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?
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 is not work; it is the character qualities of Christ that only those who are born again can discern. Works do flow out of this, and a lifestyle does flow from it, but the fruit is separate from works. Even evil people can do good works this is not the evidence that they are born again and have been transformed by Christ.
1 John 3:9 "No one who has been born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God."
Believers do sin at times and must confess it to be cleansed. It is in confessing and the regret that we have offended God that leads to Spiritual growth.
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 only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."
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."
James 3:2 "We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body."
As someone once said, "Christians are not sinless, but we do sin less.", Because we hate sin and want to walk in righteousness, we are in a battle with the flesh. Those who are not saved do not battle the flesh; they make excuses, pretend they did nothing wrong, and even blame others for their sin.
1 John 3:7 "Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous."
Many "Christians" do not practice sin on the outside that others can see, but they hold grudges, and they treat with disrespect anyone who will challenge them about their misdeeds and offenses. They use covert rudeness to be able to deny their offensive attitudes.
Unsaved people who have not been transformed by Christ but are very familiar with church speak learn to hide the big sins and use covert rudeness and haughtiness to control the emotions of others. They think as long as they can deny what they said or did it lets them off the hook and even justifies them.
Romans 6:12-13 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. / Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness."
Titus 2:11-12 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone. / It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age,"
Ephesians 6:12 "12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Our struggle is constant until God takes us home. Those who do not struggle have never been born again; they simply deny and justify their sin.
Romans 12:9 "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good."
Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate."
Sunday, May 10, 2026
Saturday, May 9, 2026
Follow Christ not Worldly Psychology
Once again, psychology gets it wrong when it proclaims that "hurt people hurt people." It is irrational and devilish to use this as an excuse.
I know many people who were deeply hurt by others who treat others better because they hate hurting people.
Hurting others is a choice. Anyone who harms others because they were hurt is exacting revenge on those who never harmed them. It is irrational to harm those who never harmed us. Even revenge against those who hurt us is against God.
Luke 6:27-28 "27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Psychology says we are to forgive those who are not repentant for our own sake, but we don't have to remain friends. This too is foolishness. We are to forgive when someone confesses in order to restore a relationship.
Luke 17:3-5 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”…"
Psychology says, "believe in yourself, trust in yourself", when God says to trust in Him alone.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.…"
Psychology says people are basically good, which is total nonsense. If this were true, there would be no crime in the world.
God says, Jeremiah 17:9 " 9The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
Psychology says it is child abuse to use physical discipline to train a child. But God said; Proverbs 13:24 "24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently."
Many things we were taught over the years about life came from Freudian psychology directly contrary to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Freud sought to discount and disprove God; in so doing, he created a belief system opposite of the principles of God. It caused many people to do the easy thing instead of the right thing. It caused people to place their trust in feelings and reactions instead of good scriptural sense.
Isn't it time to re-evaluate everything secular religion taught us and begin praying for wisdom from God to retrain ourselves to think with the mind of Christ?
I know many people who were deeply hurt by others who treat others better because they hate hurting people.
Hurting others is a choice. Anyone who harms others because they were hurt is exacting revenge on those who never harmed them. It is irrational to harm those who never harmed us. Even revenge against those who hurt us is against God.
Luke 6:27-28 "27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
Psychology says we are to forgive those who are not repentant for our own sake, but we don't have to remain friends. This too is foolishness. We are to forgive when someone confesses in order to restore a relationship.
Luke 17:3-5 "…3 Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”…"
Psychology says, "believe in yourself, trust in yourself", when God says to trust in Him alone.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.…"
Psychology says people are basically good, which is total nonsense. If this were true, there would be no crime in the world.
God says, Jeremiah 17:9 " 9The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
Psychology says it is child abuse to use physical discipline to train a child. But God said; Proverbs 13:24 "24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently."
Many things we were taught over the years about life came from Freudian psychology directly contrary to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Freud sought to discount and disprove God; in so doing, he created a belief system opposite of the principles of God. It caused many people to do the easy thing instead of the right thing. It caused people to place their trust in feelings and reactions instead of good scriptural sense.
Isn't it time to re-evaluate everything secular religion taught us and begin praying for wisdom from God to retrain ourselves to think with the mind of Christ?
Friday, May 8, 2026
Traditions of Men are Often Irrational Thinking
Have you ever found yourself questioning everything you were taught because those who taught it were inconsistent and chaotic?
The men of cultural tradition begin to appear foolish. God reveals that their rules and ideas were never given by God; their chaotic, irrational thinking has no Biblical support.
When we compare God's Word with what the culture believes, we find that more things are unreasonable and senseless. We cannot trust our cultural traditions when we become born again.
1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment."
What most people say and do is based on their cultural thinking and not on the principles given to us by God.
John 14:17 "the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you."
Romans 8:7 "because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so."
Jude 1:19 "These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit."
When we place our trust in Christ, we will not be accepted by the world and that means most people.
The men of cultural tradition begin to appear foolish. God reveals that their rules and ideas were never given by God; their chaotic, irrational thinking has no Biblical support.
When we compare God's Word with what the culture believes, we find that more things are unreasonable and senseless. We cannot trust our cultural traditions when we become born again.
1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment."
What most people say and do is based on their cultural thinking and not on the principles given to us by God.
John 14:17 "the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you."
Romans 8:7 "because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so."
Jude 1:19 "These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit."
When we place our trust in Christ, we will not be accepted by the world and that means most people.
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