We Don't Work Up the Fruit

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."

The fruit, not the works, will say more to us than anything else about someone, we discern them by the Holy Spirit in us. I have known many people who say they are Christians, even proclaiming they have the gift of the Spirit, but their character had no evidence of this fruit.

We do not get the fruit of the Spirit by saying we have them, by pretending we have them or even trying to fake them. This fruit comes by the power of the Holy Spirit. Many who think they have them do not, we know because of the anger and rebellion against God's Word that they display on a regular basis. We know them too for their disrespect for particular brothers and sisters who are more open and prone to telling the truth.

No one who has the fruit of God's Spirit will be angry to hear the Word of God, nor will they target an individual for mocking, demeaning or ruining their lives because they don't like what they hear.

There is no fruit in those who are covertly or overtly harming a brother or sister in Christ. Targeting others for attack is evidence there has not been a born again experience.

1 John 3:13-15 "…13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that eternal life does not reside in a murderer.…"

He Changed Us

Christ changed everything when He came and died for us. We no longer look to the Law which could not save us, but to Christ Who has the power to save to the uttermost.

We can obey because of Christ in us, but we will fail at times, we forget to keep trusting Christ even though we trusted Him for salvation, we can be willful and choose to trust ourselves for everything else. When that happens, then God has provided an advocate for us that is Christ Jesus. Unbelievers do not have an advocate with the Father, only believers do.

1 John 2:1-2 "1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours alone, but also for the sins of the whole world.…"

When God's children sin, He does not throw them away, He disciplines them.

Hebrews 12:5-7 "…5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you. 6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.” 7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

God wrote this to believers,

1 John 1:7-9 "…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.…"

Believers do sin, the size of the sin is irrelevant, since God cannot be in the presence of any sin at all, not even the smallest sin. That's why Christ had to cover our sin with His own blood.

We should be growing in holiness, but not all do, this following Scripture shows us that there are those who will barely make it into heaven because they had no works. The thief on the cross had no works at all when he confessed Christ, but he was saved.

1 Corinthians 3:14-16 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"

Sin Was Dealt With Forever

If our past, present and future sins were not taken care of at the cross then Christ would have to die over and over again. When we come to Christ His blood covers ALL our sins, He does all the changing and keeping for us.

Only His death could cover any sin.

Hebrews 9:24 "24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, NOW to appear in the presence of God for us; PRESENT


Hebrews 9:26 "26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He HAS BEEN manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. PAST

Hebrews 9:28 "28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him. FUTURE

Christ died once for sins, that sin for the believer is covered in His blood. They have been changed into a new creation, they will no longer need another covering for later. The first covering is permanent until we go home to Him.

Do You Have the Holy Spirit

I am convinced that far more "Christians" than we realize do not have the Holy Spirit at all. The reason I think this is because of their hostility toward the Word when we use it to correct. Most people are living on the island of "don't judge." They have little interest in seeking God for truth, only in His blessing and the safety He provides, but they don't realize they do not belong to Him and do not have these things.

Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

The Law Does Not Save

1 Timothy‬ ‭1:9-10‬ ‭
“Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;”

Romans 8:2-4 "2 For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous standard of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.…"

Immorality is Praised in the Churches

A couple of years ago I was engaged in an argument on facebook about the "Christian" youth group in Hawaii, that know my daughter's family (she lives there).

The young ladies were wearing bikinis as skimpy as I had ever seen.

They became unglued when I told the women they should not be wearing them, but to top it all off these were the skimpiest ones I have ever seen.

They were playing "pyramid", climbing on top of the young men while getting a picture of it. I explained that this was immoral behavior, my comment was met with such rage it was hard to believe anyone in that group was saved. The youth leader got involved, angry that I "judged" the girls for dressing like this and for climbing all over the young men.


I never would have bothered telling these young people anything if they had not claimed to be believers. I would have just given them the gospel message. Sadly, this is the state of the American church groups and leaders.

The youth leader of this immoral crowd, claimed that I didn't know their hearts. I replied by saying that I knew their heart by the way they dressed. No woman could dress like that in front of men unless they had lustful and immoral hearts.

A modest woman would never have displayed herself like that. Is it any wonder things are getting worse when the youth leaders are promoting sin through acceptance of it.

One of my rebukes had to do with the lack of leadership that would refuse to teach modesty and proper decorum for young ladies professing to be Christian.

Sadly many leaders of youth groups these days are more concerned about being popular with their kids than they are about God's standard. I don't think Christ has much to do with these so called "Christian Youth groups."

I was called "mean spirited", "judgmental" and rude, as well as mocked over this discussion with a "Christian" youth group on the beach in what amounts to their underwear, while climbing all over the young men.

It makes me feel sick to my stomach, that this is the witness of modern church goers today.

Here is how this could have gone, the girls would have seen the problem, apologized for their display of immorality, while the teachers too would be embarrassed, everyone could have grown a little more and changed their behavior to please Christ.

Yes, I guess I was dreaming! Does anyone listen to correction anymore, or is everyone in rebellion as this group was?

Irrational Rage About Nothing

So many people who enjoy prophesy like I do, focus on the big newsy items having to do with governments and legislation, sometimes missing the things that are up close and personal, those family and personal dynamics that are also indicators of the last days events.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."

Everything we see now on the political scene, are present in the personal lives of those who love the Lord. Everything God said would happen in terms of attitudes are playing out everywhere all the time.

The schools, the communities, the political arena, the churches and everything else in between are evidence of the the 2 Timothy 3 mentality, full of emotional irrational responses to everything. I am almost to the point, in our region of the country, where I am delighted and excited when I run into someone who does not act superior, entitled or extreme in their reactions when disagreed with, it is an indicator to me, a microcosm of the world in general.

The irrational responses to a call for morality and reasonableness is too extreme to be believed. The anger that emerges at the smallest challenge is insane, lacking good sense.

What used to be a pleasant disagreement is now seen as an attack, worthy of rage. I ran into this recently with someone in their forties, this person raged in anger when I suggested that God defends, and is for Israel. I was calm, everything was respectful, but the anger that emerged was unreasonable, not commensurate with the tone of the discussion.

Rage and anger is the new standard for controlling discussion these days. It tends to shut everyone down to avoid further escalating warfare. And, it does feel like a war when a simple innocent statement is treated like it is a bomb launcher. This rage is automatic with people who hate to be told they could be wrong. The self exaltation is so strong that even the slightest disagreement is seen as a personal attack.

Can we spell: Completely Irrational!