The Lord looks at our hearts and minds and ultimately at what our daily fruit is. That is really the only way to know if a person is a real, authentic Christian or just a fake Christian in name only. How many people do you know who go to church regularly but still walk daily in pride, sexual sin, are controlling and demanding, selfish and mean? Jesus did not like the Pharisees and scribes because He knew their hearts were evil and they simply acted pious in front of other people to make them look like they were godly as their pride was strong. I used to think that people were Christians as soon as they asked Jesus to come into their hearts because that is what I was taught. But then I observed many church attenders (including many pastors or their wives and other leaders) who chose to live lives of sexual impurity, ungodly behavior, pride and wanting to control and emotionally abuse their spouse and children causing much damage. I learned why the divorce rate was so high amongst church attenders was because at least one of the two in marriage refused to own their evil behavior and tried to control and manipulate the other spouse to do everything they demanded with no love, lots of pride and sexual impurity and had evil intentions in their hearts. There are so many church attenders who have never had their soul wounds healed and so are hearing demons every day causing them to behave badly as they never truly forgave people who had hurt them in their lives. So they are not able to change to have godly fruit of the spirit in their lives. Instead they have many of the fruits of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16-26 NKJV
Walking in the Spirit
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
When a child grows up and gets hurt by anyone (often a parent or both parents, step parent, violated sexually through another person or being exposed to porn) then they will hear demons telling them how bad the person was who hurt them so that they will develop anger and bitterness towards them which give the demons legal rights to continue to torment their minds with negative thoughts. If we don’t truly forgive people who hurt us from our hearts then God can’t forgive us and the demons know that.
Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
So the sins that we do or say will give the demons legal rights to speak into our thoughts and give us thousands of negative thoughts every day and can cause us to have sickness, diseases, and ruin all of our relationships as we get triggered and go off on people who don’t do what we want. We will also struggle with fear, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. How many church attenders struggle with negative thoughts (and their children follow suit)?
How many people do you know who are hard to love, mean, lie, are sexually perverse, addicted to sex, drugs, smoking, alcohol – and every one of them has soul wounds from their past. People get hurt and wounded growing up and then hear demonic voices their whole lives. The same thing happens when those people ask Jesus into their hearts except now they attend church and are around many Pharisees who judge them and look down and condemn them for their struggles in trying to live a godly life because so many church leaders are not delivered. They cannot live a life of godly fruit because the demons are speaking to them in their minds every day.
So what needs to happen is when a person decides to give their life to Jesus is to immediately take them through soul wound healing and deliverance. Then they can understand that all those who hurt them were also hurt and had demons telling them to do and say bad things to them. When we can see the people who hurt us through Jesus’ eyes we can then forgive from our hearts which takes away the demon’s legal rights and then we can command the demons to go. Then when you learn to take any negative thoughts captive from the enemy you can actually have good fruit in your life and have a good heart and mind. You will be able to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control in your daily life.
I have seen it in my own life. I struggled to have godly fruit prior to my deliverance by the Lord in September 2008. Then after I could hear the Lord speaking to my mind and then could also discern when the demons tried to speak to my thoughts and learned to shut the voices down when they tried to give me a thought. I was amazed how much more peace I had in my life. And my fruit became consistent with the Lord and Galatians. I was truly different and those around me saw the changes. So many people who have benefited from our ministry of Restored to Freedom have agreed that their lives are now different and they now truly feel like a real Christian as they have the fruit of the spirit in their lives.
Inner healing from our past soul wounds and deliverance from demons means everything. And it can be done in a normal and calm way without weirdness or theatrics. Jesus was not weird – he knew who He was and helped people to understand that they needed to forgive those who hurt them and cast out demons from them. 1/3 of Jesus’ ministry was casting out demons.
So the truth is that the only real way for the Lord to measure if we are really a Christian or not is by looking at our fruit.
Matthew 7:15-23 NKJV
You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
I Never Knew You
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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
People whose daily fruit does not align with the Bible hope that they will get into heaven. People who are truly delivered know that they are a real Christian and will be in heaven. People who are not delivered live worldly lives and have bad fruit and lukewarm souls. There are so many lukewarm Christians who have idols before the Lord (their job, money, sexual perversity, pride, their spouse, religious churches, clothes, sports, social media, power, government, etc.) and what does the Bible say about lukewarm Christians.
Revelation 3:14-22 NKJV
The Lukewarm Church
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ ”
For true revival to happen, people must look in their mirror at themselves, ask the Lord to show them the areas in their lives that need to be changed, be completely honest, forgive everyone who has ever hurt them, humble themselves from their pride, repent for their sin and gossip, and cast the demons out forever and the Lord may want you to ask others you have hurt to forgive you to make it right (especially our own children). When we do our part in getting right with the Lord, then demons will not infect us and cause us to behave in evil ways. We will then have the fruit of the spirit in our lives and be able to love like Christ. Fruit matters. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. How much good fruit do you have?
