The Proof is in the Fruit

How do we know if someone is walking in the Spirit?  As stated in Galatians 5:25

If praying in tongues is the determining factor, but yet primary prayer is supposed to be done in private (as Jesus said in Matthew 6:6 – But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret), what are we to do?

The word “fruit” is mentioned 207 times in the ESV. “Tree” is found 171 times in the ESV.

Proverbs 1:29-31; 11:30; 12:12; 14:14; 18:20-21

Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise. 

Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. 

From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Isaiah 3:10

Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.

Matthew 3:8; 7:16-20; 12:33-37

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 

You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Luke 6:43-45; 13:9

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.

John 15:1,2, 4-8, 16

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 

Galatians 5:22-25

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 

Ephesians 5:1-10      

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Philippians 1:9-11

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

In 2011, I specifically remember starting a venture of self and God discovery. I’ve heard it said and I know it to be true. The more you pursue knowing Jesus, the more you learn who you are. We live in a culture and society that promotes self-awareness, self-actualization, and self-identity. In general, I am not opposed to these ideas, I just think the world has taken the wrong route in this path of discovery. In order to truly know ourselves, we must first learn our Creator, the one in whose image we bear.

Even though I knew my belief in God was not in question, I began to question everything I believe. Looking back, I have no doubt this was a God-planted idea that came to me. I began to ask questions and search for answers. Why do I dress the way I do? Why do we gather religiously how we do? What does the Bible actually say about patriotism? So on and so forth. Too many questions to list here (and is not really the point of today’s post). I am so thankful for this journey over the past ten years. I know my relationship with and faith in God has grown exponentially because of it.

I also remember around the same time (although I cannot remember exact dates), my pastor began to teach and preach on Thursday nights about Abraham. How God called Abraham to a land he did not know with an unknown destination. The point pastor emphasized was that it was okay, even healthy, to ask God the tough questions and search out his boundaries. Abraham did not know what the boundaries would be of the land God was leading him into. He only knew God had called him and would show him His boundaries throughout the journey process. Carry this over into the spiritual realm. God is completely fine with us asking Him questions and even questioning things we have always been taught. How else will we know it’s God and not just the voice of a man (or woman).

That brings me to today’s scripture reference: Mark 7:6-9, 13.

ESV – And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! …thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.” 

MSG – Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact: ‘These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they are worshipping me, but they don’t mean in. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy, ditching God’s command and taking up the latest fads.’ …You do a lot of things like this.”

It is imperative that we know the voice of God for ourselves, that we know His Word through revelation of His Spirit. The scriptures were originally written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It still today takes the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to understand them.

I’ll end with this. It is ok to ask questions. It is ok to question what you have always been taught. Just make sure you are asking the One who is Truth and knows the correct answer. We go astray when we ask other men (and women) their opinion on another man’s opinion. That is not to say we can’t gather information from others, just hold God in the place of final authority and knowing.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (ESV)

And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.(ASV)

And in no other is there salvation: for there is no other name under heaven, given among men, through which we may have salvation. (BBE)

Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone. (CEV)

Jesus is the only one who can save people. His name is the only power in the world that has been given to save anyone. We must be saved through him!” (ERV)

Neither is there salvation [rescue or safety] in any other: for there is none other name [authority, character] under heaven given among men, whereby we must [necessary, binding] be saved [deliver or protect]. (KJV)

and there is salvation in no other One, for neither is there any other name under Heaven having been given among men by which we must be saved. (LITV)

And there is salvation in no other One; for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved. (MKJV)

There is no one else who has the power to save us, for there is only one name to whom God has given authority by which we must experience salvation: the name of Jesus.” (TPT)

and there is not salvation in any other, for there is no other name under the heaven that hath been given among men, in which it behoveth us to be saved.’ (YLT)

Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one. (MSG)

I wanted to take some time to dig deeper into the Parable of the Sower. I know my insight into this particular parable has deepened over the years. For many years, I thought people were only ever one type of soil and that all but one soil were bad. As I’ve grown in God, I have taken the time to more thoroughly examine this parable and the Lord has spoken to me in it.

Matthew records it as, “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”  (Matthew 13:3-8 ESV)

Matthew then goes on to record Jesus’ explanation of this parable: “Hear then the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”  (Matthew 13:18-23)

Let’s look at the 4 types of soil:

The Path – above the ground, never actually planted in the ground, birds devoured the seeds

Rocky Ground – got into the soil, but not much, immediately sprang up, sun scorched the plant that grew

Among Thorns – got into the soil, grew, thorns chocked out the plants that did grow

Good Soil – got into the soil, grew healthy, produced grain

Now let’s look at how Jesus explains the parable:

Seeds sown – hearing the Word of the Kingdom           

Soil – the human heart

Above ground (path) – hears the word and does not understand it

Birds – the evil one

Rocky ground – not enough good soil to take root and though it’s not explained in this verse, other Bible verses connect a rocky heart to areas of bitterness (see Hebrews 12:15)

Sun – tribulation or persecution on account of the Word

Thorns – cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches

Good soil – BOTH hears and understands

I want to highlight a few points in this parable. Only 1 of the 4 soils never actually took the Word in and the Bible says it was for lack of understanding. The other 3 soils (human hearts) actually received the Word to some degree. In fact, it says the rocky ground heart received the Word immediately with joy. The third type of soil (among thorns) also received the Word and began to grow. However, this soil (heart) cared more about worldly things and riches. Only the 4^th ground (good soil heart) received the Word, understood the Word, and was able to produce fruit.

When looking at this so closely, I’m convinced the soil of a human heart can change with time. I personally believe those who are already “good soil” are the ones who need to help the other 3 soil hearts become good soil hearts.

First step is always to follow the leading of the Holy Ghost, discerning what soil the heart condition is and their level of readiness. In the natural world when soil is not suitable for planting wise planters work the ground. A few ways to do that is – till the ground: remove large rocks and such; fertilize the soil: find rich soil to incorporate into the dry soil; water the soil; make sure it gets plenty of sunlight; weed growth regularly.

We can use these natural world steps and apply them into the spiritual. Both tilling and fertilizing the soil requires hands on work. As a “good soil” believer we can work the soil of a rocky ground heart by helping them identify rocks (bitterness) in their soil, guiding them in biblical principles of how to remove those stones of bitterness. Also, if we are the “good soil” we can work as fertilizer to mix in with the other soils; this is a major time investment. Watering the soil and making sure it gets plenty of sunlight are a bit more hands off, although still involved. We water the soil of their heart by the intercessory tear-filled prayers we pray for them. We can help them get plenty of ‘Son’light by helping to position them in the Light; this can happen through Bible studies for example. As far as those that grow up next to thorns, the only help for that is weeding out the thorns. This must be done lovingly or else we run the risk of uprooting the good plants along with the thorns. Thorns represent a greater love for the world and its riches over loving God and Truth. So, we help those hearts by helping them weed out those cares, helping them to develop a strong love for God. A great way to do this is by loving them with the genuine pure love of God.

Closing thoughts. This parable reminds me of the need to not prejudge anyone. We never know for sure what someone else is facing or what their personal struggle might be (until we invest the time to know them). We need the discernment and leading of the Holy Ghost to know how best to minister to others. And remember, just because someone has rocky soil today, doesn’t mean those rocks can’t be tilled out. Also, remember those with rocky soil hearts are the ones who immediately received the word with JOY (emphasis mine). They want to know and love Jesus! They need help to remove the rocks from their soil!

 This parable can also be found in Mark 4:3-8, 13-20 and Luke 8:5-8, 11-15.

For your consideration Megean Eggert. 1.30.21.

“Lord, truly you are doing a work in the earth right now. You are setting the stage for the greatest harvest this world has ever seen. You said the former and latter rain together would be abundant (Joel 2:23). You said the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. It is Your desire that laborers would enter into Your harvest (Luke 10:2). You have turned the world upside down in a manner of speaking. Let us pursue our part as laborers in Your field! For it is You who works in us both to will and to work for Your good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us, Lord (Psalm 51:10). Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, and heart to understand what you are saying, Lord. You said that those who love You would keep Your commandments (John 14:15). Cause us to demonstrate our great love for You in keeping that which You have commanded us to do. Thank You for what You are doing in our midst. Let us not miss it. In Jesus name we pray! Amen and amen!” ~ Meg

There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty (proud) eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers. ~ Proverbs 6:16-19

If we don’t see ourselves personally in need of repentance, thinking only “they”…we’ve missed it, we’ve completely missed it.