Thursday, July 17, 2025
Who are those who never Grow or Change?
"Until they surrender their heart, mind, and spirit unto the Lordship of Jesus. Then and only then will they see themselves as they really are. And then they will say Lord I surrender All, change me, make me, mold me into the man/woman You See me to be. Until that day of brokenness comes they will be undone, empty, void of being complete In You Jesus." Karen Puff Rosenkrantz
Inspect the Fruit do not Judge the Destination
When we have been changed into a new creation by Christ in response to our trusting in Him, our entire way of thinking is changed, which changes our responses to life and obedience to Him.
Those who have no evidence of a changed attitude can pretend through changing how they appear on the outside, but still be full of dead men's bones.
Matthew 23:27 "
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness."
Many people attending church gatherings today have resolved to "do" the right thing in their own flesh, but have not trusted in Christ to change their hearts.
Judas walked with the apostles and with Jesus Christ but the apostles didn't know he was full of dead men's bones, a walking, talking liar from hell.
We can walk with someone all our lives and see no fruit of the Spirit in them, even though they are living humanly righteous lives, impressing many people. Only those who are discerning will see they are false believers, but not perfectly, because we are reluctant to believe they are lost because of what we see on the outside.
Matthew 7:15-20
You Will Know Them by Their Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
What is the fruit? Here it is! Not good works but the outcome will be walking in obedience to Christ with good works that He compels us to walk.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
In these last days, it is good to challenge others to evaluate themselves to see if they are in the faith. We need not judge whether or not they are going to heaven or hell, but we can warn them the fruit does not look good.
Those who have no evidence of a changed attitude can pretend through changing how they appear on the outside, but still be full of dead men's bones.
Matthew 23:27 "
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness."
Many people attending church gatherings today have resolved to "do" the right thing in their own flesh, but have not trusted in Christ to change their hearts.
Judas walked with the apostles and with Jesus Christ but the apostles didn't know he was full of dead men's bones, a walking, talking liar from hell.
We can walk with someone all our lives and see no fruit of the Spirit in them, even though they are living humanly righteous lives, impressing many people. Only those who are discerning will see they are false believers, but not perfectly, because we are reluctant to believe they are lost because of what we see on the outside.
Matthew 7:15-20
You Will Know Them by Their Fruit
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
What is the fruit? Here it is! Not good works but the outcome will be walking in obedience to Christ with good works that He compels us to walk.
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
In these last days, it is good to challenge others to evaluate themselves to see if they are in the faith. We need not judge whether or not they are going to heaven or hell, but we can warn them the fruit does not look good.
The Christlike Life is Always Confessing and Being Cleansed
I have met many Christians who love knowing the Bible, but not because they love wisdom. It's because they love the praise of men for knowing it; often, they do not follow what they say they know. They fight against correction according to the word. They even add to and subtract from the Bible to fit what they wish to believe, which elevates themselves. They never listen to rebuke or admonishment to evaluate themselves.
These people say, "We should love others" but lacking humility, they treat certain people as inferior to them as they attempt to appear special. They play favorites to gain followers.
These people violate more of the scripture than they obey when it comes to gossip and false doctrine. They seek to know the Bible to be elevated, not to understand and become wise. Self reflection is not important to them in fact is frightens them. The loss of admiration they think will occur if they admit their flaws and failures prevents them from growing and changing.
These people do not steal, commit adultery or are openly violent, but they are mean and rude as they use covert actions to ruin the reputations of others, flaunt their own perceived talents and personal thoughts that do not come from the Word of God. They quote scriptures out of context, altering God's intended meaning to fit their own desired interpretation.
1 John 3:9 "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God."
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
There are many people within the church gatherings who bring contentions and strife to the lives of others regularly, and are highly pompous and self-exalting. Without love, they attempt to dominate others and judge small matters that are none of their business, nor are they sin.
These people camp on the small matters while neglecting the things that really matter.
Matthew 23:23 "
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."
Sadly, those who walk a false path interpret matters in terms of their own desired beliefs about others rather than what is true. Their sense of control leads them to find fault where there is no fault. They blame others for their own troubles that they cause.
These are those who would rage and lie against us and blame us for telling them they are raging and lying. We are the bad ones for exposing their sin and the story relayed to others is conveyed that we were the trouble makers.
The world is full of those who care more about being seen as special without the desire to be changed by Christ.
The only way to be changed by Christ is to confess our sins and desire for Him to change us. We ought to be confessing and changing throughout our lives. Seeking Christ in all things is the only way to progress in holiness.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We do not do any favors to ourselves or others by coddling the sin that dwells in us or them. God's love in us is always looking for improvement and cleansing. If we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will tell the truth with humility and kindness to restore them and ourselves to righteousness.
May we continually be evaluating ourselves, self-reflecting to improve our walk with Christ. Continual cleansing is a blessing and brings greater joy.
These people say, "We should love others" but lacking humility, they treat certain people as inferior to them as they attempt to appear special. They play favorites to gain followers.
These people violate more of the scripture than they obey when it comes to gossip and false doctrine. They seek to know the Bible to be elevated, not to understand and become wise. Self reflection is not important to them in fact is frightens them. The loss of admiration they think will occur if they admit their flaws and failures prevents them from growing and changing.
These people do not steal, commit adultery or are openly violent, but they are mean and rude as they use covert actions to ruin the reputations of others, flaunt their own perceived talents and personal thoughts that do not come from the Word of God. They quote scriptures out of context, altering God's intended meaning to fit their own desired interpretation.
1 John 3:9 "No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God."
2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"
There are many people within the church gatherings who bring contentions and strife to the lives of others regularly, and are highly pompous and self-exalting. Without love, they attempt to dominate others and judge small matters that are none of their business, nor are they sin.
These people camp on the small matters while neglecting the things that really matter.
Matthew 23:23 "
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."
Sadly, those who walk a false path interpret matters in terms of their own desired beliefs about others rather than what is true. Their sense of control leads them to find fault where there is no fault. They blame others for their own troubles that they cause.
These are those who would rage and lie against us and blame us for telling them they are raging and lying. We are the bad ones for exposing their sin and the story relayed to others is conveyed that we were the trouble makers.
The world is full of those who care more about being seen as special without the desire to be changed by Christ.
The only way to be changed by Christ is to confess our sins and desire for Him to change us. We ought to be confessing and changing throughout our lives. Seeking Christ in all things is the only way to progress in holiness.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
We do not do any favors to ourselves or others by coddling the sin that dwells in us or them. God's love in us is always looking for improvement and cleansing. If we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will tell the truth with humility and kindness to restore them and ourselves to righteousness.
May we continually be evaluating ourselves, self-reflecting to improve our walk with Christ. Continual cleansing is a blessing and brings greater joy.
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