“DON’T LET FAKE FOOL YOU!”

Matthew 13:24-25, “Jesus gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds [RESEMBLING WHEAT] among the wheat…” (AMP)

I guess as a woman it would be considered rather strange that I don’t particularly care for Roses. I don’t consider them ugly, I just don’t possess a particular fondness for them. And to be honest, I really don’t like any one set flower. However, if you really want my heart to sing, give me a mixed bouquet of wildflowers! I absolutely love a bouquet of mixed flowers with all the different shapes, scents, sizes, colors etc.…it just captures my heart and instantly makes me smile!

However, I must share this. One of my coworkers had a beautiful bouquet of flowers on her desk. I stopped by to pick up some work, and there I saw these amazing flowers in a vase. Wildflowers! My Wildflowers! I actually noticed a few more times as I hustled down the hall past her door. I really felt like a flower stalker! I just couldn’t help myself. I would walk past her office, even if I had no reason to, just to take a glimpse at her huge bouquet of the wildflowers I so love. But then one day, I actually put on the brakes for a moment and I stuck my head all the way in the office and told her, I have just got to smell the flowers on your desk. I leaned over and inhaled deeply…needless to say…it wasn’t worth the stop. You see, after all of that peeking, visiting, stalking, admiring, smiling and smelling…I exhaled my disappointment. The beautiful, breath-taking wildflower bouquet was a FAKE! It LOOKED so real, too real, so real in fact that I couldn’t tell they were fake until I got close enough to realize they didn’t have the scent REAL flowers possess.

Which made me think of us, the church, the body of believer’s. Do we carry the REAL Scent of our Savior? 2 Corinthians 2:15, “For we are the SWEET FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST [which ascends] to God, [discernible both] among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (AMP)

You know, those flowers can sure FOOL YOU. They LOOK so real, but they have NO LIFE. They LOOK so authentic, but they have NO SCENT. Just like so many folks who LOOK like they really belong to Jesus Christ, but there’s NO life, NO sweet fragrance of Christ.

Jesus warned us about this fatal difference in His story about God’s Kingdom being like a wheat field. Listen: Matthew 13:24-30, “Jesus gave them another parable [to consider], saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds [RESEMBLING WHEAT] among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants sprouted and formed grain, the weeds appeared also.  The servants of the owner came to him and said, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how does it have weeds in it?’ He replied to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them out?’ But he said, ‘No; because as you pull out the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First gather the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’(AMP)

Just because God hasn’t uprooted the phony weeds now, doesn’t mean He won’t later. In fact, the phony weeds will be first to be gathered, tied and burned. So, don’t by any stretch of the imagination think that you’re getting away with Imitation Christianity. God knows who are His and who are not. He knows who’s REAL, and who’s FAKE (no matter how well a performance or APPEARANCE they put on).

In another place, Jesus describes people who will come before Him on Judgment Day, talking all the right Christian words and beliefs and activities. But He’ll tell them, “I never knew you.” Now, that’s what you call some frightening words! Here’s the Scripture in full: Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them publicly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].’ (AMP) The Message Bible reads like this: “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ (MSG)

I don’t know about you, but that certainly gave me a Selah moment! And that moment took me straight to 2 Corinthians 13:5, “TEST AND EVALUATE YOURSELVES to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. EXAMINE YOURSELVES [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—UNLESS INDEED YOU FAIL THE TEST AND ARE REJECTED AS COUNTERFEIT?” (AMP) The Message Bible reads like this: “TEST YOURSELVES to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. GIVE YOURSELVES REGULAR CHECKUPS. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. TEST IT OUT. IF YOU FAITH THE TEST, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT…” (vss. 5-9 MSG).

The time to realize that you know ABOUT Jesus but you don’t KNOW Him is NOW, not when you’re standing before Him, BECAUSE THEN IT’S TOO LATE! Now, is the time to self-exam and get yourself together! Now, is the time to make sure you’re planted, deeply rooted among the wheat, THE REAL WHEAT, not them ‘RESEMBLING WHEAT!’ If you find yourself amongst the Tares, tear yourself away and get right! Or you’ll find yourself falling in the same category as those whom Christ said, “I Never Knew You!” And pay attention to the text, because it doesn’t say let the Apostle, Bishop, Pastor, Prophet, Elder, Evangelist, Minister, Deacon, Missionary, evaluate you and your lifestyle of faith to make sure it’s GENUINE. No, this is an inside job! “TEST AND EVALUATE YOURSELVES…” YOUR faith, and lack thereof, are YOUR responsibility alone! YOU have no one to blame but YOURSELF if YOU ‘miss the boat!’ It’s too late in the end-time hour to keep FAKING, PRETENDING, ACTING LIKE, and IMPERSONATING righteousness! It’s time to simply get RIGHT and get REAL!

Remember 2 Timothy 3:5, “Having a FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Now, let’s look at this in a few translations shall we:

“holding to a FORM OF [OUTWARD] godliness (religion), although they have DENIED its power [for their conduct NULLIFIES their claim of faith]. Avoid such people and keep far away from them.” (AMP);

“They will LOOK LIKE they are religious BUT DENY God’s power. Avoid people like this.” (CEB);

“Even though they will MAKE A SHOW OF BEING RELIGIOUS, their religion WON’T BE REAL. Don’t have anything to do with such people.” (CEV);

“They will go on PRETENDING to be devoted to God, BUT they will REFUSE to let that “devotion” change the way they live. Stay away from these people!” (ERV);

“having the APPEARANCE of godliness, BUT DENYING its power. Avoid such people.” (ESV);

“They will APPEAR to have a godly life, BUT they will NOT let its power change them. Stay away from such people.” (GWT);

“they will hold to the OUTWARD FORM of our religion, BUT REJECT its real power. Keep away from such people.” (GNT);

“They will go to church, yes, BUT they WON’T really believe anything they hear. Don’t be taken in by people like that.” (TLB);

“They will do things to make it LOOK as if they are Christians. BUT they will NOT receive the power that is for a Christian. Keep away from such people.” (NLV)

Just like those ARTIFICIAL flowers that are so beautiful BUT SO DEAD, it’s so easy to LOOK LIKE someone who belongs to Jesus BUT not really know Him. Especially if you’ve been around Jesus most of your life. You know the words. You believe the beliefs. You try to do the right things. You go to the right meetings. You give to the right things. And, quite possibly, everyone around you assumes you belong to Him Except Jesus! And He’s the only one who matters.

Listen: That “EXAMINE YOURSELF” verse says to make sure “CHRIST JESUS IS IN YOU.” Not on you, as all the “I’m a Believer” symbols like to imply. You know, we like to carry the Bible, talk in church lingo, have 10 titles, 15 robes, 20 crosses, all to LOOK LIKE we’re something we’re not. We’re attending Sunday School, Bible Study, Prayer Meetings, Revivals, Anniversaries, Outreach, and the like and still heading straight to hell as the Non-Believer we are at heart. It’s time we stop “wearing Christ” and actually have Him on the INSIDE. Because truly that is the ONLY thing that will make a REAL difference.

A lot of people simply have Jesus AROUND them, but not IN them because there’s never been a time when they consciously and personally really opened up their life to Him. And I do mean all of it, not just the compartments you feel safe or comfortable in letting Him visit. But I mean letting Him move all the way in. Take your name off the deed to your body, and make it His sole property alone. It’s time to stop having Christ in our HEAD, but not in our HEART. Which means you will miss Heaven by eighteen inches. (That’s how far it is from your HEAD to your HEART). And God says, “It is with the HEART man BELIEVES and is SAVED” (Romans 10:9). You Need Jesus in Your HEART, Not Just in Your HEAD, if You are to Ever Have a REAL, TRUE, GENUINE, AUTHENTIC Relationship With Him!

Look at it like this: One night Keith went into a church…NOT MARRIED. The woman he wanted to marry came down the aisle. They stood in front of the minister. They walked out together, BUT KEITH LEFT STILL NOT MARRIED. Why? Because it was the REHEARSAL. However, the next night, SAME woman, SAME man, SAME minister, SAME aisle, BUT this time KEITH WALKED OUT MARRIED. You see, the first night Keith was just going through the MOTIONS. BUT the second night he COMMITTED HIS LIFE TO HER. Maybe you’ve been going through all the MOTIONS of knowing Jesus. BUT somewhere, you’ve missed the step of saying, “Jesus, I know what you did on that cross was for me. And you’re my only hope. Beginning right here, beginning right now, I am completely Yours! I turn my entire life into Your capable, nail scarred hands!” You see, that’s when you COMMIT yourself to Him. NOT PRACTICE, NOT REHEARSE, NOT GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS, NOT RESEMBLE, NOT LOOK LIKE, NOT PRETEND. BUT FOR REAL! Which means NO MORE going to church every Sunday, singing the songs, dancing, leaping, running, clapping, shouting, praising, speaking in whatever tongues. In other words, NO MORE SHOW, NO MORE PERFORMANCE, NO MORE ACTING AND ACTING LIKE. BUT this time being REAL with God so you can finally be RIGHT with God. Because the TRUTH is, you don’t have any more time to PLAY and WASTE. As cliché as it may sound, His return is SOON. And you don’t want to be unprepared. You want to be RAPTURE READY. With NO sorries, NO explanations, NO reasons, NO requests for just a little more time. You want NO remorse and NO regrets. And the only way to secure that is to be REAL, be RIGHT and be READY!

Matthew 25:1-13, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish [thoughtless, silly, and careless], and five were wise [far-sighted, practical, and sensible].  For when the foolish took their lamps, they did not take any [extra] oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil along with their lamps.  Now while the bridegroom was delayed, they all began to nod off, and they fell asleep.  But at midnight there was a shout, ‘LOOK! THE BRIDEGROOM [IS COMING]! Go out to meet him.’  Then all those virgins got up and put their own lamps in order [trimmed the wicks and added oil and lit them].  But the foolish virgins said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’  But the wise replied, ‘No, otherwise there will not be enough for us and for you, too; go instead to the dealers and buy oil FOR YOURSELVES.’  But while they were going away to buy oil, THE BRIDEGROOM CAME, AND THOSE WHO WERE READY WENT IN WITH HIM to the wedding feast; and the door was shut and locked.  Later the others also came, and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open [the door] for us.’  But He replied, ‘I assure you and most solemnly say to you, I DO NOT KNOW YOU [WE HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP].’  Therefore, be on the alert [BE PREPARED AND READY], for YOU DO NOT KNOW THE DAY NOR THE HOUR [WHEN THE SON OF MAN WILL COME].” (AMP)

For me, this was yet another Selah moment…

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be Left Behind. I want while I’m here to be planted and well rooted so that I may bear good fruit. And when it’s time to go home, I’m ready because I’m certain of my eternal resting place. So, two things need to take place for us. One, we need to be planted and rooted as REAL Trees/Plants/Flowers that grow, develop and produce fruit! Matthew 7:15-20, “Be wary of false preachers who smile a lot, dripping with practiced sincerity. Chances are they are out to rip you off some way or other. Don’t be impressed with charisma; look for CHARACTER. Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A GENUINE leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. THESE DISEASED TREES WITH THEIR BAD APPLES ARE GOING TO BE CHOPPED DOWN AND BURNED.” (MSG); Luke 13:7-9, “Then he told them a story: “A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren’t any. He said to his gardener, ‘What’s going on here? For three years now I’ve come to this tree EXPECTING apples and NOT one apple have I found. CHOP IT DOWN! WHY WASTE GOOD GROUND WITH IT ANY LONGER?’ “The gardener said, ‘Let’s give it another year. I’ll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; IF IT DOESN’T, THEN CHOP IT DOWN.’” (MSG).

WISDOM NUGGET: Don’t take advantage of your GRACE-PERIOD! Get planted, rooted, develop, grow and bear fruit before your barrenness gets you chopped down!

Secondly, don’t put off getting REAL and RIGHT for tomorrow!  James 4:13-17, “And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.” As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.” (MSG)

Today, is your best day to get REAL, get RIGHT and get READY! Don’t put off until tomorrow when you may very well end up among the tares, among the foolish virgins or the chopped down barren tree!

Don’t Let FAKE Fool You, the Time to Get REAL With God is TODAY!

Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #ShareTheWord

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