Welcome to our new Sunday Morning Service by Dr. Dean A. Banks, D.D. Every week Dr. Dean will be engaging subjects that are pertinent to your growth and expansion into recognition of; respect to; and communication with your inner spirit. Please feel free to comment or suggest topics for review. May the Divine always bless you and your families! ~Dean A. Banks, D.D.

SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE WITH
DR. DEAN A. BANKS, D.D.

"ARE YOU BEARING HEALTHY FRUIT?"

July 30

Matthew 21:18-22 (KJV): “Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Are you bearing the fruits of your life and offering it to those who hunger? Do you spend each day making your leaves look pretty and not developing the content of your inner self in order to bear the fruits of an abundant life? When Jesus encountered the tree he was hungry and the tree could not supply his need. Did he bless the tree? Did he ignore it? No, he cursed it to no longer bear any fruit. Have you not been offering fruit for so long that when the opportunity for you to be blessed comes along that the only thing you have to offer is superficiality and not content? Jesus did not react. He pro-acted and the tree withered away to the marvel of the disciples. In their astonishment, Jesus clarified this event by telling them that they had the power, through faith and removal of doubt, to not only prevent superficiality, but to remove negative content from your life and the lives of others. After Jesus left the fig tree anyone who passed by would no longer be fooled by its superficiality because it was obviously dead and withered. He told the disciples to ask for their blessings in life through prayer in a state of believing and they would receive whatsoever they asked! Furthermore, he earlier warned the prophets to know false prophets by the fruits that they bear:

Matthew 7: 15–29 (KJV): “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

A good tree brings forth good fruit. Do Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly bring forth good fruit? Hardly! They bring forth anger and self-righteous indignation. Jesus furthermore said that a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. If a tree brings forth evil fruit then cast it into the fire. Remove it from your life and leave it to its own devices. Just as water seeks its own level, so will these angry and foolish people reap the rewards of their aberrant behavior. Don’t dwell on it or allow them to rent space in your head! Just as they proclaim and announce their righteousness, they are bearing the fruits of derision and anger. Jesus said that if they heard his word and didn’t do what he said, whether they professed him or not, they would NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A wise man digs for the facts and does not rely on the opinions of others. He builds his house upon the rock. As a result, his house will stand. When a house is built on innuendo, opinions and anger, it will surely fall. Where do you stand? Are you building your house upon the rock? Or are you building you house upon the sands of opinions? Just as the people were astonished by the doctrine of Jesus, be astonished by the fact that Jesus spoke with authority. He KNEW the truth. He stated it, didn’t have to debate it or defend it.

It is important to keep your emotional state pure. Your emotional state affects your conscious control over your experience. Your resultant emotional state will determine the outcomes you receive in your life. Live and embrace anger, and your will encounter situations, time after time, that will trigger your anger. Don’t fool yourself by pretending that you are not angry or happy about something. Embrace your feelings in private and dig for the facts that bring you to that state. If you pretend to feel different, or ignore how you feel, you will create a vibrational state of in your being of acceptance to the things you do not desire. You basically feel powerless. Jesus told us that we HAVE the power to make mountains move! Why don’t you listen to him! Analyze the facts and take the steps to alter your feelings so that they align with the results you seek. Then, and only then, will you begin to move mountains!

Excerpted from the book "Spiritual Growth: Articles Of Expectation." Please click here to order the book:

https://www.createspace.com/3691279

©2016 Dean A. Banks, D.D. All Rights Reserved.