WATCH THEIR FRUITS

DAILY FOUNTAIN DEVOTIONAL GUIDE Sunday, January 21

WATCH RESTEEM AND FOLLOW WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY 👇🏻

TEXT: Matthew 7:15-29

15.“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

1. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
2. Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
3. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
4. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
5. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
   21.“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
6. And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ 24.“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
7. and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
   26.“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27. and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
8. And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching,
9. for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

In our text today, Jesus gives clear yardsticks of assessing the authenticity or otherwise of anyone who says he is a prophet. Surprisingly, Jesus did not tell us to run after every miracle as though from God. The instruction is clear: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves” – v.15. The issue Jesus is raising is about who they are, not just what they do.
These days, all sorts of things happen in the name of miracles; all sorts of human beings emerge in the name of prophets. Let us watch their character; let us watch who they are inwardly. Many of them use bogus words but they have empty lives; that is why they cannot produce a people sound in character because they themselves are internally rotten. However, we do not condemn all miracles and all prophets. Some are genuine. But before we endorse anyone, let check his character; has he experienced transformation? Is he dead to sin? That is number one yardstick Jesus gives in determining who is genuine and who is not. Therefore, be on your guard.

Prayer: Lord, give us the discernment to know the false prophets.