Scripture: Ephesians 5 v 6 - 12: "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret."
It is necessary for us to audit our life in Christ as often as possible to ensure that we are doing that which pleases God and not just something that is a sop to our conscience. We may get influenced with vain words as Eve was in Eden, which affected Adam and then the whole human race.
Genesis 3 v 2 - 5: "And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
So, if we are walking in the Spirit with God, we have what Adam and Eve had before they fell. That same wily serpent with his oily, lying tongue, will try that profitable deception on all the children of God, and we must make sure we are not victims of it.
The Word of God is a lamp to our feet, and we need to keep it shining by reading, understanding and doing what is written. Jesus cursed a fig tree in Mark 11 v 13 - 14: "And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it."
The following day the disciples noted that the fig tree was shrivelled from the roots up and totally dead. Jesus cursed this unfruitful tree and He does the same to anything that does not bear the right spiritual fruit, as the priests of the Pharisees were discovering.
Jesus saw that tares or weeds were growing amongst the healthy wheat and He said at the time of harvest separate the tares from the wheat and throw those weeds into the fire. He is talking about the souls of men who refuse to listen to truth and continue to walk in darkness. He is warning us not to follow them for a very good reason. He loves us.
All religions are unfruitful works. They are the devil's alternative to fill the need for humans to worship God. The devil has a false God for every occasion to dangle before our eyes to distract us and entangle us in things that displease our Father.
The only true and fruitful way is that which our Father created and gave to us, His highest and best gift, Jesus Christ, His Son, in whom He was well pleased. God said, Hear Him! Follow Jesus and do as He did, speak the truth in love, live the abundant life. Not that we live in luxury but in an abundance of God-given blessings.
Bring forth fruit worthy of Him. Be separated from the world and its pretty traps. Be sober, clean-minded, shunning everything that is unholy and unclean, choosing wholesome speech over spiteful jesting. Our character is built on the choices we make.
We may have lifelong friends who mock Jesus and demean Christians as those who need a crutch, or worse, and we may pretend to like it to not rock the boat and be the wet blanket that spoils their fun. But when we have a need, Jesus will look away and leave us to struggle in that pain or loss or problem, because He responds to the way we treat Him.
2 Corinthians 6 v 14 - 18: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty."
Unbelievers, infidels, idols, false doctrines, false prophets, the unclean, liars, fornicators, pornography, blasphemers, unholy, unthankful people bring us down to their level. Or they try to do so because our light and truth and witness forces them to confront their own empty sinful condition and they hate that feeling. It's easier to persecute and reject the voice of truth and carry on enjoying life in the world.
But at what cost? Revelation 21 v 6 - 8: "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
Every time I write this blog I feel the urgency of the Holy Spirit to not hold back but to speak the truth in love, whether it is accepted or not. I may be the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the paths of the Lord for He is coming.
Every time you say Amen to what you read here you are responsible before God to live it and be fruitful in it. He is sending words to you to bring forth fruit for His Kingdom which is people you witness to about Jesus and who submit their lives to His Lordship.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please remove and destroy all unfruitful works from my life and change me into Your likeness so I can be a fruitful witness to those around me who are in darkness. Forgive me for anything I accept in my life that You say is unclean. Father cleanse me with the Blood of the Lamb and remove all pretence at righteousness from me. I want to be a pleasing child doing that which You love. In Jesus' name. Amen.
