Matthew 13:24-25 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
With so much disinformation and so many voices speaking into our lives, people often ask for my thoughts on who to trust and what to believe. In light of that, I believe it’s time to step into a deeper kind of discernment — becoming what I would call a fruit inspector. This series is born out of that burden: to learn how to recognize the difference between the wheat and the tares.
Yeshua (Jesus), when asked about the events leading up to His return, did not begin with wars, disasters, or global upheaval. His first warning was simple and direct: “Take heed that no man deceive you.” That alone tells us something profound. The greatest danger in the last days is not just what is happening around us — it is the deception that can grow among us. Yet Yeshua did not leave us vulnerable. He gave us a clear way to see through deception: by inspecting fruit. When we learn to recognize fruit, we gain the ability to discern the times with clarity and confidence. That is the foundation we begin with.
Yeshua introduces the parable with a striking image: a man sowing good seed into his field. Everything begins as it should — intentional, pure, and full of promise. But then, under the cover of night, while men slept, an enemy comes and sows tares among the wheat. The field is not abandoned; it is infiltrated. The issue is not the absence of good seed, but the presence of a second, corrupt seed planted alongside it.
In the natural world, the plant Yeshua refers to as a tare is widely believed to be darnel, sometimes called poison wheat. What makes this plant so dangerous is not just its toxicity, but its resemblance. In its early stages, darnel looks almost identical to wheat. The leaves are similar, the growth pattern mirrors it, and to the untrained eye, there is no clear distinction. Ancient farmers understood this well. In fact, sowing darnel into another man’s field was considered such a destructive act that it was addressed in Roman law. The enemy did not need to destroy the field outright — he only needed to corrupt it from within.
This is the heart of what Yeshua is revealing. Both seeds grow in the same soil. Both are exposed to the same conditions. Both develop side by side. Yet their origin is entirely different. Later, Yeshua makes it clear: the wheat represents the children of the Kingdom, while the tares represent the children of the wicked one. This is not merely a parable about agriculture — it is a revelation of two spiritual realities unfolding simultaneously in the earth.
This truth carries weight, especially in the hour we are living in. Not everything growing in God’s field came from God’s seed. Not every voice that sounds right is rooted in truth. Not everything that appears genuine carries life within it. There is a parallel growth happening—truth and deception, light and darkness — maturing together until the time of harvest.
This is why discernment cannot be superficial. In the early stages, wheat and tares cannot be distinguished by appearance alone. You cannot rely on charisma, gifting, influence, or presentation. These things can be mimicked. The only reliable measure is fruit. Wheat will eventually produce life-giving grain, while the tare will reveal its nature in what it produces.
So we come back to the words of Yeshua: “Take heed that no man deceive you.” This is not a call to fear — it is a call to awareness. It is an invitation to move beyond surface-level perception and into Spirit-led discernment. The Lord is not asking His people to be suspicious of everything, but to be discerning in everything.
Beloved, this is the hour to awaken. The field is full, and the voices are many, but God has given His people the ability to see clearly. The Spirit of Truth is present, and the fruit is visible to those who will look. This is the time to sharpen your discernment, to test what you hear, and to refuse to be moved by appearance alone. Do not be swayed by influence or drawn in by what merely resembles truth. Look deeper. Look for the fruit. Because those who learn to discern between the wheat and the tares will not be shaken in the days ahead. They will stand with clarity, walk in truth, and be ready for the harvest that is coming.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]Yesterday was a big day for us, but especially for baby Obi. He was circumcised in the presence of our friends and family (many of them not believers) at our congregation in Tel Aviv. We had the chance to share about the false report we got concerning Obi's health and how the doctors told us to abort him early on. I tied in the faith that Abraham must have had, especially concerning circumcision. There may not have been a dry eye in the house. Thank you, God!
What a week we've been having! We're getting ready to fly to the States for a much needed time, to see our families and to share what's going on here in the Land. Along with all the hustle and bustle of packing, running loads of errands and training a new volunteer, we just got word that the airport employees have begun a strike and customers have not been able to get on their flights all day. Not only that, we've been having computer problems galore! As the saying goes -- when it rains it pours!
I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot?
Many times, our unbelieving family and coworkers -- society in general, can make us feel small and inferior -- like second class citizens -- because we are Christians. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line, somehow, we begin to believe it! We become what I like to call "mopey Christians," just moping around, keeping our faith hidden under a bushel, feeling afraid to say a word about Jesus, in fear that we might offend someone! And that's precisely what the enemy wants us to feel!
A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; "Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus."
We have a Christian friend who constantly talks about her problems. Every single time we talk to her she tells us how bad things are going in her life and how much she is lacking. Interestingly, in all the years we've known her and prayed for her, things have only gotten worse. Though she has come to believe in the God of victory, she is not living a victorious life. How many of us are in this boat?
During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays.