#FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT HOW TO#
#FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PROFESSIONAL#

You are no longer a slave to your sinful nature (Romans 6:18). But that doesn't always have to be the case! The very presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts means we get to CHOOSE godliness over sinfulness. In fact, sometimes, it may feel like we're trapped in a desire to reach for the sinful thing rather than the godly thing. Unfortunately, just because we've accepted Christ, that doesn't mean we're automatically immune to sinful temptations (Romans 7:14-25). The life of the Christian is a constant battle between our sinful nature and our new nature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). How can my faith produce the fruits of the Spirit? On the other hand, the Holy Spirit produces beautiful, nourishing fruit that reflects God's nature and will ultimately benefit our lives. Our sinfulness produces rotted, poisoned fruit that reflects our sinful nature and hurts us in the end. Galatians 5:19-21 is a laundry list of things that someone who does not have the Holy Spirit's influence would have little problem with. But at least he makes it very clear what we should NOT be doing as Christ-followers.

I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.' -Galatians 5:19-21 'The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery idolatry and witchcraft hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy drunkenness, orgies, and the like. You may have noticed that Galatians 5:22 starts out with the word 'but.' So what does the Apostle Paul tell us is the opposite of these spiritual fruits? Let's take a look at the verses just before the fruits list: (See James 2:14-26.) At worst, the result of 'bad fruit' is death (Romans 6:20-23 Proverbs 14:12). If you are a Christian, and you aren't exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in your life, at best, you will experience stagnation-no growth. See how that works? The opposite of bearing fruit

#FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PROFESSIONAL#

If we consult a professional gardener (God), then we'll ensure we're on the right track. If we clear away weeds and insects (sinful tendencies), then we keep the tree healthy. If we give the tree nourishment (God's Word), then it will grow bigger. The 'fruit' metaphor helps us see our faith as a tree with branches that may or may not produce fruit, depending on how well we take care of the tree itself. The 'fruit of the Spirit' refers to the 'results' we should see in our lives after receiving the Holy Spirit and 'tending' to our hearts over time (Romans 8:9 1 Corinthians 12:13 Ephesians 1:13-14). The Holy Spirit will convict us of our sin (John 16:8) and guide us in choosing well when faced with temptations, thus producing godly characteristics within us (Ephesians 3:16 John 16:13).Д«ut why 'fruit'? Why not something else? Well, the Bible uses a lot of agricultural metaphors because they were easily understood by the highly agricultural culture of the time.

#FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT HOW TO#

The phrase 'fruit of the Spirit' comes from Galatians 5:22-23, which says, 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.' One of reasons why Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit is to help us learn how to be more godly (John 16:12-15).

Fruits of the holy spirit