October 2023 – Month of Empowerment to Flourish Anywhere

“The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree: He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord; Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalms 92:12-15

We welcome you to the 10^th month of the year of Double Portion in Jesus’ Name. October is the first of the double-digit months, therefore, expect all that God will do this month to be double, double. Isaiah 61:7 says, “For your shame, ye shall have double; and instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore, in their land, they shall possess double: Everlasting joy shall be unto them.” I decree double joy, anointing, favor, breakthroughs, and answered prayers for you this month, in Jesus’ Name.

The palm tree is symbolic of ageless, all-season fruitfulness and survival. The ancient Assyrians believed that the palm tree was a symbol of eternal life. In Judaism, palm trees are symbolic of peace and prosperity. This month, your life will flourish, your business will flourish, and your church will flourish like the palm tree, in Jesus’ Name. When Jesus made His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem before His death, the people broke off palm branches on the ground as His red carpet. They also waved them in front of Him, as prophesied by Zechariah. Recent scientific research suggests that palm trees may be the oldest living trees on the planet as their cells do not die easily. This confirms the description of palm trees in Psalms 92.

Every part of the palm tree is useful to humans – its leaves, kernels, oil, etc. The African oil palm produces oil used for making margarine and soap, as well as oil that is more widely used for other industrial processes. Ancient Romans gave palm fronds as medals to champions at their games, meaning that the palm tree is symbolic of victory in competitions or warfare.

Psalms 92:12-15 describes a flourishing Christian or a righteous life as one with continuous freshness, fruitfulness, and peacefulness. This is God’s will and expectation for all His Blood-bought children. It requires being properly planted in the house of God, growing up to a stately height, and flourishing as we become consistently fruitful.

Many factors come into play from the time the palm tree is planted till it begins to flourish. The palm tree is known for its toughness withstanding adverse weather conditions like extreme temperatures, storms, hurricanes, etc. For humans, the ability to withstand the adversities of life is often called ruggedness, tenacity, determination, or survival instincts. As Christians, we know that surviving the adversities of life and recording success or breakthroughs requires more than the above. It requires the intelligent and effective practice of spiritual warfare.

The palm tree has several characteristics about it that the life of the Spirit-filled and obedient Christian emulates.

1. The Palm Tree Breaks the Bands

1. Other trees do not break the strips put around them. As the tree grows, the strips dig into the wood. Many of us have seen an old clothesline wire sunk deep into the trunk of a tree.
2. A child of God can claim and have victory through Christ.

• We do not have to continue in sin: Romans 6:1-2,6,11-14.
• 1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory…” Romans 8:37: “…In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.“

2. The Palm Tree Will Bend but Not Break

1. The strong winds of storms uproot and break ordinary trees. 
2. Storms of life cause many disasters for those not serving God. 
3. The Palm Tree Not Only Survives but Flourishes In The Desert

1. The palm tree does not simply grow in the desert; it flourishes. We can make it in this desert world.
2. The roots of the palm tree go deep below the burning sands on the surface to find moisture.  
3. The Christian must go deep with God if he is going to flourish.

• To go deep, we must live the Christ kind of life (Galatians 2:20), and we must be prayer warriors (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  

4. Many Christians are not flourishing because they are seeking nourishment on the surface, running their roots of life out laterally.

• Shallow Christians look to the world for refreshment and come away thirsty because the world never satisfies.
• Child of God, send your taproot deep into the Word of God and prayer.

4. A Group Of Palm Trees Forms An Oasis

1. One palm tree standing alone will not provide much shade from the burning sun.
2. Stay together and stand as Christians. Get in and stay in a New Testament church.

• The oasis provides shade for the weary traveler.
• Often in the desert, orange and lemon trees grow beneath the shade of palms grouped together. When we group ourselves together in the church, we provide shade for those weaker than ourselves. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…“

5. The Palm Tree Can Withstand Abuse

1. The heart of the ordinary tree is dead. The vulnerable area of an ordinary tree is the outside. 
2. The heart of the palm tree is alive.

• The life of the palm tree is on the inside.
• Outward abuse does not affect the life/quality of the palm tree.
• Because we have life deep within, in our hearts, we are free from sin (Romans 6:17-18). 

3. The life of the child of God is within (2 Corinthians 4:16).  
4. The Older the Palm Tree The Sweeter The Fruit (Psalm 92:14)

1. As a palm tree grows older, its fruit grows sweeter.
2. As Christians grow older, they should grow sweeter.
3. It is said that older trees with scarred trunks produce the sweetest fruit.

• The scars of life produce the fruit of holiness.
• The trials of life conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29).

7. The Palm Tree Cannot Be Grafted
8. Horticulturists say that to graft a palm tree is to kill it.

• The palm tree is distinctive and unusual, prohibiting grafting.

2. To graft a Christian into the world is to kill his testimony and influence.

• The Christian is to be distinctive, easily distinguished from the world (Romans 12:1-2).

8. The Palm Tree Will Not Burn

1. Men do not use the palm tree for firewood because it will not burn as ordinary wood.
2. The child of God will never, not even for a moment, suffer the fires of hell. He will never burn; he is a palm tree.
3. The fate of the lost is to burn in hell (Matthew 25:41,46; Revelations 20:14-15).
4.  The Palm Tree Is an Evergreen

• The evergreen is a symbol of immortality.
• The child of God will never die; he has everlasting life (John 3:16, 18, 36).

10. The Palm Tree Grows Like the Cedar in Lebanon

1. The cedar is mentioned throughout the Old Testament as an item of luxury and wealth.
2. An abundance of cedar was seen as a sign of prosperity.
3. The cedars of Lebanon were a gift from God and a source of wealth for Lebanon, the cities of Tyra and Sidon especially benefitted from their export (1 Chronicles 17:1,6, 22:4).   
4. The cedars of Lebanon should remind us that every good gift comes from God. However, when we focus on the gift without thanking and worshiping the One who gave it, we will face judgment (Ezekiel 26).

These spiritual insights about the palm tree represent the spiritual warfare and wisdom principles to engage in life or ministry so we can flourish like the biblical palm tree, “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Philippians 1:6, (MSG) This month you shall begin to experience these ten principles of God’s perfect will for your fruitfulness, flourishing, and peace, in Jesus’ Name.

PRAYERS:

• LORD, I thank You for daily leading me with opportunities and benefits (Psalms 68:19). Thank You for remaining faithful to Your word, in Jesus’ Name.
• In the Name of Jesus, I overpower every satanic time-, resource- and talent waster following me from my roots and bloodline, by the fire of the Holy Ghost and the Blood of Jesus.
• According to Psalm 102:13, this month is my appointed time of favor, pleasure, flourishing, and peace, to be at the right place at the right time, in Jesus’ Name.
• I receive the power to flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar in Lebanon, in Jesus’ Name. I will not die spiritually, financially, physically, mentally, etc., in Jesus’ Name.
• Father, open my physical and spiritual eyes like that of an eagle to see, and recognize plain and disguised opportunities to flourish, in Jesus’ Name.
• Father, give me divine wisdom for the prudent management of every financial resource in my hand. Please, LORD, guide me into right partnerships in business this month/year, in Jesus’ Name.
• I stand on my covenant relationship with Father Abraham and declare that my career and life are immune from every form of economic recession. I fully recover from wherever I have recorded loss, in Jesus’ Name.