In this episode of the Iron Saints Podcast, host Dan Willis continues his slow, verse‑by‑verse walk through the Gospel of Luke, focusing on Luke 6:43‑45. He reads the passage (ESV), explains the metaphor of a tree being known by its fruit, and applies it to modern speech, especially on social media, warning that careless words can cause real harm. Willis emphasizes that a person’s heart produces the words they speak, urging listeners to let their online conduct bear good fruit. The episode includes a series of heartfelt prayers for specific individuals (e.g., Eric Hope, Anthony, Hillary, Ada, Amara) and for the broader church community, particularly pastors facing debates and anxiety. Throughout, Willis thanks listeners for sharing the podcast, leaving comments, and submitting prayer requests, encouraging continued engagement and deeper, intentional study of Luke rather than a rushed overview. The tone is devotional, conversational, and pastoral, aiming to edify believers and promote thoughtful, Christ‑centered communication online.
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Welcome back to the Iron Saints Podcast with your host, Dan Willis.
Good morning, saints, and welcome back. We are back at it with another episode. We're going to keep walking through Luke today. Really looking forward to it. For those of you that have been missing this or you're just falling onto this podcast for the first time, wherever you may be listening, uh, you can go back. All the episodes are there for you from the start of Luke all the way to where we are now. I know it doesn't feel like we're flying through Luke too quickly, but I'd rather take the time and do it justice than fly through it so quickly and get very little out of it. So in the process of 10 months, we have made it through 6 chapters of Luke. We're going to keep going today. We did the Beatitudes, we did the love of your enemy, we did judging others yesterday, and today, tree and its fruit. Root is what we're going to be looking at. So let's not take much more time and get right down to it. As always, guys, any of you that have been sharing the podcast out, liking it, leaving comments, leaving prayer requests, just a huge thank you. It's a massive way to help the podcast reach more people and for us to be able to just have a wider community and a little bit more diversity in in the conversations that are happening around these scriptures. So huge thank you to you guys that have been listening. For those of you that have been leaving comments or prayer requests, I do appreciate that. Let's get down to it here. As always, guys, I will be reading from the ESV. You are welcome to read along, of course, in any translation that you prefer. I do read it out loud for those of you that are perhaps unable to have a Bible open. Maybe you're driving, maybe you're at work and you've got things to do. Maybe you're at the gym and you got some weights in your hand. Whatever the case may be, I, I like to read this for you guys so it's there for you. If you do have your scriptures though, I do encourage you to crack open the Bible and get down to it. But Luke chapter 6, verse 43 is where we're going to start. We're going to go to 45 today. Wow, really? Only 2 verses. We're only going to knock out 2 verses today, but we're going to get this, this one out. We're going to get it done. We're going to reason and wrestle with it a little bit. So here we go. For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Lord, we live in a, in a challenging time where things are said so quickly that little thought is given, and it goes so wide so fast that it can lead to something truly destructive, Lord. Pastors have fallen, believers have fallen, marriages have been destroyed, relationships have been destroyed over tiny little things that are said online. I just pray, Lord, that for all of us, the things that we do online would be edifying to you. The things in our life would be edifying to you. That our speech would be honoring and glorifying. I pray that our actions would be honoring and glorifying, that good fruit would be evident. In the things that we're doing and why we're doing them. Lord, I lift up Eric Hope to you. He continues drawing near to the Lord after stepping down from his lead pastor role. There are several conventions this week with the PCA and with the Southern Baptists. I just pray that as so much comes out from pastors at these events and there's so much being wrestled with, Lord, that everybody would be taking time to draw closer to you in these times.
Amen.
As discussions and debates rage on, especially among those who have had a pulpit or are currently serving at a pulpit, Lord, just, just continue to work in their hearts. I lift up Anthony to you, Lord. Anthony's carrying anxiety and unease that's even affecting, you know, just his general well-being, his ability to focus. He's feeling ill to his stomach. He's carrying so much anxiety, Lord. You cast out fear. Pray that you would build him up, Lord.
Amen.
Help him to, to rise above the, the fear and anxiety that he's experiencing and be able to, to continue to move forward with you, Lord. Lift up Hillary to you today, Lord. She has her surgery today. We've been praying for Hillary heading into her surgery, but I do pray that her surgery goes well today, Lord, that she does see that quick recovery, um, that she was hoping for. This is her first surgery, and that can be a scary, intimidating thing. I just pray that she, uh, has no hiccups, everything goes well. Uh, those physicians be with them that are working on her, Lord, and I pray that it goes well. Lift up Ada and Amara to you. Uh, these little ones were born 4 months early, Lord, and that, that can be very, very scary for moms and dads when, when that happens. But, uh, we have so many blessings in modern medicine that we're able to keep these young lives going, keep them alive, and obviously your hand is a huge part of that, Lord. So I just pray for those little lives, little masterpieces that you've crafted, Lord, that you continue to bless them.
Amen.
Be with them as they grow. Help them to grow to know you. Be with the parents and the child that this may be. Just pray that you're with them and give them comfort. Give them certainty in you, Lord. You're the great healer. You're the great Father. And you've got as much care for those kiddos as they do. In your name we pray. Amen. Have an amazing day, guys. I will catch you tomorrow with another episode. We will continue on in Luke. And again, huge thank you to all of you guys that have taken the time to share out these podcasts, share them you know, men at your church, in your Bible studies, as well as online. Thank you so much for that, and I will catch you guys tomorrow.
Thank you for listening to the Iron Saints Podcast. If you are looking to share your prayer requests, check the description for social media or email to contact the show. Blessings on you all until next time.
