Galatians 5:22-23
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
The day we made Jesus the Lord of our lives was the greatest day of our lives! Old things passed away, and we became new creations in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit began to live in us, to lead, counsel, teach, and keep us walking in the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:1-3 explains our old state perfectly, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.”
The battle we now face is between “the flesh” and our reborn spirits. Our flesh is governed by our inherent sinful nature, while our reborn spirits are governed by the Holy Spirit. The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh (Galatians 5:17). The Holy Spirit produces in us, as new believers, the fruit of the Spirit. The more we submit to the Holy Spirit and overcome the desires of our flesh, the more His fruit develops and manifests in our lives.
The fruit of the Spirit mentioned in today’s Scripture is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These attributes convict people of the power of our God. They recognize us as children of an omnipotent God. It is not humanly possible to display these traits consistently without the Holy Spirit.
The key is to abide in Christ Jesus, who is the source.
