Three Stages of Life: Understanding the Spiritual Seasons of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Gold

Spiritual maturity is perfected through patient endurance in the myrrh season, where God removes what will hinder your future and develops unshakeable trust in Him.

Life progresses through three divinely ordained seasons represented by the gifts presented to Jesus: frankincense (popularity and favor), myrrh (cutting away, refinement, and testing), and gold (true glory and maturity). Understanding which stage you inhabit determines whether you will endure the refinements God ordains or collapse under the weight of misunderstanding His purposes.

Three Stages of Life: Understanding the Spiritual Seasons of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Gold

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Teaching Overview

Three divinely ordained life stages are prophetically signified by the gifts presented to Jesus—frankincense, myrrh, and gold—which represent distinct seasons every believer must navigate.
The frankincense era is a season of attraction, popularity, and divine favor where everyone is drawn to you, but most believers become spiritually arrested in this season because of the intoxicating nature of human acceptance.
The myrrh era is a season of cutting away, betrayal, and painful refinement where God removes what will hinder your future and develops perfected patience and unshakeable trust in His voice rather than in people.
Perfected patience is the crowning work of the myrrh season—when patience is mature within you, you develop the capacity to wait on God's promise without wavering, to forgive yourself, and to endure all circumstances with spiritual stability.
The gold season represents true spiritual glory and maturity, which can only be accessed after you have been perfected through patient endurance in the myrrh season.

Key Distinctions

	Temptation	Testing
Purpose	Designed to make you fall and never rise again	Designed to refine you and develop patience
Source	Enemy's attempt at destruction	God's permission for growth
Effect on Spirit	Makes you feel like you will fail	Refines your faith through trials
Outcome if Resisted	You expose the enemy's strategy	You develop perfected patience

	Frankincense Era	Myrrh Era	Gold Era
What it is	Season of attraction, favor, and popularity	Season of cutting away, betrayal, and refinement	Season of true glory and spiritual maturity
Spiritual atmosphere	Sweet aroma pleasing to God and men; everyone loves you	Bitter, painful; people turn on you; distractions removed	Real glory established; perfected patience sustains you
Key development	Recognition of your calling; foundation of sacrifice	Perfected patience; trust in God alone; removal of hindrances	Spiritual maturity; nothing lacking
Danger	Becoming spiritually arrested; seeking to maintain the high of acceptance	Despair, mistrust of God, mistreatment of others, abandoning faith	(Cannot be reached without perfecting the myrrh season)
Duration	Often deceptively brief, though feels long	Feels eternal, but is temporary; refined by how you measure time	Eternal reward of those who endured

	Anointing	Maturity
What it is	The grace and power of God upon you for a specific assignment	The perfected character and tested patience that enables you to sustain the anointing
How acquired	Given by God's sovereign will; not earned	Developed through trials, refinement, and perfected patience
Guarantee	Does not guarantee spiritual stability or wisdom	Ensures you will not fall under the weight of your own anointing
Necessity	Anointing alone can lead to destruction if maturity is absent	Maturity without anointing is humility; anointing with maturity is power

Life Begins in Christ

Your life does not begin at birth—it begins when you become conscious of your calling in Christ and start walking in the Spirit.
The three stages of life manifest not at physical birth, but when you enter into conscious relationship with Jesus and begin your spiritual journey.
Before entering these three stages, you exist in spiritual infancy, unaware of the prophetic tokens and testimonies God has embedded in your life from conception.

"Your life doesn't begin until you start with Jesus."

The Frankincense Era: Season of Favor and Attraction

Frankincense is a sweet aroma pleasing to both God and men—when you begin walking in the Spirit, everyone around you is attracted to you without effort or self-promotion.
In the frankincense era, people travel from across the world to see you; you receive universal acceptance; your mother, uncle, and sister all celebrate you because the frankincense is burning.
You are not called to be frankincense—you are called to be a living sacrifice burning in God's presence; the frankincense burns because you are offering yourself to God, not because you deserve perpetual human adoration.

"You are not called to be frankincense. The frankincense is burning because it is the moment you are giving yourself to God."

The Danger of the Frankincense Season

Most believers become spiritually arrested in the frankincense era because of the intoxicating high of fame, acceptance, and universal love—they refuse to progress when the season changes.
People will do anything for clicks, likes, and acceptance that is not even real, including compromising their integrity, their families, and their calling—they mistake the sweetness of human favor for the presence of God.
Jesus was cheered for by the same people who later turned on Him; understanding that the frankincense era is temporary and will transition into myrrh prevents you from building your identity on the applause of men.

"People would do whatever it takes because either they want acceptance and love that is not even real because they don't know what true love is."

The Transition: From Frankincense to Myrrh

When you exit the frankincense era, you enter the myrrh era—a season of cutting away, bitterness, and devastation where God begins to remove things from your life that will hinder your future.
In the frankincense season, many things stuck to you that God never intended for you to carry; in the myrrh season, God performs spiritual surgery to remove these hindrances.
Before you entered the frankincense era, it was just you and God—now in myrrh, God is stripping away everything that is not of Him so that you can move into your true assignment.

"When you enter into your myrrh era, is the moment that God begins to cut off things out of your life in a devastating way."

The Myrrh Era: Betrayal and Divine Refinement

Your enemies will identify that God has no intention to replace them—when they see the trajectory of your future, the people who loved you become your rivals; those you looked up to become those who tear you down.
People you loved forever will switch on you; your own family and flesh will turn on you; 97% will ghost you while only 3% remain—this is not because you failed, but because they have recognized God's destiny upon your life.
The myrrh era is not about lamenting what you are losing; it is about understanding that God is delivering you from what will keep you from your future—this is a cleansing and purification season.

"When you enter into your myrrh era, it means your enemy has identified that God had no intention to replace them."

The Purpose of Myrrh: God's Surgical Refinement

God cuts off tumors and growths you accumulated on yourself that you became comfortable with but that He never loved—He must completely intervene to remove what your own will would preserve.
In myrrh, all distractions are removed from your life; you realize the things you gave attention to no longer deserve your attention; the people you gave proximity to no longer deserve closeness.
Your ears become clean from junk—the gossiping, the complaining, the problem-dumping from others that filled you with noise—so that you can hear God's voice again.

"God is delivering me from what is gonna keep me from my future."

The Myrrh Era: Refining Divine Obedience

You learn that loving people is not the same as obeying God—do what God says, not what your heart says, because your heart is deceitful.
In frankincense, you gave generously from your heart, but in myrrh, you learn that unless God commands it, your sacrifice is an investment without God and will be wasted on those who will reject you.
God tests you multiple times in myrrh—He may tell you to help the same person four times, or He may tell you "no" when your heart screams "yes"—obedience to His voice, not your emotion, is what counts before Him.

"Do what God says and not what your heart says. Their heart is deceitful."

Trust in God's Voice, Not in Man

It is in the myrrh era that you learn to trust God's voice and to trust God, not man—this is a refining season where human voices are removed so you can hear only His.
When your patience is not perfected, you mistreat people who are actually there for you because you are broken from what others have done to you—this is why the myrrh season is so critical.
God allows trials and tribulations so that the man or woman of God lacks nothing—your pain, suffering, and trials are all within the myrrh era because you are being prepared for dimensions God has for you.

"It is in your myrrh era that you learn to trust God's voice and to trust God, not man."

Distinguishing Temptation From Testing

When you are going through trials, the language is "temptations"—the goal of the enemy is to make you fall, but to God it is testing designed to refine you.
Temptation is designed to make you fall and never rise again; testing is designed to refine your faith and develop your patience.
In myrrh, God refuses to let you pass the season until you develop perfected patience—this is not optional; it is the gateway to your future.

"When you're going through these temptations, why is it using the word temptation? Because the goal is to make you fall, but to God it is using it to refine you."

Perfected Patience: The Crown of the Myrrh Season

Patience with an end date is mere tolerance; perfected patience is patience without end—when patience is perfected in you, you have developed the capacity to wait on God's promise without wavering.
If your patience is not perfected, you cannot wait on God's promise; you will lead with your time instead of God's time, and you will abandon His plan because it does not match your timeline.
When patience has her perfect work in you, you are perfected and entire, wanting nothing—this means you lack nothing because you have stopped leaning on people and circumstances and have learned to rest in God.

"If your patience is not perfected, then you cannot wait on God's promise."

Patience With Yourself

When patience is perfected in you, it includes patience with yourself—you can look at yourself and forgive yourself as you work to break old patterns and develop new character.
If perfected patience is not in you, you will undermine yourself; you will be your own worst enemy; you will sabotage your own progress because you cannot extend grace to your own process.
Excellence in any craft—whether prophecy, administration, music, or leadership—comes not from talent alone but from patience with yourself as you grow over time.

"I am good at what I do prophetically and administration, because I chose to be patient with myself."

Time as God's Tool

Some pains and struggles can only be fixed with time—time reveals everything; it makes the enemy remove his mask; it exposes the angel you thought was an angel but was never an angel.
The devil cannot act forever; his acts are very temporary; the more time you give him, the more he reveals himself—patience is the instrument by which God's truth is vindicated.
When the work of patience is perfected in every area of your life, everything becomes manageable because you understand it is a time thing, not an effort thing.

"Time makes the enemy remove his mask. You'll see who he really is."

Spiritual Maturity Is Not Anointing

Being anointed does not mean you are mature—many are anointed by God but buried by older believers because they did not listen to God's voice.
Your spirit is sustained by prayer; your spirit is matured in the presence of God—not because the Spirit of God is upon you, but because you have spent dedicated time locked in before God.
God trains you among lions, bears, snakes, and scorpions, not in isolation—you must learn how to live and minister with all this mess around you if you are going to change it.

"Being anointed doesn't mean you are mature."

Apostolic Roots and Church History

There is great misunderstanding in the church because believers do not know church history—the apostolic roots and traditions of the early church contain wisdom that modern Christianity has abandoned.
When you understand the church fathers and apostolic heritage, you will recognize why certain practices—the use of water, anointing oil, salt, discernment protocols—are not "weird" but rooted in two thousand years of divine wisdom.
You cannot decipher what you do not yet understand—this is why God never trained people in isolation but always in community under submitted authorities who carried apostolic tradition.

"If you knew the church fathers, you will say, 'This man knows something,' because I am connected to their apostolic roots."

The Result of Perfected Patience

When patience has her perfect work, you are perfect and entire, wanting nothing—you lack nothing because you have stopped seeking validation from people and have learned to receive affirmation from God alone.
Perfected patience enables you to endure the storm with the knowledge that it will pass—you do not fight against the clouds; you let them pour because you know time will reveal God's faithfulness.
Perfected patience is like watering what God has planted—you control what you can control (the watering), but you release what you cannot (the growth), and you wait because only time will make it grow.

"When the work of patience is perfected, every area of your life is manageable."

Key Definitions

Frankincense — A sweet aroma pleasing to both God and men; represents the first season of spiritual life when you are attracted to by everyone around you because the grace of God is upon you and you are offering yourself as a living sacrifice.

Myrrh — A bitter, gum-like substance; represents the second season of spiritual life when God cuts away hindrances, removes distractions, and refines your character through trials, testing, and often betrayal by those you loved in the frankincense season.

Gold — Represents the third season of spiritual life; true glory and spiritual maturity that can only be accessed after you have been perfected through the myrrh season and have developed perfected patience.

Perfected Patience — Patience without end; the matured capacity to wait on God's promise without wavering, to trust His voice above all others, and to endure all circumstances with the knowledge that God's timing is sovereign and complete.

Anointing — The grace and power of God given to you for a specific assignment or calling; does not guarantee spiritual stability or wisdom without the accompanying maturity developed through trials and refinement.

Maturity — The perfected character and tested patience that enables you to sustain your anointing; developed through the myrrh season where you learn to trust God's voice, obey His commands above your heart's desires, and extend grace to yourself and others.

Testing — God's permission for growth through trials and tribulations; designed to refine your faith and develop your patience so that you lack nothing in your assigned calling.

Key Takeaways

Your life begins in Christ, not at birth — Physical birth does not activate your spiritual life; your three stages of life begin when you become conscious of your calling and start walking in the Spirit with Jesus.
The frankincense era is a necessary but temporary season — Popularity and universal favor are not your destination; they are the opening movement of a longer symphony that must progress through refinement and into true glory.
The myrrh era is God's surgical mercy, not punishment — When God cuts away relationships, circumstances, and hindrances in your life, He is not rejecting you; He is delivering you from what will keep you from your future.
Perfected patience is the gateway to your destiny — Without perfected patience, you cannot wait on God's promise; with it, you are entire and wanting nothing because you have learned to trust God's voice above all other voices.
Trust God's voice, not your heart — Your heart is deceitful; obedience to God's command, not your emotion or love, is what counts before Him and determines whether your sacrifice is fruit-bearing or wasted.
Time reveals everything and vindicates God's truth — The enemy cannot sustain his mask forever; as you extend perfected patience, you will see who is real and who was never genuinely present, and God's faithfulness will be undeniable.

Reflection Questions

Which season of life are you currently in—frankincense, myrrh, or gold—and how would honestly assessing your season change the decisions you make this week?
What is holding you back from accepting that God is using your current season, whatever it is, to refine you rather than to punish you?
Who or what are you still trusting more than God's voice, and what would it look like to obey God even when your heart says something different?
Where in your life do you lack perfected patience, and what specific area would transform if you could extend grace to yourself and others the way God extends grace to you?
What relationship or circumstance has God removed from your life, and can you now see it not as loss but as deliverance from what would have hindered your future?

Prayers and Declarations

I want you to put it in the comments. "Lord, perfect my patience today." I want you to type it and shout it seven times.

"Lord, perfect my patience today. Lord, perfect my patience today. Lord, perfect my patience today. Lord, perfect my patience today. Lord, perfect my patience today. Lord, perfect my patience today. Lord, perfect my patience today."

Scripture References

Luke 4:18 — "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." (KJV)
Proverbs 25:2 — "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." (KJV)
Matthew 2:11
John 13:16 — "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." (KJV)
1 Samuel (David's life)
Genesis 4 (Cain and Abel)
James 1:2-4 — "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (KJV)
Jeremiah 17:9 — "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (KJV)
Luke 18:1-8 (Woman and the unjust judge)
Psalm 90:4
2 Peter 3:8
1 Kings 13 (Young prophet story)

Golden Nuggets