You will know them by their fruits
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?” Matthew 7:15-16
Here we have Jesus speaking to his disciples and to a crowd of his followers. The Bible states that when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teachings, for he was teaching them as one who has authority, and not as their scribes (Matthew 7:28-89). Jesus spoke these sayings from a place of authority, not just a teaching. We should take from that as well! Who was he addressing this passage to; his followers, in other words, Christians- those who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior and follow him! We, as followers of Jesus Christ (Christians) should be in a place of victor and not victim, a place of power not pity using the authority Jesus gave us!
Beware of false prophets!
“For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will provide great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect (God’s chosen ones).” Matthew 24:24
The word of God clearly states that false prophets will appear! And guess what…they are here! Jesus says, they will provide great signs and wonders to deceive. The main purpose is to appeal to the eye, grab your attention and trick you into believing something that it is not. Jesus goes onto to say… they come to us in sheep’s clothing but inside they are ravenous wolves. Ravenous is described as having a large appetite, greedy, starving, voracious as if they are ready to eat you up! This can be very dangerous. If your mind is not flooded with the truth of God’s word then when something appears to you, looking like it's from God, you are more likely to be deceived into believing whatever it is they are talking you into believing. That person may look sweet and innocent on the outside (like the sheep) but as soon as they are behind closed doors, the sheep’s clothing falls off and the wolf appears ready to devour. Be reminded that the enemy of our souls, Satan, comes only to steal, kill and destroy everything in our lives, especially our faith! (John 10:10)
You will recognize them by their fruits!
What does this mean? Even though someone may appear to me sweet, innocent, trustworthy… how would I really be able to tell? How would I be able to recognize if their concern is truly pure? How would I be able to recognize if they are truly loving others? How would I be able to recognize if this a healthy positive relationship? How can I discern if this person is trustworthy? The word of God and the Holy Spirit will shine light on all truth and darkness! The truth of God’s word (The Bible) and the Holy Spirit will expose the hearts of those around you…Jesus said by their fruit! We need to become professional fruit inspectors! It is vital. If we can not tell rotten fruit from the perfect fruit then as soon as we take that bite…you may find out the hard way! Imagine taking a huge bite of a rotten apple! This apple may have looked shiny, red and ready to eat on the outside, perfect without wrinkle and stain! But on the inside it is rotten to the core!
“So , every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.” Matthew 7:17-18
Jesus not only gives a clear warning but also tells us how we are able to identify these false prophets! Every healthy tree bears good fruit! If you're questioning if a person is a “good tree” you should be able to identify the “good” fruit in their lives. If someone is walking according to the Holy Spirit you will see Fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit is a biblical term that sums up nine attributes of a person or community living according to the Holy Spirit! Become professional Fruit Inspectors! Don’t fall for the outer appearance when the fruit will tell you where that person’s heart really is.
The Apostle Paul writes about this to the Galatian church! He is writing to believers.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23
We are not perfect nor will we ever be! But this is exactly why we need the Holy Spirit in our lives. Allowing Jesus into our hearts and crucifying our selfish desires allows the Holy Spirit to take over and have complete control! This fruit is a result of what happens when we do this! When we lay down what we want to say, when we want to say it, how we want to say it and to whom we want to say it to…then selfishness gets put aside and the Holy Spirit begins to work through you! Instead of cursing that person out, you choose to bless them instead! Instead of talking about them behind their back and telling everyone what they did to make you mad, you have self-control and approach that person in love and gentleness. This is called walking in the Spirit, when our actions, our attitudes and the tone of our voice should match up to those of God our Father!
“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:24
Now lets talk about what the rotten fruit looks like (what the Bible calls works of the flesh)… “But the diseased tree bears bad fruit” Matthew 7:17
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
Ouch! That’s a pretty detailed list! That is the work of the flesh! That is when our hearts are not pure and our actions are not aligned with the Holy Sprit! Many people around you will claim to be a “good” person with “good” fruit but yet if you stopped and became a fruit inspector, what would you see? Do you see them in fits of rage and strife, yelling and cussing at those around them or would you see gentleness and kindness? That person that claims they are trustworthy but yet their fruit shows a little envy and jealousy? You can clearly tell works of the flesh vs fruits of the Holy Spirit, you can probably walk into someone’s home and even feel it! You can feel peace, love and joy! You can sense when the Holy Spirit is near! Single ladies… you need to be inspecting the fruit of men! Are they drunk, involved in orgies and sexual immorality? Are they convincing you to take part of these things by talking you into something that you know is wrong but “feels” right at the time? This is called desires of the flesh! A true man of God will not persuade you or pressure you into something that grieves the Holy Spirit and does not glorify God! Become a professional fruit inspector! They may look a certain way on the outside but as soon as you get behind closed doors, those sheep’s clothing may fall right off!
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:25-26.
This is again…why we need Jesus!
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
We need a tight knit relationship with God! Jesus is the only way to him! It is possible to walk in the Spirit! It is possible to bear good fruit! This is what glorifies our Father in heaven! He blesses those who honor him and seek him! He heals brokenness, he cleanses hearts, he gives us the strength to crucify our flesh and say no to our own selfish desires! He restores relationships and wipes away your sins. He doesn’t hold your past mistakes against you but yet cast it into the sea of forgetfulness! He forgives us so that we can forgive others! This is why we need Jesus! True peace, love, and joy radiates from our lives onto everyone around you! It's not about you anymore! We were bought with a price. Jesus’ blood! He was blameless, he was crucified, he was falsely accused, spit on, mocked and rejected… for what?! For you and I, so that we can be forgiven for our sins (our fleshly desires) and have a chance to live in eternal peace one day with him! Don’t wait… you may not have another day! None of us are promised tomorrow!
Repent today for your sins, cry out, Abba Father forgive me for I have been selfish, I have been involved in sexual immoral things, I have been having fits of rage, I have been envious! Cut down my “bad tree”, my bad habits and throw away the bad fruit!
The Holy Spirit is here now and he has been waiting for you to humble yourself and repent!
Let’s pray!
Dear God, thank you for your word that exposes darkness and reveals truth. Thank you Holy Spirit for showing me the bad fruit in my own life. Lord I repent and ask you to forgive me! Lord I lay down my desires and ask you to take away any fleshly desires that I may be addicted to or hanging onto. Holy Spirit I ask you today to throw away my bad fruit and help me bear good fruit! Lord give me the strength I need to say no to my fleshly desires, help me control my mouth, help me take every thought in my mind that is not of you captive and cast it away. Lord help me remove and cut off every person in my life that does not bear good fruit. Lord give me the eyes of discernment and help me become a fruit inspector. Help me walk in the Spirit with gentleness, patience, kindness and speaking to those around me in love. God I thank you for your mercy and grace! God I thank you that you have forgiven me and I confess Jesus as lord and savior! I thank you for giving me another chance! In Jesus name Amen!
I thank you for reading my blog and I pray that God will continue to touch your heart and mind. I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to lead you and guide you! I pray blessings over you! Leave me a comment or testify to what God has done in your heart! He may have set you free from envy, jealousy or even fits of rage! Sharing helps build faith in those around you!
Blessings,
Betsy Segura
