Pruning – A Fasting Devotional

From: Melissa Quintos

A little over 6 months ago, the Lord opened the door for us to buy a home. Soon after we moved into our home, my parents temporarily moved in with us. Although I knew it was temporary, deep down I wanted them to stay with me and Jordan permanently, but they didn’t. And because they didn’t, I felt like I failed to show them the love of Jesus. I knew the Lord was exposing some things on my heart that needed pruning and I wanted him to get to the root of it. The Lord highlighted an area he wanted to bring a deeper healing to. And I wanted healing.

But the truth is, I needed to pull someone in to help me through it. So I called Lyniece and she helped me process these things and she ministered and prayed for me. But you know what I needed the most, I needed someone to show me the “how to’s”. I am all about application and through her own personal experience, she was able to share with me the many ways I can love on my family despite our differences and despite the fact that they are not in my home. (Side note: when someone is able to minister to you from a deep well, you better praise God for that person because that person paid the cost to obtain it). Praise God that nothing we ever go through is wasted!

I don’t know about you, but our prayer times have been so refreshing. Actually, it’s been fire! It’s so amazing to hear what the Lord is sharing, both individually and corporately, during this fast. And I want to share a couple things that I believe are on God’s heart.

This past Saturday, I hosted a 6am prayer via zoom, and one of the things the Lord pressed heavily on my heart in Proverbs 4:7. “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.”. And I felt to share that I sensed the Lord saying we can get revelation and wisdom from hearing the voice of God through his Word and we can also invite others to give us insight. This really ministered to me because since I graduated from FIRE school, the Lord has been showing me what it’s like to be “under” His authority. And through this, he’s been doing a deep healing with past hurt I’ve experienced from church leaders at my old church.

Shortly after I shared that, Lyniece started praying heaven down. C’mon Jesus! (Yes – it was fire!). She started interceding for those family members who are lost - those we have been crying out to God for - and instantly I thought of my parents. While she was praying, I was crying out for the Lord to give me an opportunity to show them the love of Jesus and I was begging the Lord to not take my dad (83 years of age) without him tangibly seeing an expression of his love through me and Jordan. “Lord, show me how to love and serve them well so that they can know you.” Several hours later, my sister shows up at my front door with my dad along with a bag of clothes. Two days later, I picked up my mom from her house. Don’t be scared to pray bold prayers. Abba knows and he is always listening!

This past Monday, during our Zoom prayer, Jose shared that part of the Lord pruning us is allowing others to help prune us. (humble pie, anyone?). This has been gold for me in my growth this past year. We can take heed of what God is saying through others! I want to encourage you all to take heed to what God is saying through the Word and through others he has put in our lives who are also walking with Jesus and desires for you to look like him. And if you have not been plugging in on these prayer meetings, I encourage you to please make sure you make time to do so.

Let’s continue to ask God for more wisdom and then, let’s invite others to get more insight. Let’s invite him to prune away anything in us so that we can be conformed to the image of his Son.
To God be all the glory!