The Fruit of the Lips

"I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him who is far off, and to him who is near, says the Lord; and I will heal him." Isaiah 57:19

The Most High said that He creates the fruit of the lips. Fruits are always delectable and we love good fruit naturally speaking. Who created all fruit? What is our response after partaking? If you are anything like me when I eat a good piece of fruit I am jubilant and elated. This past Summer, (2015) I had a time with fruits such as mangos and watermelon. Every trip to the market I made sure to buy some fruit. Astonishingly enough, after I would eat the fruit I would praise the Creator for creating it for my enjoyment, praises would spring forth from me unto merriment and mirth. I found myself having a worship experience with Him for the fruit He created. The fruit of my lips were thanks and praises. What created the fruit of my lips? How wonderful and great, loving and kind He was to me through the fruit which He created.

Interestingly, all humans responses to a good sweet piece of fruit may be the same, that it is good and that is true enough, but it is only when you are aware of who created it, that it is of the utmost importance. A good piece of fruit does form praises, but some have no direction as to who to give the praise that goodness produced. When you know, that you know that, the Creator is the one who created the fruit, and your response to that can make you just about jump out of your own skin. All praises to the Most High God, the Hebrews refer to Him as, El Elyon (The Most High God).

The main Biblical character or personality that comes to my mind reading this verse in Isaiah 57, is King David. The realism that he experienced; as well as expressed was in the constant attitude of prayer unto repentance and communication with the Most High concerning every aspect of his life, because he knew, that God knew his heart through the progressive surrendering of it. This process of laying bear all that is inside us is a pruning of the soil to be good ground for the Word of God, to ensure that fruits will grow in a healthy manner, then are reviewed once cultivated and culminated for spots and blemishes to ensure that the fruits we bear are edible and can be shared with others as they are created by God to all utterances of His goodness and every attribute revealed by the light of His Spirit.

When the king was a far off, he knew how to come close through a honest contrite soul that was grieved over the condition of his soul, sins and trespasses. The King would talk to himself, as a result, we find him in Psalm 42, as a hart thirsting after the water brooks, so was his soul thirsting after the true and living God. Looking for the path into His presence and delighting as he entered in. We find him having a conversation with himself as he searched……Why are you cast down, oh my soul and why are you disquieted within me? His resolve was, hope in God soul, because as for my spirit, I will praise Him, He is the help that lights my countenance; it is He that raises me out of all my troubles, and helps me through all of my sorrows.

What did this knowledge of his state produce? It produced the dividing asunder of spirit and soul. We can perceive, as Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword and it separates spirit from soul, body from them both and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The king was cognizant that his soul was causing him distress and replied to it, hope thou in God soul, because I which am my spirit will praise God, He is my healing. In verse 19 of Isaiah 57, God spoke peace to him who is near and far, and as a result He alone would create the words by which to praise Him with and through our own experiences.

In this passage in Psalm 42, you must notice that he was distinctly having a struggle, it appears that he was struggling with his soul by the counsel of his spirit which knew to praise God, but his soul was not in a good place or mood. Healing was evidently taking over. The king went from a cast down soul, which was distant from and far off from God, to and through the spirit of making the decision to praise Him. He heard the words peace, peace to you afar off and to you who are near, I will heal you.

Why? Because, it is the Creator or as the Hebrews would declare, the Elohim, who creates the fruit of the lips. How can we think of His goodness, mercy, love and all that He has done and gives us and praise not form in our mouths towards utterance. He created the fruit of praise for us to utter when He manifested His presence in our lives. He is the source of the praise we articulate. Here I see the word create and it links to Creator, and how can we think of all the wonders in nature, and the spirit and not utter praises? That is impossible! Only those dead in trespasses and sins fail to see how wonderful He is and offer no praises. They aren’t conscious of His greatness and sovereignty yet, that is why praise towards and for Him doesn’t form.

It isn’t until we see with our spirits and souls the true and living God that we will praise Him. What are some of the fruits of the lips? Thank you, Praise You, We honor, exalt, extol, magnify You. Why do we speak these things? The Almighty has shown us His character through His love and we deem Him worth the good words we speak to tell Him and to let others know as well, that it is God who has created these words and we live and delight to praise Him. When someone praises Him in your presence, isn’t it contagious? Springs of sweet waters arise to join in the crescendo of praises, your heart leaps within you waiting for a silent moment for your utterance to meet up with the other praises ,and you release in the atmosphere the best spoken words you will ever know to speak.

I am constantly writing, it is a progressive and continuous process. I write to give utterance to my own feelings, and thoughts, to express my conviction. Most of what I write, I must utter or read aloud to myself. The words inspired with my pen become the utterance of my voice and I can identify with the king and understand what he means by, I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1) my tongue is the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45:1b). King David is a worship leader; he has lead more people into letting the God of your salvation create the fruit of your lips. The Psalms are a key to understanding how the fruit of the lips operate. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” what does that create after you realize how good He is, it creates the fruit of your lips. (Hallelujah) Praise ye the Lord. You must taste and see for yourself.

Repentance is a sweet fragrance and it creates the atmosphere for worship. Repentance is all about the heart of God and what we’ve done to offend or hurt Him. King David knew this very well. In Psalm 51, he knew his place; he cried for mercy to blot out his transgressions, he asked to be washed thoroughly from his iniquities and to be cleansed from his sin. He goes on to tell the Holy One that against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight. At this place of reckoning there was a distance between God and him and because of sin he was a far off, but by verse 15, he asks the Lord to open his lips; and his mouth would show forth His praise. He had to go through repentance to get to this place of praise.

The basic need of all mankind is repentance that makes it possible for God to forgive what we are now because of what we chose at crucial points of life. It is this character that I am as a result of my choices and decisions and therefore I am not willing to blame anyone or anything else for my trespasses. A trespass is not respecting the boundaries set by the Almighty. Some of you will remember as a child the No-Trespassing signs, and if you saw one it was pretty obvious what it meant. Keep off the grass…Tell the truth wasn’t the grass much cleaner and better when the command was obeyed. Our lives exhibit the same flavor when we heed His paradigms, precepts and principles. The Scripture tells us that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it? Beloved, only God does. This tells me that I can’t take any chances that something I’ve unconsciously or consciously done can be trusted, therefore I must REPENT and confess to God I made the wrong choices and I am responsible.

Repentance is fragrant water we need every second of the day and night, as we choose the basin of laver to cleanse ourselves the waters flowing through us are made sweet. Marah, bitter waters are made sweet. May grace and peace be your closest companions and let love hold your hand to the throne of the Father.