Month: October 2025

“You will know them by their fruits.” — Matthew 7:16 (NKJV)

Sometimes we hold on to what could be so tightly that we miss what actually is. We pray, hope, and pour ourselves into people and situations — convinced that with a little more love, a little more patience, a little more prayer, they’ll finally become who we see in our imagination.

But potential is not fruit.

Potential is a seed — and not every seed will grow, no matter how much water you pour on it. You keep waiting, hoping, checking back every season. You say, “Maybe next time it’ll be ripe.” But God gently whispers, “It’s not that it can’t grow — it’s that it won’t.”

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” — Matthew 7:19 Imagine walking through an orchard. The trees look beautiful from afar — lush leaves, sturdy trunks, branches that promise fruit. But when you get closer, you realize the fruit is either rotten or never grew at all.

You keep waiting, hoping, checking back every season. You say, “Maybe next time it’ll be ripe.” But God gently whispers, “It’s not that it can’t grow — it’s that it won’t.”“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” — Matthew 7:

When we cling to potential, we often confuse possibility with promise. But God never told us to cling to potential — He told us to discern fruit. Potential will make promises. Fruit will prove them. Choose fruit — because God’s best always grows in truth.

• “For the tree is known by its fruit.” — Matthew 12:33
• “The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits.” — James 3:17

Potential can sound good, but fruit shows good. Potential talks about what might be — fruit reveals what already is. If the fruit is confusion, manipulation, or inconsistency, that’s not growth — it’s warning. God doesn’t want you clinging to what drains you. He wants you planted where you can grow, blossom, and bear good fruit yourself.

Reflections:

*You are not responsible for someone else’s harvest. You are responsible for your obedience.

*When you stop idolizing potential and start honoring fruit, you make space for the right connections, divine timing, and real peace to enter your life.

*“Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” — Galatians 6:9

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for teaching me to see with spiritual eyes. Help me stop clinging to potential and start discerning fruit. If I’ve been watering a season You’ve already called finished, give me courage to let go. Prune me, Lord, of every false hope, every draining attachment, and every illusion that keeps me from growing in You. Plant me where peace grows, love flows, and Your Spirit thrives.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” — Matthew 7:20 (NKJV)

We live in a time where appearances can deceive, words can manipulate, and charm can mask corruption. That’s why Jesus warned us to look beyond the surface — to examine the fruit a person produces, not just the image they project.

Red flags don’t always wave in the wind — sometimes they whisper in quiet inconsistencies, unmet promises, or a lack of peace deep in your spirit. God doesn’t reveal these things to make us fearful but to make us faithful — alert, wise, and guarded in His truth.

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” — 1 John 4:1

Discernment is not judgment — it’s protection. It’s the Holy Spirit’s way of saying, “Pay attention here.” Sometimes we ignore the red flags because we want the story to turn out differently. We cling to potential instead of fruit. But God calls us to fruit inspection, not fantasy projection.

If someone’s words are sweet but their actions leave you bitter, that’s not love — that’s confusion, and God is not the author of it (1 Corinthians 14:33). If you’ve ever ignored the red flags and ended up hurt, please hear this with love: You don’t have to carry the shame.

We’ve all stayed too long, believed too much, or hoped too hard. This is not a moment for condemnation — it’s a call to compassion for yourself. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18

I want to apologize — not on behalf of the one who hurt you, but on behalf of those who should have treated you better. I’m sorry for every time you were made to feel like your boundaries were wrong. I’m sorry for every time you silenced your own discernment to keep someone else comfortable.

And I’m sorry that you had to learn the hard way that peace is priceless. But know this — God never wastes pain. He transforms it into wisdom. Every red flag you ignored is now a lesson you’ll never forget.

Let us pray!

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the gift of discernment — for teaching us that true love bears fruit that reflects Your Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Lord, forgive us for the times we ignored Your warning signs and trusted our emotions more than Your voice. Heal the wounds left by deception, and restore our confidence in Your guidance. From this day forward, let us walk in wisdom, clarity, and peace — guarded by Your truth and led by Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Closing Thought:

“You don’t have to chase peace — when it’s from God, it will meet you where you stand. Stay alert, stay prayerful, and trust the fruit over the facade.”

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you…? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

In a world that glorifies exhaustion, self-care often gets labeled as selfish — but in truth, it’s sacred. Caring for yourself is not a luxury; it’s an act of worship. Every time you pause to rest, breathe, or guard your peace, you’re saying to God, “I trust You enough to stop striving.

We often use this verse to talk about physical purity, but it also reminds us that our well-being — mind, body, and spirit — matters deeply to God. When you neglect yourself, you neglect His temple. Self-care, then, becomes a form of stewardship.

Think of yourself as a cup. If you keep pouring into others while ignoring your own need to be refilled, soon you’ll have nothing left but residue — the bitterness of burnout and fatigue. God never called you to pour from an empty cup. He called you to overflow. “My cup runneth over.” — Psalm 23:5

Overflow only happens when you spend time in His presence. Prayer, rest, healthy boundaries, and joy are the ways God refills you.

Your soul is a garden. If you never tend it, weeds will choke out your peace. But when you water it with worship, nourish it with truth, and pull up the weeds of worry, you begin to see new growth — resilience, confidence, and joy.

Self-care is the spiritual act of tending that garden so your spirit can flourish. Jesus Himself practiced self-care. He withdrew from the crowds to pray (Luke 5:16). He slept in storms. He ate with friends. He knew the importance of quiet spaces — not because He was weak, but because He was wise.

Beloved, rest is not laziness. Silence is not avoidance. Boundaries are not rebellion. They are spiritual disciplines that honor God by acknowledging your humanity and His divinity.

So today, give yourself permission to breathe. To rest. To heal. Because when you care for yourself, you make room for God to move within you — and that’s not selfish.

That’s spiritual.