Transcription
Every time that I'm around these people, I feel drained. I feel like something's off. Could that be the Holy Spirit warning you?
Well, welcome back to another video. Today, we are talking about how to discern someone's intentions. It almost feels like life has so many chapters. People walk in, people walk out. There's new seasons, new people, new star characters that come in that may appear just for an episode or may leave. And so, it's really important who we spend time with. I've learned over the years to not just look at things in a surface-level way, but especially on a walk with Jesus to test the spirit, test the fruit, test everything, right?
But the more that we're walking with Jesus, and the more that we are locked in on truth and his word, the more we'll be able to spot deception, the more we'll be able to spot a counterfeit, the more we'll be able to distinguish when something feels holy or not, right? And that's the gift of discernment at play, discerning of spirits, discerning whether something is from God or whether something is not from God.
A lot of people care about their image, right? And so, I feel like people have almost mastered language, right? On how to speak in a way that gets them said result, right? So, there's a lot of emphasis on putting out an image of yourself, and there are people that put on a really good image, but the inside is rotten, right? The inside is not pure. Maybe someone doesn't have good intentions with you, right? Maybe it's a friendship, but you never see it because they're always nice, they say the right things, they show up.
When you're discerning more as you walk with Christ because you start to notice how valuable time is and how valuable the people that are in your corner are, you start to become more selective, especially when you have gone through things where the mask has fallen off and you had no idea. You're like, how could I have not seen that person before the way that they are? Very jealous, a bitter person, someone who does not surrender everything to God, right? There's so many warning signs in the Bible just of like these different types of things and spirits that come after come after people.
To be clear, we are all human and we are all flawed in many ways. We need to be selective, right? We need to especially when you are so diligently asking God, God search my heart. Right? Make it pure. Remove anything that is not from you, God. And it's like it can be a very humbling experience of him pulling out all the things that are ugly in you, right? Maybe it's jealousy, maybe it's fear, maybe it's pride. Maybe it's all these undealt with things, brokenness, right? But God heals. He heals.
But there are people in the world that don't go through this process. They avoid it. They delay it. They put on a mask, right? They suppress everything, every emotion. They become victims of life and they put on an image a lot of the times that is not real. And it can be so deceptive. Um and so knowing someone's intention right off the bat is really important. And a lot of the times we do need to rely on the Holy Spirit for this because not everyone is honest or a lot of people don't even know what they're operating from if it's from the spirit of God or if it's from a spirit of hate from um fear or or or this this need to fill a hole in their life. So they're just using you to fill that void in their lives. When really they need Jesus. They need to be pointed to Christ, right?
God calls people to a high standard, especially those that follow him. And so we're all people in process, in progress, and none of us are perfect, but that doesn't mean you turn a blind eye. But it doesn't mean you shut off wisdom and what you should do in a situation. We just need to be wise in dealing with life and people. Saying yes to the wrong people can delay your life, right? It can sabotage what you're doing or God's doing in your life. Um especially when you bring in people that are jealous or envious and feel like I don't know how to say this without just referencing scripture because it's so clear.
It's like when we're discerning if someone is a die-hard believer, right? If they follow Christ versus just saying if they're a Christian. You look at the fruit of their life, right? You don't You don't just listen to what they have to say. There is evidence in the way someone lives their life. And so, we're going to read John 15 and this is such a powerful passage in the Bible. It's very revealing and it's exactly what God is doing in us and is exactly something that you can put in your tool belt to know, all right, I can see clearly. I can see the fruit in this person's life. Therefore, I trust that they are connected to the vine, right? If you are connected to something that's spoiled, the the fruit that's coming from that, right? Hardly bearing anything, but it's going to also be spoiled. And so, what you're plugged into matters and we can tell very quickly what people are plugged into. If someone gossips 24/7, know that they are plugged in to something that is fleshly, that is feeding their flesh and is something that they need to cut ties with and surrender that back to God for God to clean them, right?
And in John 15, it talks about just that. It says, "I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain in the vine, okay? It must remain in Jesus. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. So, if you're the branch and you're broken off, right? It dies. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. This to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."
And so we see this theme, right? Of remaining in the Father. And then we also see in the theme of obedience, all right? As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you that so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this, love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends for everything that I learned from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. And so that whatever you ask in my name, the Father will give you. This is my command, love each other. Wow, this is powerful. Just showing the results of what happens when we remain in the Father. And what it means to love God. If you love me, you will keep my commands.
So you can tell whether someone is truly in Christ and truly humble before God, repentant, right? Someone that seeks guidance from God, that lives and follows God, by the way that the fruit is showing in their lives, right? Are they bearing fruit? Is it good or is it gossip? Is it slander? Is it envious? Is it always complaining? Is it a lot of fear? Is it a lot of pride? And we can tell, we can start to notice. So this is how we truly start to discern who is for you. Who is for me, God? Is this person for me? Well, when they're around me, it feels like they're always competing with me. It feels like anytime that I accomplish something, they try to diminish it or they try to one up it. Every time that I am around these people, I feel drained. I feel like something's off. Could that be the Holy Spirit warning you? Could that be the Holy Spirit warning you?
If you are plugged into the vine, you will bear good fruit, fruit that lasts. Love, you will have love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, all the things, all the fruit of the Spirit. Even in Matthew 7:16, it says, "You will recognize them by their fruits. Every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits."
So if is always speaking some gossip or hatred, jealous of you, there are different things that need to take place in their lives, and that always will require God to go in and help them, but they have to be willing to submit themselves to God. And so, it is super dangerous to be around people that are not submitted to God, especially when they are around you in your close circle, giving you advice, telling you what to do. Are they plugged in to Jesus? Are they humbled daily by God? Are they reverent? Are they seeking guidance? Are they following Jesus? Are they denying their flesh and picking up their cross? Because that is the thing that the world does not do, and the world does not teach you that. The world teaches satisfy your flesh. You do you, my truth. And so, it's different. It's different.
So, you will know them by their fruit, by how they're living their lives, not even just by how they act around you. Yes, that's a very large sign of what's in their heart and what they're submitted to. But, how are they living their life? And how is their life structured? That says a lot and reveals so much.
1 John 4:1, this one is so good. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. How? How do you test the spirit? You take things, first of all, if something is not sitting right with you, and say it's something that someone said to you, advice they gave you, right? Take it back to God. Does this even align with scripture? A lot of the times you you don't even have to spend any more time outside of that because it doesn't align with scripture. And then if it's still unclear and you're not sure, like it's not clearly stated, right? It's one of those gray areas. Gray areas. Then you take it to God in prayer. You spend time with God. I love Psalm 139:23 - 24. It says, "Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts."
So, I just hope that this video encouraged you to really dive deep and know that God has given you the Holy Spirit. All right, to guide you in all truth, into all truth. And so, I pray this video blessed you, and I will see you in the next one. Bye, everyone.