“So if the tree is good, it will produce good fruit; but if the tree is bad, it will bear only rotten fruit and it deserves to be cut down and burned. “Constantly be on your guard against phony prophets. They come disguised as lambs, appearing to be genuine, but on the inside they are like wild, ravenous wolves! You can spot them by their actions, for the fruits of their character will be obvious. You won’t find sweet grapes hanging on a thorn bush, and you’ll never pick good fruit from a tumbleweed.
Look at the obvious fruit of their lives and ministries, and then you’ll know whether they are true or false.””
Matthew 7:15-20 TPT https://www.bible.com/bible/1849/mat.7.15-20.tpt
What stood out to me in this was the confirmation of “phony” prophets.
God already knows our heart, and I realized that, that night I was so angry. (Last post)
I realize it again today.
When we agree that He knows, (our thoughts and attitudes) and ask Him to help us change our minds, He will Grace us to produce the fruit that only He can cultivate.
In myself, I didn’t have the power to keep my mouth shut.
Talking is my thing.
And when placed in God’s hands, that’s Good,
but
In the flesh-
it’s another story.
I can do some major damage, or should I say, I have done some major damage with my mouth.
Life and death are in the power of our tongue, and-
We can build or we can destroy with it.
We also have to remember in all of this, that we are never facing off with people.
Evil is the motivation behind people-
and we can even be the one being led by it at times.
Look at Peter that day when Jesus had to rebuke Him.
He was being led by Satan, trying to get Jesus to “consider himself”.
| And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. |
| 32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. |
| 33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. Mark 8:31-33 |
Isn’t that exactly what he does to us.
That sultry whisper.. “you don’t deserve this.”
The crazy thing is, Jesus really didn’t deserve it.
He had done nothing wrong. He was Sinless.
But He wasn’t counseling with His flesh as to how it felt about it,
and He didn’t need someone else trying to get Him to.
His only focus was LOVING us back to the Father.
And That should be our focus as well.
We have the Authority, and the Ability to Overcome evil with Good, just like Jesus, because He has made this new Root system inside of us.
I had to choose to listen that night, and shut my mouth, in order to bear that righteous fruit.
“But what if I do and I’m taken advantage of?”
You may be asking.
God then goes on to say, that when a man’s ways please the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with Him-
and I can Testify to that.
In Him, we Always win.
And Because He’s Already Won-
we are just defending the Title…
We are enforcing the Law of Love in His stead today.
The Only Perfect One lives in us,
and
He wants to live through us,
to each other.
We may hinder that sometimes, by allowing our emotions to lead us instead of His Spirit-
But Praise God, when We do listen, we will bear His Fruit and Bring Glory to His Name.
And Not that fake fruit that we conjure up on our own, either,
by being phony prophets…..
(acting like we have together what we don’t)
but the lasting kind…..
the real with God kind,
produced by Grace,
that draws the world to Jesus.
ThankFully Restored 