A Tree Is Known By Its Fruits

Every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year, people reveal who they are by the fruits of their lives. The way people live their lives shows who they really are. Let no one ever deceive you that they are ‘good’ if their lives testify otherwise. A tree is known by its fruits.

To know who a person really is, you just have to listen to their words, watch their actions, observe their attitudes, be keen on how they treat other people, and take a close look at how they live their lives. If we took time to really discern the fruits of people’s lives, then we would avoid a lot of trouble that we normally find ourselves in.

Do not be deceived by external appearances, anyone can put on a false appealing external appearance.

Just because a person has good looks, or they dress well, or they live in a well-to-do neighborhood in a beautiful house, or seem to have a picture-perfect family, or seem to have a good job, or seem to travel around the world; such things and many more do not mean that the person is living a life pleasing to God. Such things can actually point to a person with a love for the world.

This does not mean that people who are blessed in such ways are worldly, but there are certainly many worldly people who live extravagant lifestyles and whose only concern is going after worldly riches and everything else that the world has to offer.

A good tree bears good fruits and a bad tree bears bad fruits.

You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them. Matthew 7:16–20.

A tree is known by its fruits. There is no other way around this truth. If the fruit of a person’s life is bad, then do not sit around that person and allow them to try and convince you that they are a good tree. That is not so.

So many times we observe the bad fruits of people’s lives yet try to explain away the bad we see. We try to give all the excuses about why those people are the way they are.

We say they are good people and are only behaving the way they do because of what they are going through or because of what they have gone through in life. This is why many people end up being deceived. Instead of seeing the person they are dealing with for who that person really is, they explain away what they see and justify the continued unrepentant sin in the other person. With time, they end up being pulled down because of ignoring the bad character they saw in the other person.

Be not deceived: evil companions corrupt good morals. I Corinthians 15:33.

Be careful, not everything is as it seems. Do not be carried away by people’s flattery.

Many people know how to mask their real selves and will only show you what they want you to see. If you are not careful, the enemy will craftily and cunningly enter your life to kill, steal, and destroy. A tree is known by its fruits.

Just because a person goes to church does not mean that they are born again. Just because a person preaches on the pulpit does not mean that they are true men or women of God. Just because a person looks good and knows how to dress well does not mean that their hearts are clean.

Just because a person knows how to use sweet words on you and seems to know how to treat you well does not mean that they are doing it for the right reasons and it does not mean that is how they usually are; they may be doing that to get something from you, and as soon as their goals are achieved, they will change colors like a chameleon and you will be left wondering if that is the same person that you were dealing with before.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8.

Do not be led by emotions, be led by the Spirit of God. Only when you are Spirit-led will you be able to discern truth from a lie.

The enemy knows how to give counterfeits that resemble the real thing so closely that one has to be very close to God to identify the lie for what it really is. Surrender your all to God and desire only what God desires for you. Stop being carried away by every nice thing that comes up or by every nice appearing person. If you are easily swayed about, that means you are not grounded on the Word of God.

If a person claims to love God yet lives a worldly life, then their lifestyle tells you where their hearts are. If a person dresses in an indecent manner, uses vulgar words, is sexually immoral, is an abuser, is after the trends and pleasures of this world, is proud and full of themselves, is after fame, recognition, and people’s approval; if the fruits of a person’s life are such things and other such like things, then that tells you who that person is. A tree is known by its fruits.

No matter what such a person is claiming to be, if the fruits of their lives show otherwise, then believe what the fruits are telling you. Do not allow people to convince you otherwise if the fruits that they are producing are consistently bad.

Either make a tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. O generation of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. Matthew 12:33–35.

Blessings.

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Originally published at https://www.vickysforum.com on February 8, 2022.