Saturday, November 09, 2013

In the segments that follow this piece, we will be looking specifically at the fruit of the Spirit and its individual qualities, which are manifest in a Believer by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. Those virtues are listed in the Book of Galatians and are as follows.

Galatians 5:22–23 (NKJV)

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness [KJV – gentleness], goodness, faithfulness [KJV – faith], ²³ gentleness [KJV – Meekness], self-control [KJV – temperance].

Exactly how do they become a tangible existence in a person life? How do they become evident to the point of being able to be discerned and appraised as coming from God? Let me answer by asking a few more questions. How did you receive salvation from Christ? You asked, you believed, and you acted upon what you believed. How do you obtain daily salvation from Christ, as is found in the redeeming of your lifestyles? You ask, you believe, and you act upon what you believe. How do you manifest the fruit of the Spirit? You ask Jesus to manifest it in your character, you believe that the finished work of the cross secured that manifestation for you once you reached the point where you were ready to ask, and you act upon what you believe and make room in your spirit for the fruit of the Spirit to come forth.

Here is where the problem comes in. People do not make room in their spirits for the fruit of the Spirit to manifest. God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all gentlemen and will not press themselves on anyone who does not wish Their Presence. Freewill is a major part of not only the salvation process but also our entire relationship with Christ. If we do not want to change, He will not force us to change.

There are so many things that can take priority over allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We have all types of desires, which compete continually, with our willingness to allow God’s character to become our character. We contend daily with our desires versus God’s instructions to us. We struggle daily with our willingness to do our portion, the “if[s]” in life, in order to see God’s promises manifest in our reality.

Then there is the dreaded “feelings” which always give God a run for His money in people’s lives. If something goes wrong people want it made right immediately, they must feel better now, or the ugly man in them begins to appear. Sadly, for many people being grouchy or ill tempered gives them a false sense of power and control – not to mention it might bring them, the all time favorite they seek, attention. This is a very self-centered attitude to have when our feeling are not what we desire. Our reactions are our choice. Our attitudes are our choice. We would be wise to begin to listen to God and not our feelings so we can make the best choices in life.

The worse thing I believe that hinders God’s ability to manifest His Will, His Spirit, His Purpose, His Character, the fruit of the Spirit, etc. in a person’s life is our worse enemy, “self”. When we become the all-powerful and all-knowing sovereign king of our universe, we might as well build houses for depression, bitterness, worry, insecurity, addiction, fear, loneliness, and anger, as they will be moving in because we have rebelled against God’s proper authority in our life. People makes themselves a prisoner of their own mind and heart, driving themselves to be something they are not; like God makes mistakes in who He created us to be, where He placed us in life, and where He wants to take us.

Acts 17:26–27 (NKJV)

26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;

Each day we make the choices, which make room in our lives and spirits for God to work and bring about His Plan, His Purpose, His Will, and His Character to include the virtues of the fruit of the Spirit. You can sit by and slothfully wish that the random happening of your life will bring about God’s Will and Character, which it rarely does, or you can cooperate with God and with the Spirit of God by responding and obeying the promptings of God, which is what it means to apply the cross of Christ, thus allowing God to strengthen the mental, emotional, and spiritual part of your life. It is ultimately your choice, a choice that God will greatly respect.

Spiritual/Political Disclaimer:

This blog will not be for the faint of heart or the easily offended. It will not be in any way politically correct. It will make every effort to share the truth in love, [Ephesians 4:11-16], to a decaying and dying society and church. I share what I share not to hurt, harm, or offend any person[s] or group; I do it because Christ’s Standard and Truth is not being represented by enough of His Followers and I do it out of love. I love enough to tell His Truth.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV

¹¹And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.