Victory Gospel Church | Bringing Hope Helping and Healing | Southampton's Local Church| Spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ

This time of year it is easy to see which natural season we are in. Our towns and cities are filled with winter wonderland images. The TV and every advertising space available paint a picture of Christmas bliss and a wintery new year.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens:  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pull up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Of course as well as the seasons of the year there are seasons in our lives. I love these words found in Ecclesiastes. They sum up many of the experiences that happen to us over the course of our lifetime. This scripture is not telling us that there are set times for us to go through adverse situations, but rather that there are seasons or occasions that you will experience life. God knows all you are going through right now, He does not bring trouble and hardship into your life, but rather he delivers you out of it. Yet in this scripture He takes the time to explain to us that life happens.

Survive or thrive?

God has not called you to survive in life but to thrive in life. He has placed all you need within you. There are talents and abilities locked up within you that are longing to be released. Many people are living below there capabilities and one of the reasons is that they have not stepped into the season of their life that they should be in. A season of hardship may have come upon your life but don't allow yourself to stay there.

Philippians 3:13-14 My brothers, I do not count myself to have taken possession, but one thing I do, forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before, 14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

It's time for you to move on and to get into the season that God has for you.

Jerimiah 29:11-13 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.   And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
You can see from this scripture that God wants you to thrive and flourish in every season of life, and in His word He gives the secret to thriving in life.
(Psa 92:12-14)  12The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;Look at verse 13. " Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish". Here we see a simple yet profound truth, get yourself planted. I am not much of a garden expert but I do know trees can't walk. They have been planted by the master gardener in the right place and they draw all they need from the ground they are planted in and the sunshine that falls on them. You are supposed to get grounded and planted into your church. Don't drift it will damage you. Christmas trees are moved out of their ground and into our front rooms, yes, they may look nice and everyone may admire them but that Christmas tree is dead. It is not thriving and can't produce life.
A tree that is planted will go through the seasons of life. Spring, summer, autumn and winter. With each season there comes good times and hard times, rain, sunshine and storms but a tree that is planted will still flourish.
Get grounded in Victory Gospel Church and you will be amazed at how you will start to flourish and enjoy life. We love you and long to see you develop and grow into all that God wants for you to be.