“A good tree does not bear corrupt fruit, nor does a corrupt tree bear good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. Men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a wild bush. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bears what is good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bears what is evil. For of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6: 43-45
You are a good tree! Sometimes I think we know this but we don’t live like we know it.
The moment you believed on Christ you became a new creature. 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things PASSED away (past tense) behold, all things have become new (present tense)”.
You were given a new nature and are no longer of the corruptible seed. 1 John 3: 9 "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” 2 Cor. 3:18 “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” You are transformed by remaining in His word day and night.
You went through a new birth and became a victorious child of God. 1 John 5:4 "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith.” John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
You were crucified with Christ and redeemed from the punishment of breaking the law. Romans 6:6" knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;”
You are not perfect in the flesh. Your mind, will and emotions are still subject to the flesh, the things of this world, IF we allow them to be. But your new man, your spirit has been made new and in the perfect image of Christ. You ARE a good tree not because of what you’ve done or haven’t done but because of who you have been born again to be. In John 6:40 Jesus said, “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be AS his master.” Are your heart, your reactions, your compassion and love for people, your giving, your works, etc… as Jesus’? Do you know that Jesus said we are to be doing the same things he did and even greater things because we have the Spirit of God in us? Sadly, this is not at all what we see when we look at the church, the body of Christ. Maybe in small pockets here and there but not as a whole. When word got out about Jesus people flocked to him by the thousands. Thousands were healed and set free, thousands came to hear him teach, we read of miracle after miracle. If we are created in His image, filled with the Spirit and doing as he did then we should have people flocking to us, right? They should see us walking in health and freedom, no longer slaves because 1 Peter 2:24 says that "by his wounds we were healed" and John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.". They should see us having a peace beyond what this world knows because Jesus said, “My peace I give to you” in John 14:27. Friends, we have a massive identity problem. We have been deceived into believing that the things of this world are our reality. That if you can’t taste, touch, hear, smell or see it its not real but Jesus said that we are given the Spirit of TRUTH that the world cannot receive because the world can only receive what it sees or perceives in the carnal senses John 14:17. We have gotten SO caught up in the things of this world (social media, free shipping and access to anything and everything at the push of a button, quick “fixes” in medicine and other things, news, television, what our bodies look like, what our friends bodies look like, the newest parenting style, sickness, disease, pain, exhaustion, depression, and on and on it goes). We have completely lost sight of Romans 12:1-2 that says, “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship. DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. You (your mind, will, emotions and physical body) are conformed to this world by reading articles about the disease you were diagnosed with, by watching Grey’s Anatomy or whatever new popular show is on, by spending all your free time scrolling fb, thinking about that person that wronged you as a child and reliving the abuse, thinking about how mean your spouse is or how crazy your kids are. All of these things become the meditations of your heart, many times without you even realizing it. You put on the identity of Lupus, Graves disease, diabetic, chronic pain, depressed, rude, over opinionated, poor, broke, homosexual, alcoholic etc… Every thing you speak about, everything you think about, the people you surround yourself with are all shaped through that filter and as that person. When in reality you are none of those things! God predestined you, created you, blessed you, forgave you, freed you, called you into something so much more. You HAVE to renew your mind. Mind renewal comes by being in constant relationship with the Spirit of God, the Spirit who is wisdom, truth, life and counsel. And by meditating in His words day and night. Instead of articles of disease you are studying the finished works of Jesus Christ in the gospels, Romans, Deuteronomy, etc. Instead of watching t.v. you are speaking with the Spirit, asking for direction, meditating on His word and proclaiming that word over your life, finances, family and body. Instead of talking about how sore you are or how sick you are you are speaking those things that are not as though they are (Romans 4:17) and trusting that His word is true when it says that EVERY promise in His word is yes and in Him Amen (let it be done) 2 Cor. 1:20
When Satan tempted Jesus he started out by questioning His identity then questioned his authority. Luke 4:3 “And the Devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God”. He is always coming against our identity. If he can steal your identity in Christ and make you put on a false identity of the world then he will keep you so focused on a lie that you will not walk in the fullness of God. Think about it, what was the first thought, the first meditation of your heart when you woke up this morning, how about last night and all throughout your day? When you think of your job, your body, your children, your spouse? Do you wake up saying, “I don’t want to go to work, I don’t feel well, I hate my life, I can’t do this, I’m so tired, etc…? Or do you wake up saying, “Thank you Lord that you bless all the work of my hands (Deut. 28:12), thank you that you have made me prosperous in every work of my hand (Deut. 30:9) and that you have established the work of my hands (Psalm 90:17). Thank you that by your wounds my body was healed (1 Peter 2:24) that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me and has quickened my mortal body to life (Romans 8:11). Thank you Lord, that my children are blessed (Deut. 28:4) they obey and honor us and their elders and they receive the fullness of the promise of long life (Eph.6:1-3). Thank you that my spouse and my children have been given the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of you. Thank you that they love and honor you with their whole heart, mind, and soul and that they love as you love (Eph. 5:22-33) Your words and your thoughts will reveal the abundance of your heart and out of that abundance and your words will grow fruit. Do you have people flocking to you because you are a blessing to be around or because you are so encouraging. Are people desiring to have what you have and do what you are doing because they see good fruit in your life, relationships, finances and health?
When your physical body is sick and in pain or mentally you are in pain and your thoughts are constantly on your hurts you are being distracted. Satan has put a flesh identity on you and you have received it. The world will tell you there is no cure, you need to take this medication, you need to see a counselor, you just need everyone to accept you and understand your hurt. I am telling you you need to relearn who you are in Christ. Jesus healed ALL who were afflicted and sick. Jesus willingly bore all your sickness and disease, pain and mental anguish in physical wounds on His back so that you would be free to carry out His ministry. Medication will not reveal your true identity, your worldly friends, doctor or therapist will not reveal your true identity. Your true identity is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the word of God. James 1:22- 25 "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man viewing his natural face in a mirror. He views himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and CONTINUES IN it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in his deeds.” We need to be students of God’s word, constantly meditating on it day and night. Psalms 1: 2-3 “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth it’s fruit in it’s season; its leaf will not wither, and whatever he does will prosper."
Friends, you are blessed and have been made for so much more. Don’t settle in the lie, fight the good fight of faith. Resist the devil and he WILL flee from you James 4:7 and do not give him another foothold Eph. 4:27.