Sin & Fruit

This has been a week of really looking at the sinful nature of humankind and the fruit of the Spirit that is manifested in those that love the Lord.
John 15:5 says, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit..." and Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruits of the Spirit. It says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self control..."
When you encounter someone who professes Christ, and you see all these fruits in them, you can have a pretty good idea that they are probably telling the truth. But what if someone says they are born again and they don't?
I John 1:6 & 8 say, "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" and "If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us."
Galatians 5:19-20 says, "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissentions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
I have encountered someone this week, who in three separate incidents, was guilty of the above items listed in red. This person professes to be a Christian, but shows no fruit of the Spirit; rather this person's entire existence consists of "impurity, idolatry, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissentions, factions, and envying". Love is withheld, joy does not exist, peace is absent from the heart, mind and household, and patience is left at the door to be picked back up in the morning and taken to work. Kindness is only extended with the expectation of something in return and goodness the same. Gentleness is never around; there is no soft place to fall. And lastly, there is no self control when it comes to emotion, finances and even eating. Every possession is an idol to not be touched or damaged; the house cannot be truly lived in. Outbursts of anger are frequent, which causes enmity, strife, disputes, and dissentions. There is a jealousy and envy for those who seem to have it all, and so the goal is to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak.
The hardest thing of all is that there seems to be no way, but through prayer, to help to change this. Satan has deceived and blinded this person for over 50 years and there seems to be no solution. Proverbs 28:25-26 reads, "An arrogant man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." No one is treated with respect, no one has a right to their own opinion, everyone is wrong if they do not think the same way, or they are not allowed to think for themselves, and everyone else is to blame for all mistakes made. This person is the royalty and everyone else the servants. There is no forgiveness for mistakes; grudges are held and old mistakes brought back up.
I say all this not to gripe, but to remind those who read this to examine yourself - do you show the fruits of the Spirit, or do you reflect the deeds of the flesh? Are you arrogant or are you humble? Are you begrudging or forgiving? Do you truly know the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you truly given your heart and life to Him? If you love Him, you will obey Him - you will show the fruits of the Spirit, you will be humble and forgiving. Ask Him now to come into your heart and life and change you. Believe in your heart, not in your head, that He died on the cross to take the punishment for your sins, and that He is alive today, reigning in Heaven. See if He does not change your life. You will not be without challenges, and you will sin over and over, but His forgiveness is farreaching and forever. Christ will be there for you and whatever you do.

In His Love,
Jen