TASTE THE FRUIT – DON’T JUST LOOK AT IT

There’s something amazing about knowing who you are. Like, really knowing who you are. Knowing who you were designed by and what your purpose is and what you are capable of. It took me a long time (about 33 years) to fully understand the underlying truth behind my KINGDOM IDENTITY. I spent a lot of time striving and working and stressing about something that was very important, yet very hidden behind my human intellect and lack of intimacy with Holy Spirit. Who guides us into ALL truth. Sometimes truth is very simple.

One of the simplest yet profound passages of scripture is Matthew 7:15-20. It talks about the tree and its fruit. In verse 17 it says simply, “a good tree produces good fruit.” Umm, like Duh, right? That verse could easily be blown off and dismissed due to its straightforwardness. And for me it was. For years. But if you really look at what it’s referencing and dig deep into its meaning, you’ll find some understanding that I believe is foundational for real KINGDOM perspective and freedom.

What Jesus is saying in that passage is meant to help his disciples discern real prophets from false ones. As Jesus’ Gospel was being spread, there were going to be things that would sound and look different than the way they were brought up to hear and see. As the line of communication with Heaven continued to open wide for ALL who believed, there would be a need to use judgement when it came to knowing real and true prophets. The basic instruction was to judge them by their fruit.

The existence of confusion and misunderstanding was (and IS today) proof of Satan’s desire to mislead and deceive God’s people. You see, Satan can’t stop what God is doing. He can’t prevent the Kingdom Process of FRUIT PRODUCTION from taking place. So what’s his goal? It’s to counterfeit what the Lord is doing. He’ll attempt to copy, and twist, the Kingdom process so that people begin to have a twisted view of what the Kingdom is and what it’s fruit should look like.

For example, qualities like BOLDNESS and CONFIDENCE are both amazing Kingdom fruit that are produced and recognized when a believer has a strong understanding of their identity as a child of the KING. It’s the evidence of knowing Christ’s love. They are attractive qualities. They draw others in. They’re fruit that, when tasted, are sweet and desirable.

The enemy has other plans however. He’s not exactly fond of the idea of Kingdom fruit drawing people together. He doesn’t care much for healthy relationships and community. He would much rather individuals be turned off by each other’s junk and not make an effort to actually experience the good fruit in each other’s lives. So, he counterfeits the good fruit. He injects it with fear. And now, instead of boldness and confidence, we have arrogance and pride. Two qualities that, while appearing very similar to BOLDNESS and CONFIDENCE, don’t invite relationship. They divide. They drive away. They isolate. They definitely don’t invite others to taste for themselves.

That’s what Satan does. He wants relationship to end before it even begins. He wants his fruit to be experienced only once. Just enough of a bite that you’ll go running back to the dark, empty cave that you crawled out of. Hurt. Offended. Turned off. DEJA VU. All while promising you’ll never allow yourself to be drawn in by that kind of fruit again. But, there’s a problem. You see, sometimes the counterfeit fruit looks a lot like Kingdom fruit. At first look anyway. Be honest. Arrogance and pride look a lot like BOLDNESS and CONFIDENCE from a distance. It’s not until you get a little closer, reach out and actually take a bite, that you find out the fruit is good to eat and quite desirable. And at their core is LOVE.

You see, Kingdom Fruit is meant to be tasted. Not just looked at. It’s meant to encourage community. It’s meant to invite relationship. Satan’s counterfeit fruit is designed to catch your eye, make you remember a time when you were wounded by someone who looked similar. Someone who, not being grounded in love or connected to the Spirit, allowed fear to set root and make them insecure with any good gifts they may have carried. So, the people scatter. They refuse to engage again. They refuse to trust. Ultimately, the root of fear keeps them from giving or receiving LOVE.

BUT, the beauty of God’s Kingdom is that it’s King, Jesus, never stops. He never quits. His fruit is always being reproduced inside of His followers. It’s always multiplying. And even though Satan will continue to counterfeit and divide and attempt to conquer, his efforts will ultimately fail. He wants us to judge only by what we see. But YOU are a KINGDOM PEOPLE. You are called to TASTE and SEE that God is good. You are a good tree. Be fruitful…and multiply!!!