How to Recognize Which Spiritual Season You Are In

If a farmer knows the best time to plant tomatoes is between April and July, it would be foolish for him to plant them in November and expect a flourishing harvest. Seeds have to be plated at certain times and in specific seasons for optimal growth. In the same way, God plants us in certain seasons to grow us; however, if we’re not aware of or accept the season God has called us to, we risk missing out on the growth and fruitful lives that God has for us. In today’s video, I’m going to introduce you to the 4 spiritual seasons and share how to recognize which season you are in. Enjoy!

I remember a season as a young mom when I was so frustrated and discouraged because my to-do list was longer than I had the time to accomplish it, and I am sure that many of you have experienced this before. I was upset because I expected to be able to produce in that season of young motherhood the same amount that I did in previous seasons. Instead, I felt like I was moving slowly, and things were just not getting done as fast as before.

While I was at the grocery store with one of my kids, trying to squeeze in a trip to pick up food before the next thing I needed to check off my to-do list, I was also on the phone with my friend Kia venting to her about how I was tired and frustrated and confused I was, and I’ll never forget what Kia explained to me that day because it’s something that I take with me throughout all the seasons of my life now. She reminded me that I can’t compare what I’m doing now to what I did in previous seasons because the season I was in was completely different. Kia reminded me that my kids had gotten a little older and they required a different type of attention from me at that time. She explained that my ministry was growing, which was taking out a different level of energy from me. The season I was in at that moment would not afford me the time I desired to do some of the things that I needed to do if I wanted to be present at home. I was reminded that it’s so important to understand what season you are in because the season you are in determines the fruit that you will produce.

Sometimes we get frustrated because we want apples, but we’re in an orange season or we want strawberries, but we’re in a kale season. So if we want to be fruitful for Jesus, if we want to live fruitful lives for Him, we have to understand what season we are in. Too often, we think about what we are not doing instead of realizing what season we are in. Then we become discouraged, overwhelmed, and frustrated. Unfortunately, we often take those feelings out on ourselves and think that there’s something wrong with us. We think we’re lazy or not good enough. If you feel that way today, I want to remind you that there is nothing wrong with you and that sometimes we’re just trying to do the right things in the wrong seasons. 

My family and I plant a garden each (almost) year in our backyard, so I know that I can’t plant every seed possible at the exact same time. I look at the back of the pack of seeds to find the optimal time to plant a particular seed because in order for a seed to fruit, it needs to be planted at the right time, providing the environmental factors present in a certain season for its optimal growth. Each season provides what the seed needs to grow at each and every stage of growth. 

Guess what? When it comes to our spiritual lives, the same principle applies. Every season of life grants us the opportunity to grow, flourish and live fruitful lives for Jesus.  Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us:

 We know that the weather provides seasons of summer, winter, spring, and fall. Each season is unique and provides key environmental elements that support life and growth. Just as the weather experiences different seasons, so do the seasons of our spiritual lives. What works in one season will not work in another. Understanding what spiritual season you are in is essential to the growth of your faith and relationship with God. 

As we talk about spiritual growth, we, too, have 4 seasons that impact our growth. A spiritual season is a set of circumstances that influence our faith and our walk with God and provide specific and necessary conditions to help us mature and live fruitful lives for Christ. So what are the spiritual seasons? The 4 spiritual seasons are:

The Wilderness season
The Growing Season
The Pruning Season
The Harvest Season

Wilderness seasons are times of spiritual isolation where it can often feel like God is silent. Even though it often feels like God is far from us in these seasons, I’ve learned it’s in the wilderness that God is actually the closest to us as He’s developing our spiritual eyes and muscles to see and experience Him more. 

Growing seasons are times of testing and stretching. It’s often here where God will call us to do things we’ve never done or things that we feel are impossible.

Pruning seasons are times of purification where God is taking away and striping us and our lives of things that are not conducive to our spiritual maturity in Him.

Harvest seasons are times of fruitfulness and experiencing the rewards of the work and faithfulness in previous seasons. This is the season everyone wants to be in, but we have to be careful because harvest seasons have their challenges as well. 

When we know which season we’re in, we can be better equipped to maintain our faith and trust in God no matter what we face and mature as believers in the process so that we become better each season that we go through. 

A gardener would not plant one seed in one season and call it quits. No, she must plant the right seed in the right season, season after season.

And as I’ve shared, each seed has a different season or time for which it is best to plant.

Planting seeds of faith in God’s truth is an ongoing process. It’s not only for the new believers or seasoned Christians but for all of those who place their faith in Christ. We must understand that the seeds you plant depend on the season you are in.

I want you to think about what season you are in and what faith it’s requiring of you. 

Maybe you’re in a wilderness season, and you're waiting on God to deliver you. You’ll need faith that God is true to His Word and keeps His promises. 

Maybe you’re in a growing season, and God is stretching you to be and do more than you ever thought you could. You’ll need to have faith that when you are weak, God is strong.

Maybe you’re in a pruning season, and you’re being stripped of the things restricting your growth. You’ll need to believe that God is greater than any worldly thing you can place your hope in.

Or maybe you are in a harvest season where God is giving you the desires of your heart, but you’ll need the faith not to make your blessings idols.

We must understand that God is with us in every season, empowering us to grow and mature in Him. This means our trust in God doesn’t have to waver depending on what season we’re in. In fact, each season we face presents a unique opportunity to know and trust God more. So over the next four weeks, we will discuss how we can trust God in each of the four spiritual seasons so that we can mature and live fruitful lives in any season. To help you follow along in this series,  I’ve created the free Spiritual season quiz. Click the link in the description of this video to take this short quiz to discover which of the spiritual seasons we discussed today you are in and find encouragement specifically for you based on your quiz results. Be sure to comment and let me know which season you are in.

And please subscribe, so you don’t miss our upcoming videos on how to trust God and grow spiritually in a wilderness, pruning, growing, and harvest season. This series is created to help you confidently place your faith and trust in God no matter what because although seasons change, our God does not. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever. 

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As always, thank you so much for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved.