Do You Have The Fruits of The Spirit?

Thursday's Devotion (3-17-05)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

I've talked about gifts of the Holy Spirit before. Now, I want to talk about the fruits of the Spirit. Some people are obviously confusing these with the gifts, because the fruits are the true sign that we have the Holy Spirit. People can receive different gifts and still have the Spirit, but today's scripture tells us the fruits. The fruits are different, the fruits of the Holy Spirit, are the most important sign of the Holy Spirit. If you don't bear the fruit, then you're walking in the flesh. If you live life walking in the flesh, then you can't enter into God's Kingdom. You can enter God's Kingdom without the gift of tongues or without the gift of prophesying, but you can't enter without the fruit of the Spirit! Do you bear the good fruit? Don't get me wrong though, I do believe that every man has a gift from the Holy Spirit, but not all the same gift. However, with the fruits of the Spirit, these are the things that we should all have.

If you don't believe that you have the fruits of the Spirit, then you need to do some praying. These are important things that you need. Also, don't expect to pray and then right there on the spot, receive all these fruits. These fruits of the Spirit are things that are going to require a work in you. They don't come easy. The Holy Spirit needs to do a work in you, you need to be willing to let Him! He's not going to force an unwilling person. You have to receive training from the Spirit, to have these things and to use them. Why? Did you ever hear of an undisciplined/untrained soldier going to fight in a World War? If they did, they didn't make it home! You want and you need to make it home (To Heaven!) This life on earth isn't all fun and games for us, we're in a war! We're in a war against our flesh and a lot of other things. We have to be ready when we're: Tempted, abused, persecuted, when it seems all hope is gone. If we're not ready, then we're going to give up and lose this war! Read the scriptures again, you might realize that some of these fruits or all of them are missing from your life. You may already have them all, and if you do that's great! Use all those fruits to further the gospel, and to do a great work for the Lord!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins and we forgive all those who've wronged us. Please work in us those fruits of the Spirit and let us be the holy examples, you would have us to be. In Jesus name. A-men!

God bless!

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