How Do I Get the Fruit of the Spirit?

The fruit of the Spirit is not something you receive.  It is something He produces in you!  Fruit is the produce of plants.  The word is often used metaphorically for all kinds of things produced.  In Galatians 5:22-23 “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.  What the Spirit produces in the child of God  is all of these things, in one godly character.

By contrast, “…the works of the flesh are evident, which are:  adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like…”   (Galatians 5:19-21).  These things are produced by the efforts of our worldly minded flesh.

What do I see in my life?  Do I see the influence of the Holy Spirit at work or the influence of the world and the flesh?   You know, I decide who I will hear and follow.  I decide who I will pursue.  Each offers a way of life.  I choose.  What I choose will be evident in my attitude and behavior.

How does the Spirit bear fruit in my life?  By planting the seed, the word of God.  He speaks to each of us through the scriptures that He has revealed through the apostles.  Clear instructions are given about what I should do and not do, about how I should react to people and circumstances around me and about the attitude and perspective I maintain through life.  The flesh is speaking to me as well.  The Spirit will produce godly character in my life if I hear His word and follow His lead.

I need to take a look at the fruit and works produced in my life.  A tree is known by its fruit.

Let me know if you would like to study the fruit of the Spirit.  Don — 212-729-8356