So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not able to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Galatians 5:16-18

I started paying more attention to the fruit of the Spirit late 2022 and almost two years after, I am still a student of this topic. Not because I have not yielded to teaching —I am still in the process—but because it turns out that there is indeed much to learn and become when it comes to bearing fruit.

The Bible according to Galatians chapter 5 lists some “character traits” that come as a result of the Holy Spirit's work within a believer's life, shaping our character and actions to reflect the nature of God.

It's important to note here that these traits are not different fruits of the Spirit. It is one Spirit bearing one fruit but with different manifestations. (It is like saying I am Stephanie, one person, yet there are multiple facets of who I am). So, one Spirit, one fruit, nine manifestations.

When we exhibit love through joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control, we reflect the nature of God. God exhibits these traits because He is God and He is good.

And we know from John chapter 15 that He prunes, cultivates and keeps us attached to Him so that eventually these traits can work its way out and through us. However, the thing about the fruit of the Spirit is that there is a push before the portrayal. Ever thought about what needs to happen for the behaviour of God to be birthed in us?

• To become a product of love you have to put yourself as number two. You have to remind yourself to remember no wrongs, to sacrifice your need to be right.
• To become a product of joy, you will overcome depression.
• To become a product of peace you must first submit anxiety, troubles, threats and weariness at His feet and take up His yoke.
• Patience, otherwise known as long suffering will test your resolve, push your limits, have you almost at the end and then show you worthy by His grace and Spirit.
• Kindness first presents you with unkindness from pain and people that intend to evoke a reaction.
• Goodness first questions then evaluates your reaction to bad people and bad behaviours. From yourself and other people, but still doing that which God desires.
• The push before faithfulness and gentleness is confronting the hard intricacies and inadequacies of life and saying “in God I trust, for Him, I wait.”
• The push before self control is submission. To get to the point where your body and soul is operated fully by Spirit not flesh requires you to submit your life. Die to self. Lay yourself and all your desires down. You cannot fully walk in self control if some parts of your life still belong to you and not God. The submitted person will birth a self controlled person.

In addition to knowing that there will be some training, pushing, pruning, development and realignment for the fruit to be worked out in you, you also have to know that Jesus, our Lord and Saviour went through that when He was man on earth.

He had to go to the cross to exhibit His love for us, was full of compassion so as to witness our joy, stood in chaos to bring us the message of peace. He suffered and was lied against by bad people to yield patience. He was spat on by Roman soldiers to show His kindness. Created us beautiful to show His goodness. Fed thousands to epitomise kindness, etc. And we know that if Jesus went through it, so can we; so should we, so will we.

Therefore, I implore you to continue to pray, push, and present yourself ready and growing until you eventually bear good fruit, pleasing to God. Yes it hurts for us to birth or grow anything, yet we are privileged to have our Father the Vinedresser, Jesus the Vine, and the Holy Spirit our Fruit giver. All working in and through us to make us whole, led and fruitful.

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See you next week by His grace!