Do you really know the LORD?

 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' -Matthew 7:15-23 (NIV)

Before God reached out and got my attention, I thought I knew Him.  In my head, I thought that I was a believer, but in my heart, I knew that I was not in His will.  I knew that I was not saved.  See all of our lives, as Jesus says in this passage, bear fruit.   All you have to do is look at what kind of fruit does your life bear?  My life was not bearing the "good fruit" Jesus talks about, but rather the "bad fruit."  If you are living only to please yourself, then you will bear selfish fruit that will taste sweet for a season but then become very bitter over time and will never satisfy you.  If your life has nothing to do with God, or you do not believe in Him, then your life will bear bad fruit that will never give you peace and joy, and you'll never feel the love that He has for you.   But if you are in Christ, your life will bear fruit that will abundantly fulfill you.  Jesus said that He came so that we may have "life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).  Paul tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.  Do you see evidence of these things in your life today?   When we give our lives to Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts forever and our lives begin to bear the fruit of the Spirit.   If you life does not show any signs of these, you may want to investigate if you really know the LORD.   If you know for a fact you are saved, but don't see much fruit now, you may just be like a young tree that hasn't quite reached maturity for fruit to blossom.  If that is the case,  just keep seeking after God and His will and the fruit will bear in time in your life.

Take this time to test your faith.  The Bible tells us to do so: 

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-- unless, of course, you fail the test?" - II Cor 13:5 

What fruit are you bearing?  If you are bearing the "bad fruit" as Jesus described above, then you might be the one in the end that Jesus says,  'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Don't be one of those in the end.  Check yourself NOW.  If your life is not bearing the fruit of the spirit, test your faith.  Who or what is your faith placed in?  Your works?  Your deeds?  Someone else's faith like your spouse or parent?  Even if you've told others about Christ and have done great works in His name, the Bible says that you are not saved unless you have placed your complete faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross for your sins.
 
Here's the beautiful promise - that when you do completely trust in Christ for your salvation, you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and then those good fruits will begin to bear in your life, and you will NEVER be the same.  I haven't been the same since I gave my life to him September 10, 2007!

May God bless you abundantly today, and may you realize how much Jesus loves YOU and wants a relationship with YOU!