I have believed (trusted, relied on, and clung to) Your commandments."

Jesus, give me (us) good judgment and wise and right discernment. Do not allow us to get outside of your appointed time, no matter how much we may desire to see salvations, deliverances, healings and restorations. Your ways are higher, You ways are wiser. Pour out Your Spirit and allow us to see You and hear You clearly. Do not allow us to judge with our eyes (physically), but always empower us to judge by Your Spirit and with Your heart. In Jesus' name!!! AMEN!!!

Olive pictures used by permission from Audrey Delange. Thank you!!!

3 comments:

Livin' Life said...

Beautiful post. I love olives too so it made it that much more enjoyable. I love the picture of ripe and unripe fruit. Got me thinking a lot.

Such a wise heart!!

Hands-Free Heart said...

Wow! I've known the concept, but the pictures and explanation are just the thing I needed to remind me of this. Thanks for sharing it.

Mrs.Naz@BecomingMe said...

Beautiful pictures. Olive trees remind me of my grandfather and a sweet memory of the time he tricked me into eating a fresh black olive. wee.