When a
believer walks in the spirit, he produces spiritual fruits that only those who
are in Christ can produce.
“22 But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law” Galatians
5:22-23. See also, John 15. The fruits of the spirit
are as follows;
LOVE: The word
“Love” here comes from the Greek word; “agape”
and it means the God kind of love or divine love. It has to do with the
strong, ardent, tender, compassionate devotion to the well-being of somebody. Every
believer is commanded by Christ to walk in love because walking in love is
walking in God and walking in God is the spiritual walk of a believer.
JOY: Joy can only
be found in the kingdom of God.
“17 For the kingdom of God is not meat
and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” Romans
14:17.
Joy is what the spirit filled believers possess not because
of the material possessions or worldly influence which they have acquired
but because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Joy comes by the
presence of the overflowing life of Christ Jesus in the heart of a believer.
“18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein
is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord” Ephesians 5:18-19.
To make melody in the heart to the Lord is to be joyful in
the spirit, singing spiritual songs, psalms and hymns unto the Lord. The song
that comes out of a heart full of joy may not be familiar to the singer because
they come of leading by the Holy Spirit. To make melody in the heart is to make
spiritual sounds of joy in the spirit to the Lord just as a musician played a
stringed instrument with the fingers. Melody in the heart of a believer
overflows and manifests with an outward expression of praise and worship.
PEACE: Peace is a
state of rest of mind. It is security In the midst of turmoil, strife,
temptations and difficulties. Believers who put their trust in Christ Jesus and
rests on the help of the Holy Spirit usually have peace of mind. Romans
14:17.
“16 And I will pray the Father, and he
shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; 17 Even
the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not,
neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for He dwelleth with you, and
shall be in you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” John 14:16-17; 26.
This peace manifests and overflows outwardly helping the
believer to be at peace with all men. It is the yielding and the brokenness of
a believer that causes the outward flow of peace and joy.
“22 Flee
also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace,
with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.24 And
the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient” 2 Timothy
2:22; 24.
LONG SUFFERING: Longsuffering
is the divine ability to bear pains, offences, injuries and provocations from
people. A walk in the spirit produces longsuffering. It should be natural for
every Christian who is living a life of the spirit to produce this virtue
called longsuffering. Christ Jesus produced this fruit that even when they Jews
mocked him to scorn, spat on him and called him all sorts of name, he did not
react.
“4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much
patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In
stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in
fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by
longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned” 2 Corinthians
6:4-6.
GENTLENESS:It
means to be soft spoken (not harsh), kind and even tempered, cultured and
refined, not rude in any form but transformed in Character and conduct. One of
the first important virtues that attract people to a Christian is the
transformation of character and conducts. Anyone who is in Christ Jesus
produces a sweet smelling fragrance makes everyone wants to know what the
secret is. Someone who is living a life of the spirit manifests the gentleness
of Christ.
“24 And the servant of the Lord must not
strive; but be gentle unto all men,
apt to teach, patient”
2
Timothy 2:24.
“17 But
the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of
mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” James 3:17.
FAITH: Faith here is absolute confidence in God; It is the
substance or conviction of things hoped for and the assurance or evidence of
things not seen; Hebrews 11:1. Faith is the absolute
dependence and reliance on the word of God. “So then, faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. Romans 10:17. That is why
even though things may be rough for a believer, he or she still needs to put
his trust in the Lord. The walk of faith is a full surrender, complete yieldedness
and obedience to the known truth.
“By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the
faith among all nations, for his name”. Romans 1:5
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