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BY THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THEM / MATTHEW 7:16

START YOUR DAY RIGHT DAILY DEVOTION

(KJV) Matthew 7:16

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

BY THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THEM / MATTHEW 7:16

False teachers who outwardly appear to be godly but “inwardly…are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:5) can be identified by their “fruit” – their true spiritual character and their effect on others. With time, their fruit always shows what is really in their hearts. The fruit shows what is really in their hearts. The fruit of false teachers will be spiritually unhealthy, and they will produce ungodly fruit in the lives of their followers (1 John 4:5-6), such as those listed below. 

  1. They will claim to follow Christ but will be more loyal to the personalities of men than to God’s Word (Matthew 7:21). That is to say, they worship the creature more than the Creator (Romans 1:25). 
  2. They will be more concerned with their own desires than with God’s glory and honor. Their beliefs and teachings will be self-centered rather than God-centered (Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Timothy 4:3). 
  3. They will accept human teachings and traditions even when those teachings contradict God’s Word (Matthew 7:24-27; 1 John 4:6). 
  4. They will seek and respond to religious experiences and supernatural activity as their final authority in determining “truth” (Matthew 7:22-23), rather than spiritually growing up in the instruction of God’s entire Word. 

They will not accept the true and authoritative teaching of God’s Word but will instead look for and listen only to teachers who say what they want to hear, as if the road to salvation is “wide” and permissive (Matthew 7:14). Jesus says they want only to respond to messages that accept and approve of their selfish interests and ungodly behavior (Matthew 7:13-14, 23; 2 Timothy 4:3).

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Some of our Post That Might Interest You, All Out of the Current Book / Chapter

  1. SMALL IS THE GATE … AND ONLY A FEW FIND IT / MATTHEW 7:14
  2. YOUR FATHER … GIVE GOOD GIFTS / MATTHEW 7:11
  3. ASK … SEEK … KNOCK / MATTHEW 7:7-8
  4. DO NOT JUDGE / MATTHEW 7:1
  5. SEEK … KINGDOM … RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 6:33
  6. IF THAT IS HOW GOD CLOTHES / MATTHEW 6:30
  7. DO NOT WORRY / MATTHEW 6:25
  8. EYE IS THE LAMP OF THE BODY / MATTHEW 6:22
  9. WHEN YOU FAST / MATTHEW 6:16
  10. IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE / MATTHEW 6:15
  11. IF YOU FORGIVE / MATTHEW 6:14
  12. DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE / MATTHEW 6:13
  13. FORGIVE AS WE ALSO HAVE FORGIVEN / MATTHEW 6:12
  14. DAILY BREAD / MATTHEW 6:11
  15. YOUR KINGDOM COME – YOUR WILL BE DONE / MATTHEW 6:10
  16. THIS THEN IS HOW YOU SHOULD PRAY / MATTHEW 6:9
  17. PRAY IN SECRET / MATTHEW 6:6
  18. ‘ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS’ BEFORE MEN / MATTHEW 6:1
  19. DO NOT RESIST AN EVIL PERSON / MATTHEW 5:39
  20. LOOKS LUSTFULLY / MATTHEW 5:28
  21. ANGRY … RACA … FOOL / MATTHEW 5:22
  22. UNLESS YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 5:20
  23. GREAT IN THE KINGDOM / MATTHEW 5:19
  24. THE LAW TO FULFILL / MATTHEW 5:17
  25. LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE THAT THEY MAY SEE YOUR GOOD DEEDS / MATTHEW 5:14-16
  26. PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 5:10
  27. THE PEACEMAKERS / MATTHEW 5:9
  28. THE PURE IN HEART / MATTHEW 5:8
  29. THE MERCIFUL / MATTHEW 5:7
  30. HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS / MATTHEW 5:6
  31. THE MEEK / MATTHEW 5:5
  32. THOSE WHO MOURN / MATTHEW 5:4
  33. BLESSED POOR IN SPIRIT / MATTHEW 5:3
  34. SERMON ON THE MONT / MATTHEW 5-7
  35. THE KINGDOM AND HEALING / MATTHEW 4:23
  36. FISHERS OF MEN / MATTHEW 4:19
  37. IT IS WRITTEN / MATTHEW 4:6
  38. FASTING FORTY DAYS / MATTHEW 4:2
  39. JESUS … TEMPTED / MATTHEW 4:1-11
  40. THE TRINITY IN EXAMPLE / MATTHEW 3:17
  41. SPIRIT … ON HIM / MATTHEW 3:16
  42. JESUS … BAPTIZED / MATTHEW 3:13
  43. WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT / MATTHEW 3:11
  44. FRUIT IN KEEPING WITH REPENTANCE / MATTHEW 3:8
  45. PHARISEES AND SADDUCEES / MATTHEW 3:7
  46. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN – REPENT / MATTHEW 3:2
  47. WARNED IN A DREAM / MATTHEW 2:22-23
  48. ESCAPE TO EGYPT / MATTHEW 2:13
  49. CHIEF PRIESTS AND TEACHERS OF THE LAW / MATTHEW 2:4
  50. HEROD – MAGI / MATTHEW 2:1
  51. NO UNION WITH HER UNTIL / MATTHEW 1:25
  52. VIRGIN … GIVE BIRTH TO A SON / MATTHEW 1:23
  53. JESUS / MATTHEW 1:21
  54. MARY … JESUS / MATTHEW 1:16
  55. CHRIST – SON OF DAVID / MATTHEW 1:1
  56. GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST / MATTHEW 1:1-16
  57. I AM WITH YOU / MATTHEW 28:20
  58. KILL ALL THE BOYS / MATTHEW 2:16
  59. FORGIVENESS OF SINS / MATTHEW 26:28
  60. SATAN / MATTHEW 4:10
  61. DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS / MATTHEW 25:41
  62. MONEY / MATTHEW 6:24
  63. GO … MAKE DISCIPLES … BAPTIZING / MATTHEW 28:19
  64. SALT OF THE EARTH / MATTHEW 5:13
  65. YOU ARE WORTH MORE / MATTHEW 10:31
  66. GUIDED BY GRACE HOME

Thank you for taking the time to read my Daily Devotion
Blessings,
Margarita & Stace

Guided By Grace
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BY THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THEM / MATTHEW 7:16
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BY THEIR FRUIT YOU WILL RECOGNIZE THEM / MATTHEW 7:16
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False teachers who outwardly appear to be godly but “inwardly...are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:5) can be identified by their “fruit” - their true spiritual character and their effect on others.
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