THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

One of the most important things we can do as believers is to develop fruit of the Spirit in our lives. According to (Galatains5: 22-23). The fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness gentleness (meekness, humility, self-control, self- restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law... The operation of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives is linked to our spiritual maturity. Gifts are given but fruit is developed. The fruit of the Spirit comes to us when we receive Jesus because when the Holy Spirit is in us, we have what He has. But it comes as a seed that must be developed and matured in our lives. If Christ is in us, then we should be Christlike. The fruit of the Spirit is display of the character of Christ, and His presence within helps us develop the fruit in our lives.1 Corinthians 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. Everybody wants to be loved, and God’s love is the healing power for every hurting person.

LOVE


All the fruit come out of love, but without self- control, we wouldn’t be able to operate in any of them. Romans 5:5 and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us. As Christians, we have love of God, which brings healing and balance in our lives. Love is not a feeling it is a decision. The fruit of the Spirit causes us to make a decision to love even when we don’t feel like it. There are no such things as power without a strong love life. When we walk in the love of God, everything else will fall in line.

PATIENCE


The word patience means “Long –suffering mild, gentle: constant in all circumstance.” The real test of patience is not in waiting but in how we act while we’re waiting. If we have patience, we are able to put up with things without losing our temper. Luke 21:19 In your patience posses ye your souls. This mean if we don’t learn to control our impatience, our impatience will control us. 1 Peter 1:13 gird up the loins of your mind. We need to prepare our minds every morning for whatever may happen during the day. If we don’t set our minds, Satan will catch us off guard, but if we are prepared, we will have a lot of victories. James 1:4 says But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

GOODNESS, KINDNESS AND MERCY




As we seek to develop goodness, kindness and mercy in our lives, we sometimes get sidetracked into looking at our problem instead of looking at God’s character. (Psalm 31:19) Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before sons of men. God is good, kind, and merciful, and because we are His children, He want to be good to us. But He can do it only if we receive His goodness, kindness, and mercy.

HUMILITY


Humility is defined as “freedom pride and arrogance; modest estimation of our own worth.” In theology it means “lowliness of mind, or having a consciousness of our own defects.” Humility (gentleness or meekness) is the opposite of pride. God hates pride, But He Loves humility. Proverbs 15:33 Says The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.

PEACE AND JOY


We must learn to maintain peace in three very important relationships: with God, with ourselves, and with our fellow man. We maintain peace with God by believing and trusting Him. We maintain peace with ourselves by refusing to live in guilt and condemnation, recognizing that God is greater than all our sins. We maintain peace with our fellow man by not allowing strife to be a part of our relationships with other people.. Joy is defined as cheerfulness: a calm delight Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is your stronghold. A stronghold is a place of protection from your enemies.

FAITHFULNESS


We have already established that as Christians we are to be Christlike. To do that, we need to consider the ways of Christ and strive to be like him. 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Being faithful is not always easy. It requires making a decision and then sticking with it regardless of our feelings. But when we’re faithful to do what God tells us to do, we will be rewarded. The Bible says if we’re faithful over little things, God will make us rulers of much.

SELF-CONTROL


God has given us self-control so we can disciple ourselves to make good choices in life. Self-control empowers us to be motivated not by how we feel but by what we choose to do. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. A person who has self- control is mild and calm. If am a wise person, I won’t let myself get angry when someone offends me. Restraint and self-control aren’t easy, but God says they are necessary if we to operate in the fruit of Spirit. Matthew 12; 33 says a tree is known by its fruit, and the same is true and the character lives. Keep developing the fruit of the Spirit and the character of Christ in your life. It will cause you grow spiritually.