Check Your Feet, Fruit, Faith, and Foundation

Oct 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Check Your Feet: Aligning Steps with the Narrow Road

The direction of our daily habits reveals where we’re truly headed. Jesus warned that claiming to follow Him while living out of rhythm with His way is like driving east to reach California—futile. Proverbs 4:26 urges careful attention to our paths, not just our intentions. What routines, relationships, or choices subtly steer us away from Christ’s narrow road? True discipleship requires honest evaluation: do our actions match our confession, or are we spiritually backtracking? [52:25]

Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
(Proverbs 4:26, ESV)

Reflection: What daily habit or relationship most often pulls you off course from following Jesus? How could intentionally redirecting that area this week align your steps with His narrow road?

Day 2: Planted to Flourish: Roots in God’s House

Fickle spirituality produces shallow faith. Like olive trees needing deep roots to bear fruit, believers thrive only when planted in Christ’s body. Psalm 92:13 promises flourishing to those anchored in God’s house—not as consumers, but as connected members. Disconnection from church life starves our spiritual vitality. Are you observing from the sidelines or sinking roots into prayer, service, and community? [55:14]

They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
(Psalm 92:13, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been treating church participation as optional rather than essential? What one step could you take this week to deepen your roots in God’s household?

Day 3: Bitter Olives: When Gifts Mask Rotten Fruit

Miraculous gifts don’t guarantee Christ-honoring fruit. Like Dean grabbing bitter olives in Israel, we often mistake impressive appearances for spiritual maturity. Jesus warned that even prophecy and deliverance ministries can coexist with rebellion (Matthew 7:15-20). True fruit—love, joy, peace—grows slowly through abiding in Christ, not through flashy displays. Are you chasing experiences or cultivating character? [01:00:05]

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
(Matthew 7:15-16, ESV)

Reflection: What area of your life produces “bitter fruit” despite outward spiritual activity? How might repentance and abiding in Christ transform that area?

Day 4: The Danger of Busy Faith: When Service Replaces Surrender

Activity for God can become the enemy of intimacy with God. Matthew 7:21-23 shocks us—some miracle-workers will hear “I never knew you.” Serving, giving, and attending church matter only as overflow of relationship. Like travelers fixated on their itinerary but forgetting their destination, we must ask: is my doing rooted in being known by Christ? [01:05:12]

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
(Matthew 7:21, ESV)

Reflection: When have you recently prioritized Christian activity over quiet communion with Jesus? What would stopping to listen to Him reveal about your motives?

Day 5: The Lullaby Effect: Awakening to Forgotten Truths

Familiarity breeds spiritual numbness. Abram needed fresh revelation to see past his limitations (Genesis 15:5). Like Weldon’s simple “I reckon if He said it,” childlike faith cuts through religious routine. What biblical truths have become background noise rather than life-shaping realities? Jesus remains the only way—not a comfortable cliché, but a foundation demanding total realignment. [01:16:40]

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
(Matthew 7:24, ESV)

Reflection: What core truth about Jesus have you grown complacent toward? How could embracing it afresh this week shift your priorities and perspective?

Sermon Summary

Jesus calls people to pay attention to the path they are on. The narrow gate and the broad road both go somewhere, and the road being traveled matters more than the destination somebody says they want. A person can talk all day about wanting to follow Jesus, wanting peace, wanting freedom, or wanting God to move, while the rhythms, habits, words, and choices of that life are headed the opposite direction. The way of God will never contradict the Word of God.

Jesus does not leave room for the idea that all roads lead to God. Christ says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” and no one comes to the Father except through Him. The narrow gate is not one option among many. The narrow road is the road of actually following Jesus, even when culture says to cut out the parts of Scripture that feel unsettling.

The first checkpoint is the feet. Proverbs calls people to give careful thought to the paths for their feet, because daily habits are always taking a life somewhere. The second checkpoint is the fruit. Jesus says false prophets can wear sheep’s clothing, but fruit eventually tells the truth. Gifts are not fruit, fame is not fruit, and a flashy ability cannot cover up rotten character forever.

The third checkpoint is faith. Jesus warns that religious activity, miracles, service, giving, and church attendance cannot replace actually knowing Him. The frightening words, “I never knew you,” show that working for God and knowing God are not the same thing. Relationship with Jesus comes first, while serving, giving, and attending should flow out of that relationship.

The fourth checkpoint is the foundation. Religious familiarity can put people to sleep to details they ought to see. God’s promise to Abraham was never based on Abraham’s ability to make it happen. Abraham could not count stars in the daytime, and he could not fulfill God’s promise on his own. God would do what only God could do, and Abraham simply believed: “Amen. I reckon it so.”

Jesus calls believers to a higher way of living and calls unbelievers into a life of following Him. The feet, fruit, faith, and foundation all need honest evaluation before God. Prayer is the place to start, because the Holy Spirit reveals what needs work and helps people flesh it out through the week.

Key Takeaways

1. Your direction reveals your real pursuit [52:25] The feet expose what the mouth may try to hide. A person cannot keep practicing habits that run east while claiming to be headed west. Jesus calls for a life whose rhythms actually match its confession. [52:25]
2. Gifts never replace godly fruit [01:01:21] Fruit takes time, and that is exactly why it matters. A gift can impress a crowd while character quietly rots underneath. Jesus tells His people to look past influence, ability, and recognizable names to see what a life is really producing. [61:21]
3. Knowing Jesus comes before doing [01:05:12] Religious activity can become a hiding place from real relationship with Christ. Serving, giving, and attending matter, but none of them can stand in for being known by Him. Jesus is after more than busy hands; He is after hearts that know Him. [65:12]
4. God’s promise rests on God’s power [01:13:46] Abraham could not see the stars in daylight, and he could not bring God’s promise to pass by his own strength. God’s faithfulness does not depend on human ability. Faith answers God’s word with a simple, settled “Amen. I reckon it so.” [73:46]
5. Check the foundation beneath everything [01:16:40] Familiarity with Scripture can make people assume they understand truths they have stopped really seeing. Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life, not one truth among many private truths. A life stands firm when its deepest beliefs stay submitted to His Word.

## [76:40]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[33:35] - Praying for Sand Springs
[37:25] - The Final Week in Matthew 7
[38:24] - Traveling in the Wrong Direction
[42:41] - Enter Through the Narrow Gate
[44:10] - The Way of God and the Word of God
[46:30] - Four Checkpoints for Faith
[51:35] - Check Your Feet
[54:50] - Plant Yourself in God’s House
[57:53] - Check Your Fruit
[63:30] - Check Your Faith
[67:32] - Check Your Foundation
[78:31] - Prayer and Honest Evaluation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” [42:41]

Matthew 7:15-20
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” [01:00:05]

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” [01:03:34]

Observation questions

In Matthew 7:13–14, what contrasts does Jesus make between the two gates, the two roads, and where they lead? [42:41]
According to Matthew 7:15–20, what images does Jesus use to help His followers recognize false prophets?
What distinction is made between a person’s gifts or public ability and the fruit of their life? [01:01:15]
In Matthew 7:21–23, what religious activities do people point to, and what is Jesus’ response to them? [01:03:34]

Interpretation questions

Why does Jesus connect the narrow gate with a narrow road, rather than speaking only about making one decision at the gate? What does that show about the ongoing nature of following Him? [43:17]
What does it mean that the way of God will never contradict the Word of God? How might that help someone test whether a direction, desire, or message is truly from God? [44:10]
Why can fruit be a more trustworthy measure of a leader’s life than gifting, influence, fame, or charisma? What kinds of character patterns might reveal unhealthy fruit over time? [01:01:21]
Why is Jesus’ statement, “I never knew you,” such a serious warning for people who are active in church, ministry, giving, or serving? [01:05:12]

Application questions

Consider the “feet” checkpoint: What regular habits, conversations, media choices, relationships, or rhythms are currently shaping the direction of your life? Do they match the direction you say you want to go with Jesus? [52:25]
Is there an area where your words say, “I want peace,” “I want freedom,” or “I want to follow Jesus,” while your daily choices are taking you another direction? What is one specific change that could better align your path with that desire? [53:43]
Consider the fruit your life is producing around you. What fruit would family members, coworkers, or close friends likely name in your life? Is there any fruit—such as bitterness, pride, dishonesty, harsh words, or ongoing drama—that needs honest attention before God? [01:02:20]
How do you normally decide whether to trust a Christian leader, teacher, or online voice? What would it look like to look beyond their ability or platform and pay attention to their fruit? [01:02:55]
Is it possible that church attendance, serving, giving, or religious knowledge has become a substitute for spending personal time with Jesus? What could help relationship with Him become the first priority again? [01:05:48]
Which of the four checkpoints—feet, fruit, faith, or foundation—needs the most attention right now? What would it look like to bring that area honestly to God in prayer and take one faithful step this week? [01:18:28]

Sermon Clips

69s

#FollowJesus

“Here's the thing. I hear lots of people say, I just wanna follow Jesus. But their life does not reflect what their words communicate. I want you to understand this. The way of god will never contradict the word of god. And too often in today's culture, we wanna cut out the parts of this book that we disagree with or we find unsettling. But the way of god never contradicts the word of God. God will never speak to you and send you in a direction that his word says, don't go down.”

59s

#KnowJesus

“So, it's possible for me to work for god and not actually know him. It's it's possible for us to sit in church week after week and not actually know him. It's possible for you to serve on a team and not actually know him. It's possible for you to give money and not actually know him. And and if I'm gonna be completely honest with you, one of the things that I'm afraid we have done in the current church culture is we have made those things more important than you actually knowing Jesus.”

61s

#BiblicalTruth

“Check your foundation. What do you believe? Can I be real honest with you? The my truth thing in in America and honestly around the world, it's a sham. There's no my truth. There's only one. And everything that is true in our world backs it up. And everything that contradicts it, we have to understand is not true. It's a lie of the enemy. And so we've gotta check not only our feet, not only our fruit, not only our faith, not what we're, you know, what we're what we're doing, what we're, you know, what we're producing, but we gotta check what we believe.”

62s

#FruitOverGifting

“Fruit and gifts are two different things. And the issue is is that what we look for is gifting, and so we ignore the bad fruit. And when we ignore the bad fruit because they have an appealing gift, eventually, the gift is gonna wear out, and you're gonna have to deal with the fruit of their lives. And I've watched too many, too many people, too many churches who were enamored with fruit or with with gifting that when it was all said and done, got a bad taste in their mouth because of rotten fruit.”

68s

#AlignYourActions

“Not all roads lead to your final destination or your desired destination. They all lead to your final destination, not to your desired not to your desired final destination. Right? Make sure that the rhythms that you put in place for your life, Make sure your daily habits. I hear people all the time and they're just like, man, I just I I want them I want them I want to be debt free, but they're constantly overspending. They constantly... Come on. No. Your feet are pointed in the wrong direction. Your mouth says one thing but your actions lead you another way. I hear people go, I want to I want to I I just I I just wanna be I wanna live a life of peace, but they're constantly involved in drama. No. No. No. Your rhythms, your actions are pointing you on an opposite direction. So make sure that you are headed where you say you want to be headed. Check your feet.”

40s

#BelieveGod

“Y'all know the Hebrew word there for believed? Amen. It's where we get our word amen from. So be it. I reckon it to be true. God takes him outside and says, count the stars if you can. Well, I can't. You're right. You can't. And you can't fulfill that promise without me. So I'm gonna do it. All you gotta do is believe. Well, amen. I reckon it so.”

54s

#CheckYourFeet

“Check your feet. What do I mean? Where you go? Where are you going? Again, I hear people all the time. They go, well, I just wanna follow Jesus. Well, your your habits don't reflect the fact that you say you want to follow Jesus. I just wanna follow Jesus. Well, your words don't reflect the fact that you wanna follow Jesus. What you do... The rhythms of your life do not reflect the fact that you say you're on this road headed in this direction, your rhythms, your habits, your your mentalities, your words, the way you speak, the way you talk to others reflect that you're headed in an opposite direction.”

47s

#EncounterGod

“And as soon as they begin to... As soon as we begin to worship, I'm a ask you to get up out of your seat and come find you a place to pray. Because I want you to encounter him. I want you to know him. More than I want you to serve, I want you to know him. More than I want you to give, I want you to know him. Come on. More than I want you to attend, I want you to know him.”

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