Your Fruits Are Talking, But What Are They Saying?

• Love is selective.
• Joy is shallow.
• Peace is performative.
• Patience is replaced by pressure.
• Kindness is filtered.
• Goodness is situational and conditional.
• Faithfulness is optional.
• Gentleness is mocked.
• Self-control is excused.

We know how to look like fruitful believers, But when heaven inspects us, there’s no harvest to gather. Maybe it’s not that your fruit is missing. Maybe your outward Christianity has just been hiding what’s truly growing beneath.

The Fruits of the Spirit: Evidence, Not Extras

In Galatians 5:22–23, Paul lists the nine fruits of the Spirit not as a suggestion but as evidence of a life genuinely led by the Holy Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22–23, ESV)

These aren’t personality traits or performance metrics. They are the proof of the living signs that the Spirit of God is present, active, and forming Christ in us. The Greek Word for “Fruit” – Karpos

• Meaning: That which originates or comes from something; a result or outward expression of inward nature.
• In simple terms: Your fruit reveals your true root. 

Fruit isn’t what we perform for others. It’s what’s produced in us when the Holy Spirit accesses our inner life. You can fake a gift. You can rehearse a sermon. You can stage a revival. But fruit? Fruit is honest. Fruit is tested. Fruit is grown.

The Tale of the Counterfeit Fruit Stand

Imagine walking into a grocery store and seeing the most beautiful display of ripe, shiny, and colorful fruit. The apples look flawless, and the grapes glisten. You pick up one of the apples, sink your teeth, and nearly break your jaw. Why? Because it’s plastic.

Fake. Manufactured. Empty. You march over to the store owner, holding the apple, offended:

“Why would you sell fake fruit?”

They shrug and say, “Well… it looks good, doesn’t it?” And just like that, conviction hits. Because how many of us have done the same? We look the part. We know the language. We serve, post Scriptures, wear the Kingdom identity

But when life takes a bite out of us? What comes out isn’t fruit. It’s flesh. It’s the the anger when someone disagrees with us, the jealousy when a friend succeeds, or the pride when we think we’re better than others.

Fruits don’t lie. What’s truly growing will always show.

The Hard Truth: Your Heart Determines Your Harvest

You can’t produce what you haven’t planted. You can’t harvest what hasn’t been nourished. And you can’t fake what’s supposed to grow from the inside out.

 So here it is :

• Your fruit is speaking even if your mouth is silent.
• It’s either testifying to you or exposing  what’s missing.
• You don’t grow fruit by performing. You grow it by abiding.
• If the root is corrupt, the fruit can’t lie.

Luke 6: 45 –”A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart… for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

What’s stored up in your heart, bitterness or blessing? Control or surrender? Because what’s hidden in you will always grow through you.

The Consequences of Fake or Fruitless Christianity

1. Delayed Destiny– God cannot release the next level of your calling if your character isn’t cultivated to carry it.
2. Public Collapse– You may build a platform with an image, but only fruit can sustain it. Eventually, what’s fake will fall.
3. Spiritual Stagnation– Fruitless Christianity can repeat cycles, familiar warfare, and unanswered prayers can often be traced back to what’s being cultivated(or not) at the root.
4. Disconnection from the Vine– Jesus said, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” When you live detached from Him, fruit stops growing.
5. Wasted Seasons– A tree with no fruit wastes water, time, and space. God is too intentional for wasted soil.

Bulletin: Let’s Check Our Fruit

Here’s your spiritual inspection. Ask yourself:

1.  Am I Bearing the Right Fruit?

If heaven examined my life today, would it find love? Joy? Patience? Peace? Or would it find offense, anxiety, selfishness, pride, and un-repented compromise? You can’t cover rotten fruit with a “Christian “caption. Eventually, it stinks.

2.  Am I Rooted in the Right Soil? Good fruit grows in healthy soil.

• Am I planted in God’s Word daily?
• Do I allow the godly community to challenge me?
• Have I let the Holy Spirit uproot toxic patterns?

Because bad soil can’t bear kingdom fruit, no matter how hard you try.

3.  Am I Growing or Just Posing?

Growth is often quiet. But it’s real. Don’t ignore if you haven’t evolved spiritually in the last 6–12 months. That’s not warfare. It might be a warning.

God prunes what He wants to multiply. If He’s cutting something off, it’s because He’s preparing something greater.

So How Do We Guard Against Fake Fruit or Fruitless Christianity?

Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by chance, it requires intentional cultivation. Here’s your battle plan against fruitless Christianity:

1. LIVE IN THE VINE, DON’T JUST VISIT

“Abide in me, and I in you.” (John 15:4)

• Start each day in Scripture before social media
• Turn daily activities into prayer moments
• Practice listening, not just talking to God

Fruit check: Does my schedule prove Christ is my source?

2. LEAN INTO THE PRUNING

“Every branch that bears fruit He prunes.”(John 15:2)

• Thank God when He removes unhealthy relationships
• Welcome conviction about bad habits
• See discipline as divine investment

Pain checkpoint: Is this some hardship punishment or pruning?

3. AUDIT YOUR MOTIVES DAILY

“The Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

• Ask: “Who am I trying to impress here?”
• Serve in secret regularly
• Celebrate others’ successes genuinely

Heart check: Does this glorify God or just polish my image?

4. TEST YOUR FRUIT’S FLAVOR

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”(Galatians 5:22-23)

• Can coworkers/family confirm your Christlikeness?
• Do you respond to stress with faith or frustration?
• Are you quick to repent when wrong?

Reality check: Does my fruit taste like Kingdom or the world?

5. GUARD YOUR SOIL DAILY

“Planted in the house of the Lord…” (Psalm92:13)

• Choose friends who sharpen your faith
• Consume content that nourishes your spirit
• Protect your prayer time like your phone’s battery

Environment check: Is this helping me grow or just feeling good?

Until Next Time

“The world is passing away…but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”  (1 John 2:17). 

THE WORLD SHOUTS:   

“Build your brand. Chase metrics. Collect accolades.”

BUT HEAVEN WHISPERS:

“Build My kingdom where the only metrics are love, obedience, and fruit that remains.”   

LET’S DOUBLE DOWN ON WHAT’S ETERNAL:   

Not  your follower count  →  but your  fruitful obedience .  

Not  your résumé  → but your  righteousness in Christ.   

Not  your social noise  →  but your  Spirit’s overflow .  

 “For the Lord sees not as man sees…He looks on the heart.”  (1 Samuel 16:7).

 THE UNSHAKABLE TRUTH:  

One day, God won’t audit: Your platform stats, your bank statements, your earthly trophies. He’ll inspect your fruit.   

“By this My Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and prove to be My disciples.”   (John 15:8).

Until next time, Stay rooted. Keep burning. When eternity leans in May your life roar Christ so loudly , the world’s applause becomes static.   Walk in this truth. The harvest is waiting.

Reflective Challenge. The Fruit Audit

Take 10 minutes this week to ask yourself honestly:

• What fruit is most visible in my life right now?
• What’s been growing beneath the surface?
• Have I been “posing” or truly producing?
• What needs pruning so that God can multiply?

Write it. | Pray it. |Confront it. And let the Holy Spirit transform it.

A Prayer for the Firebrand Generation

We come before You, not with performance but with honesty. We ask You to search the soil of our hearts and reveal what needs to be pruned, uprooted, and replanted. Forgive us for faking fruit.

Forgive us for presenting an image of spiritual health when disconnected from the Vine. We surrender to Your process no matter how uncomfortable it feels. We want real fruit. Fruit that pleases You. Fruit that lasts. Make us firebrands who are not only filled with power but marked by character.

Let our lives speak louder than our platforms, and our fruit speak louder than our voices. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Wrapping It Up

Dear Firebrand Generation,

Let’s be clear:

Fake fruit might impress people, but it never fools God. This is not the season to look fruitful; it’s time to be fruitful. Because, in the end, God’s not inspecting our platforms. He’s inspecting our trees.

He’s not applauding how loud we are. He’s checking what’s growing beneath the surface. So, if your fruit is talking Let it be a witness, not a warning.

Key Takeaways

✅The Fruit Inspection Checklist

“Fruit is the Spirit’s resume not religious performance. You can’t Photoshop spiritual growth. The harvest always tells the truth.” (Matt 7:16)

“Titles lie. Followers lie. Platforms lie. Fruit never lies.”

✅Warning Signs of Fake Fruit

“If your kindness only works for people who can pay you back that’s networking, not fruit.” (Luke6:32-34)

“Sunday anointing + Monday arrogance = A  filtered faith.”
“Bible-quoting without love is just spiritual spam.” (1 Cor 13:1-2)

✅The Cultivation Principles

“Fruit grows in the secret place before it’s seen in public.” (Mark 4:28) “God prunes what He plans to multiply.” (John 15:2)
“Your roots determine your fruits. Dig deeper.” (Col 2:6-7)

✅The Bottom Line

“At judgment, God won’t review your highlights reel He’ll inspect your fruit basket.” (Matt 3:10)

✅LAST WORD:
“Don’t cultivate image. Cultivate intimacy. The fruit will handle itself.”