What is Meant by the “Fruit of the Spirit”?
The “fruit of the Spirit” is made up of nine visible attributes of a true Christian’s life. These fruits, or traits, are spoken about in Galatians 5:22-23 and include:
- Love
- Joy
- Peace
- Longsuffering
- Gentleness
- Goodness
- Faith
- Meekness
- Temperance
They are the qualities or “fruits” that Christians should be manifesting in their lives. When believers in Christ live their life by these qualities, the world sees the result. That result is someone walking in the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit – hence the name “Fruits of the Spirit.”
If you are on my ezine list, read this blog or listen to my podcasts often, you know I am very passionate about people using their spiritual gifs. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are precious. But I believe the fruits of the Spirit are even more important, because they are the very nature of Jesus. What good would it do to have a powerful teaching gift, but not have love or joy?
Christians mature in their growth by studying and then applying each of these fruits (God’s characteristics) in their lives. It is important to understand that these nine qualities come directly from God Himself. Each Christian’s goal should be to incorporate them into their own personality. This isn’t done through your willpower or human strength, but by the incredible working of the Holy Spirit in your heart and life.
Made in His Image
God created man and woman in His image. (Genesis 1:27) He wants us to have His own divine qualities and to be a reflection of Himself to the rest of the world. God knows that because of our sin nature, it is only by the power of His Spirit that Christians can actually live out these qualities on a daily basis. (Titus 3:5-6)
Let’s say you are having a bad day. It’s 100 degrees outside, your house’s air conditioning unit is not cooling the house properly, and you have a lot of work to do. Do you naturally think joyful, good, gentle thoughts in that particular situation? No. More likely, you feel irritable rather than joyful (like I struggled with today, because that was my exact situation today!) Heat seems to bring out the worst in us! We need God’s help by His Spirit. As we come to Him for help in prayer, God literally infuses the believer with fresh doses of His godly characteristics to then pour out to those around them.
It Only Takes One Thing to Receive the Fruits of the Holy Spirit
Of course if you don’t already know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that is a prerequisite! If you don’t know Him, let me invite you to meet Jesus. He is my Best Friend. All you have to do is call on the name of Jesus, repent of your sins, and be saved. (Romans 10:13, Acts 16:31) He will change your life in an incredible way. He will forgive you of any sin and give you life. He will always be there for you and help you!
In order to have all nine fruits, you and I have to first die to self and allow Christ to dwell in and through us. In other words, we have to surrender to God. We must allow Him to change our hearts and lives. That isn’t easy, but it’s so rewarding. Once you yield yourself to God, you can watch as God does miracles in your life and these qualities will flow through your life and into others’ lives around you like a waterfall. (Think Niagara Falls!).
No Room for Anything Less
This change by God takes a fully humbled and surrendered heart to the Holy Spirit and an awareness of your intense need for the Holy Spirit’s power at work in your life. Then the “fruit of the Spirit” will truly be seen by the world for what it is – a living proof of God’s nature in His people. John the Baptist said about Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) When there’s less of self, there’s more room for God.
Are you living proof of Jesus? Allow His Holy Spirit to fill you and to manifest His Fruit of the Spirits in your life today.
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Joy is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Want to learn more about living a life of joy? Just click on the link below for your free mini-ebook (pdf), or right-click and save it to your computer to read later at your convenience.
Click here for your free mini-ebook on joy
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