“Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?” And he answered and said to him, “Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.” Luke 13:6-9.
The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God says:
Do not be too quick to give up on someone who is living in a lifestyle that is contrary to My Word. My Son called them weeds in His parable of the weeds and the wheat, and this is what He taught you, “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares (a weed resembling wheat) among the wheat and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also (they bore no fruit, you will know people by their fruit). The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? From where then does it have tares?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’ Matthew 13:24-30.
When John and James wanted My Son to rain down fire on a town that would not receive Him, He told them they were of the wrong spirit for He had come to saves lives and not destroy them. I did not send Him into the world to condemn it but to save it. And that should be your mission too. There does come a point where you need to move on, however. My Son taught you how to act with unfruitful, sinful lives and when to move on. Listen, “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9.
Do not berate but educate. It may be the person who is living a sinful lifestyle has no foundation in My Word on which to grow and when you pull out the weeds in them there is nothing left but a void and darkened world where all they hung onto, unfruitful though it be, is gone, and they seek something to fill that void, and if they have never tasted the goodness of My Word, it could be that the last state of the person ends up worse than the first. My Son told you about that pitfall too, “When the unclean spirit goes out of the man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” Luke 11:24-26.
But I ask you to dig around and fertilize so that the unfruitful one can begin to bear fruit that endures. The wondrous fruit of the Holy Spirit which is so sweet and lovely. But at first, they will not want that fruit because, like Eve, they have tasted of forbidden fruit that brought death to their spirit and dreams but appealed to their flesh, lusts, self-focus and self-indulgence. And now the flesh rules them with an iron rod and they think that is their happiness. But it makes them miserable and everyone around them is poisoned by their bitter root that tries to choke out the wheat in the field. But very often they act as sweet and lowly as wheat so they can get what they want from you. But do not be stopped by their accusations and tears, continue to dig and fertilize.
And how do you do that? With a meek and gentle spirit but with firmness of purpose to speak the truth to them in love. Rescue them from the flames of hell. This is true love. You must introduce them to My Word. Show them stories in the Bible that are pure and yet tell of the greatest of sins and reveal them for what they are, while maintaining dignity of the person. Such the story of Rahab the harlot, David, Solomon, and then pure love stories like Isaac and Rebekah, and Boaz and Ruth. The parables of Jesus. The Gospel of John and the Book of Ephesians. The miracle healings. The prayers and lifestyle teachings of Paul. Show how some fell and caused evil to generations by their self-indulgence. Speak of impending judgment and the futility of a life filled with nothing but serving the desires of the flesh. But tread lightly with the motive of compassion and a desire to see them holy, blameless and free.
Cast all care on Me. You plant and water, but I give the growth. Put My Word to work in them by planting it continually in subtle ways. Referring all matters back to Me.
I am not slow about My promise, as some count slowness, but am patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.
But ultimately, as hard as it may be, there will come a time when wheat and tares are separated and you do not want to be so tangled up with the tares that you are swept away with them. Do not yoke yourself with an unbeliever. Like happened to Jonathan because, though he was righteous, he refused to unhook from his father, Saul, and went down with him when he should have reigned as one of David’s mighty men. His refusal to separate from his father Saul, though he knew his father was acting wrongfully towards David, cost him his life and his destiny. He was saved but what he did with his life cost him a great deal. And his father was not grateful. He tried to kill him once when, even though Jonathan had won a great victory for the army of Israel just about single-handed, Jonathan unknowingly defied his father’s order not to eat all day and took some honey that he found. His fellow soldiers had to save him from Saul’s selfish wrath. Be careful to whom you give your loyalty. And Samson stayed loyal to Delilah, though he knew his relationship with her was sinful and contrary to My Word. He gave her all his heart. It cut short his life. And think of the Eli, the High Priest, though I warned him and warned him, he refused to chastise his sons and separate from them and he went down with them. “Depart, depart, go out from there, touch nothing unclean; go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. But you will not go out in haste, nor will you go as fugitives; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” Isaiah 52:11-12.
Paul told the believers in Corinth not to associate with their member living in open sins and put him out of the assembly. They did this with so much zeal that they did not want to let him back in when he repented and left the sinful life he had embraced. Paul told them to receive him back with love. And I tell you to love your enemies, pray for your persecutors, to do good to those who hate you, to go the extra mile with those who press you into service, but why? So that you might win them to Christ when they see the goodness in your actions and find that I am the source of your light and strength. As My child you must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps I may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
I love you. I know you want to please Me in all things and I will help you by My Word, I send My Word to heal you and deliver you from all destruction. So preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:17-25.