If you’re interested in finding the right one, lean in and put this in your spirit…just because they call themselves a Christian does not mean they follow Jesus: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew 15:8).
Just because they say they’re a believer does not mean they aren’t a demon: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James 2:19).
Sitting in a church doesn’t make them saved any more than sitting in a garage makes them a car, beloved. The Bible didn’t tell you to trust every spirit; the Bible said test every spirit: “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” (1 John 4:1).
If you want to find the right one, you will have to weed out the wrong ones, beloved — as quickly as possible. The love you give is not cheap, the destiny you have is not meant for stowaways, and God’s plans for your life cannot be fulfilled with somebody who is cute but full of rotten fruit. Fruit trumps cute, beloved: “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16-20).
“God doesn’t care about them wanting to walk down the wedding aisle with you. God cares about whether or not they can walk through the storms and the valleys with you. Can they resist the devil with, and for, you and will they fulfill His plans to prosper and not to harm you? You see, fake will break under the weight of the responsibilities of love.”
If you desire to share your love with the love of your life, then do not show up to the relationship table afraid to walk away. Don’t let anybody think they can have the privileges of you without the responsibilities of you; guard your heart with boundaries that cannot be crossed, and don’t forget, you are a fruit inspector. Fruit trumps cute and cute does not mean one thing unless they have good fruit to back it up.
Don’t rush, don’t bypass fruit because the words are cute; to test every spirit you have to be spirit-led not emotion led. When the spirit shows you who people are, believe it, and when in doubt, ask somebody you trust who will tell you the unvarnished truth.
Carry On!
Patrick Weaver patrickweaver.org
Reprinted by permission