08/01/2025
You’ll Know Them by Their Fruit
Although I often fly or take the train, I also spend a lot of time driving — and those drives have become holy ground for me.
This week, as I traveled through Las Cruces, New Mexico, the sight of the mountains stirred something deep within my soul. They are more than scenery. They carry an identity. When you see them, you know them. You can’t confuse them with any other mountain range.
And as I looked at them, I heard this scripture in my spirit:
“Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)
These peaks remind me of what our lives are supposed to represent. Just like these mountains can’t be mistaken for any others, our walk of faith should be so evident that people know Who we belong to without us ever having to announce it.
Now as the eve of Shabbat approaches, I can tell you this as a living witness: when I set aside intentional time to be still — just the Most High and me — I come back with more than peace. I return with revelation, strategies, and understanding that I could never produce on my own.
And here’s what I’ve come to see: Shabbat is not just about stopping work. It’s about sealing the work.
All week long, we labor — planting seeds through obedience, prayer, study, and action. But when Shabbat comes, that seventh-day rest becomes the holy ground where those seeds begin to germinate. It is the time when we step back and let the Most High do what only He can do — transforming our efforts into fruit.
In that way, the rest itself is a witness. It declares: “I have done my part in obedience. Now I trust Him to breathe on it.” It’s like storing up treasures in heaven — a rhythm of working and resting that reflects His Kingdom order.
When I travel, I rarely play music. I pray. I reflect. I write. I sit in the quiet, allowing the noise of my flesh to settle so I can clearly discern the whisper of His Spirit. And every time, I am reminded:
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Some people travel far to find answers, but I’ve learned that when I am truly silent, I always hear.
As we step into this Shabbat, may we quiet ourselves enough to receive His identity, His fruit, and His wisdom — so that when people see us, there’s no question Who we belong to.
Shabbat Shalom.
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Silence Is Biblical
For those with ears to hear, here are witnesses to the power of silence:
• Habakkuk 2:20 – “But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.”
• Lamentations 3:25–28 – “It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord… He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him.”
• Zechariah 2:13 – “Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.”
These moments of silence weren’t just stillness — they were holy positions of readiness to hear, to hope, and to receive His word.
