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Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?
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The Lord Jesus is instructing us in today’s verses on how to tell the false prophets and teachers from the true, and there are many false in these days as we grow closer and closer to the end. {Mat.24:11}

True believers in Jesus Christ are those led by the Spirit of God who bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God and cry out Abba, Father. {Rom.8:14-16} While to those who had rejected His word, rejecting Him, He said, ‘You are of your father the devil.’ {Jn.8:44} We are called to test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. {1Jn.4:1} That takes us right back to our starting point; the fruit, either from the flesh or from the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians that there are the deeds of the flesh (very bad) that stand in harsh contrast to the fruit of the Holy Spirit (very good) and they both provide the evidence of who we are following! As we proceed, please remember to test yourself to see whether you are in the faith; examine yourselves! {2Cor.13:5}

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. {Gal.5:19-21} And those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those wonderful things, a gift from God, cannot be created by you or I, or any person for that matter. The Father is the vinedresser, Jesus is the vine, and we who abide in Him are the branches. {Jn.15:1,4-5} But just as when the Lord created Adam and placed him in the garden and then instructed him to cultivate and to keep it {Gen.2:15} we today need to cultivate and keep the fruit of the Holy Spirit!

Love is the foundation of our relationship with God, purchased by the work of Jesus Christ whose precious blood was poured out on the cross—the very thing that defines love. {1Jn.3:16} His love filling our hearts will lead to the growth of all the other fruit in our lives. {Rom.5:1-5}

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

TEST EVERYTHING BY THE WORD OF GOD