Discerning Good Trees and Bad Ones

A bad tree cannot produce good fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit.

A bad tree is focused on the glory of man: movement, momentum, human strength, numbers, roles, positions, leadership... Pyramids.

They see the kingdom as something to be eaten by them. Ravenous wolves dressed as sheep. Headstrong. They present themselves as overcomers, but in the flesh. Overcoming the wrong things and leading others in the same delusion.

A good tree is focused on changing, growing in the likeness of Jesus. Decrease, against the odds, weakness being strength, humility. They see their self as something to be absorbed/consumed by the kingdom. Led... actual sheep. God leads them to be witnesses of Himself... His ability to do a lot with a little... not themselves in His name.

Believers are instructed to be knowledgeable about which tree to eat from, because both trees believe they serve the kingdom. They use kingdom language.. both of them. They tout kingdom banners. They organize kingdom people to do kingdom things...

One to consume, the other to be consumed.

Eating the fruit of a bad tree will make you rotten. You are what you eat. If you listen for teaching that you want to consume, you will perish.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

Those who consume the kingdom for themselves appeal to the part of man that wants to eat what it wants, too. If you don't die to self, you cannot be saved. Ravenous wolves teach others to consume... they sell it, and those that buy it become like them.

If you listen for teaching that leads YOU to be consumed by Jesus and His kingdom, you will live forever.

Matthew 7:13-27 NKJV — “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “Therefore by their fruits you will know them. “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. “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?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

We live in an hour where tribulation, offense, betrayal, and cold love are clear realities. That means many false trees have emerged. To survive this time, you need to discern good trees from bad ones:

Matthew 24:7-13 NKJV — “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. “All these are the beginning of sorrows. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

A false tree makes you feel confident "we are about to win" without calling you to your own death of self. They tell you what you want to hear about Jesus and HIS kingdom in a way you would consume it, rather than sign up to be consumed by it.

A false tree is always gathering numbers, strength, focusing on self... Always the center of whatever it's talking about, though using the name and kingdom of Jesus to make a place, or legitimize, it's position. A false tree flatters others to establish it's position... It consumes the kingdom to find its own identity.

Big promises. Big dreams. Heavy clouds with no actual rain. No change. No growth of the fruit of the Spirit. It will keep moving to find more to consume.

A false tree talks about the war to be waged, but don't let themselves be killed. They encourage others to sacrifice for "the cause" while they increase and protect their own position.

The Bible is clear: Jesus will judge this false gospel with actual saints. Those that change, that bear fruit of the Spirit. That decrease. They offer themselves as living sacrifices. They let the Kingdom consume them, take away their positions... they wait on and forgo opportunity.

A true good tree doesn't make anything happen... They only do what the Father tells them to. Their lives turn out fruitful, but it happens BECAUSE they don't consume what is around them to make something... They let themselves die and be resurrected over and over.

Good trees understand authority as organic and requiring faith, not as a pyramid for them to ascend.

Jude 1:8-25 NKJV — Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior,
Who alone is wise,
Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power,
Both now and forever.
Amen.

Only the Spirit can reveal good trees from bad. Ask Him to help you see the difference and He will. The flesh cannot see the kingdom.

John 3:3-5 NKJV — Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus was the good tree (tree of life) Nicodemus couldn't see because Jesus wasn't a part of the pyramid Nicodemus was standing on. Jesus was of a totally different Kingdom.