Fruits of the Spirit is a bible term that sums up the nine visible attributes of living a Christian lifestyle according to the Holy Spirit.
The Gift of Holy Spirit is the tree that bears spiritual fruit in your life when you plant it in your heart, it takes root, you nurture it and it grows. It bears one fruit of the spirit, not many “fruits”.
Let's look at each attribute of the fruit of the spirit a little more deeply. Below is a list of spiritual fruit that is the evidence of a good Christian lifestyle.
“Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance; against such there is no law.” - Galatians 5:22-23:
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Collectively, these are the spiritual fruit that all Christians should be producing in their lives as they live according to the Holy Spirit.
Let's look at each attribute fruit of the spirit a little more deeply:
Love: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).
Joy: The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:2).
Peace: A state of mutual harmony between people or groups. "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
Longsuffering: Long and patient endurance of injury, trouble, or provocation. We are "strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" (Colossians 1:11).
Gentleness: Moderate, kindly, amiable; absence of harshness or severity. We should live "in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left" (2 Cor 6:6-7).
Goodness: Moral excellence; virtue. "Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thessalonians 1:11).
Faith: The Greek word used here is “pistis” and this word is common in secular Greek for trustworthiness, faithfulness and fidelity. It is the characteristic of the person who is reliable. When we are manifesting the fruit of the holy spirit we are appearing in the image of Christ, who is the reflection of God. Therefore these attributes are Godly. Deuteronomy 7:9 – “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments”. And in 1 Corinthians 1:9 –“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Meekness: Humble and patient. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal 6:1).
Temperance: Moderation or self-restraint in action or statement; self-control. "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love" (2 Peter 1:5-7).
Do you want to grow more Fruit of the Spirit? Would you like to see those good qualities be more evident in your life?
5 Steps to Take:
- It starts by being born again and then next by knowing that God is your sufficiency in all things. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
- Keep Christ in your heart. Listen to God. Take time to listen to what God is saying to you. We walk through life with constant noise. TV, stereo, cell phones, computers. Turn off the noise and listen to God for some time each day.
- Make sure you spend time each day in quality prayer. Not just a list of people to pray for, or begging God for special favors, but reading Scripture, and taking time to meditate on the areas in your life where you need to improve most, and talk to God about it. Begin every day by talking to God. Talk to God throughout the day too. Speak in tongues often.
- Choose one attribute of the Fruit of the Spirit each day and focus on it; work hard with it trying to make it more evident in your life. Pray for strength and guidance in your efforts to improve yourself.
- End your day by reflecting on the events of your day; what happened and how you reacted to it. Judge yourself by the fruit that you are producing, of the spirit and of the flesh. Be honest with yourself. Use that as your score card AND your road map toward Godliness.
I know how difficult it is to take this time out and be brutally honest with yourself, reflecting on your faults. Make sure you also reflect on your victories. I struggle with all of this as much as anyone. But the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages so it is very much worth your time and effort.
If your focus is on God and you are following Christ as your leader, then your spiritual roots are growing deeper in the Lord every day. Continue growing and nurturing that spiritual tree of life inside you and soon you will see the Fruit of the Spirit developing and blossoming in your life. God will see it is good, and He will bless you for it.
God bless you!
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Daniel Sweet is an ordained minister, founder and President of God's Word First International Christian Ministry. He is a biblical scholar in addition to being an entrepreneur, investor and an expert Best Selling author on the subject of Leadership. He has overseen the growth and development of multiple in home fellowships and have been instrumental in helping many people come to the knowledge and truth of God’s Word.
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