The Fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

King James Version

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

There are nine fruits of the spirit that is talked about in Galatians 5:2-23

Love

The type of Love God is talking about here is Agape love. Agape love refers to a pure, wilful, sacrificial love that intentionally desires another highest good without expecting anything in return. The Bible tells us we are to love God with everything in us and that we are to love others as we do ourselves and to think more highly of others than we do ourselves.  We love one another because God first loved us. 1st John 4,  Mark 12:30-31, Philippians 2:3,

Joy

Biblical joy does not depend on our circumstances, but it comes from knowing God and what God has done for us and what He's going to do As we abide in Him, He will abide in us and we will produce much fruit. We don't have to struggle trying to make it happen. 

Side note: The joy of the Lord is our strength

Romans 5:3-5, John 15: 4-5, John 15:10-11, Proverbs 10:28 Nehemiah 8:10, John 15:9-11

Peace

Peace is the fulfillment of whatever is lacking. We need the Holy Spirit to be our peace because alone we are lacking. As long as we keep our minds on the lord we will stay in perfect peace and we don't have to worry about finances, our safety, or when trouble comes along or anything else. We are to take our worries to God in prayer and thanksgiving and he will give us peace.  John 16:33, Psalms 4:8, Isaiah 32:17, John 14:27, John 14:15-16,  John 14:26-27, Phillipians 4:4-7, Isaiah 26:3-4

Patience or Long Suffering 

We as Christians are to withstand challenges that come at us in life. We are to be imitators of God and God is a God of patience. He is slow to anger. So we are to be slow to anger as well.   The Holy Spirit is evident in our lives when we are slow to anger and persevere and show steadfastness. Ephesians 4:1-2, Romans 12:12, Pslams 37:7-9, Proverbs 15:18, Romans 15:5, Romans 2:1-4

Meekness 

Meekness is submitting yourself to God in all things. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is power under control. Meekness is submitting all that you have to obedience to God. Meekness is knowing we are nothing without God and with God we are everything. Meekness is a humble demeanor. When we are meek that is when God can use us.  Meekness is not concerned with self-will. The Holy Spirit is powerful but the Bible describes Him as a dove. We don't have to make big shows of our strength or power. We don't have to push or shove. Moses was the meekest man of his time. Jesus was meek. Jesus could have brought all of Heaven down on the Roman soldiers but instead, he controlled his power and submitted Himself to God the Father for His will to be done. Philippians 2:7, Matthew 26: 53-54, Numbers 12:3, Matthew 5:5

.Goodness

God compares his goodness to be merciful and compassionate. Goodness is shown in our actions. We do good when we show compassion and mercy. We do good when we do things we know are right to do. We are to be good and Live life without selfishness. Matthew 5:16, Galatians 6:10, Romans 12:21, Luke 6:35, Amos 5:14-15, Micah 6:8, Pslams 37:3, Exodus 33:19

Faithfulness

Faithfulness is following through on a commitment regardless of the cost. We are to have faith in God and His word because anything that is not faith is sin. Without faith, it's impossible to please God. We are to be loyal, steadfast, dependable, and trustworthy. We are to be dedicated to God and not stray from his commandments. Romans 14:23, Hebrews 11:6, Deuteronomy 28: 1-68, Proverbs 3:3-4, Matthew 7:21-23, 

Gentleness

Gentleness is the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered. We are to not speak evil of people and to be courteous and not violent or harsh actions. We are to be quiet and humble, and not proud or haughty acting.  James 1:19-20, Titus 3:2, Proverbs 15:1, Pslams 5:9, James 3:13, 1 Peter 3:15, 1 Peter 3:4, Zephaniah 2:3

Self-Control 

We are to be able to control ourselves, both physically and mentally. We should be able to control our impulses and urges that are not of God. Proverbs 25:28, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 2 Timothy 1:7, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Peter 4:7, James 1:19,

The fruit of the spirit is a picture of Christ. We are to be Christ-like. The closer you get to God the more Christ-like you will be.  Once we get saved God begins to make changes in us, and as we begin to grow in the Lord spending time with Him and studying His word we begin to develop the fruits of the spirit. You can tell what type of tree a tree is by the fruit it produces. You can tell if someone is a Christian by the fruits they bear. 

The Parable of the Seed Sower

 Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:1-15

 The soil represents the human heart, and the word of God is the seed. There are four different types of soil that the seed falls on. These are the four different reactions the human heart has when they hear the word of God.

These are as follows:

The hard heart

The hard heart is people who hear God's word and don't understand it or the people who hear God's word but it goes in one ear and out the other. It never even penetrates their heart. When this happens the enemy comes and steals what is sown and is being sewn before it even hits the ground. A hard heart is a wall a rock. When someone has a hard heart there is no getting through to them. You have to pray and ask God to change their heart. Ask God to repair their heart to soften them and give them a heart of flesh

The shallow heart

People who hear God's word and receive it with joy are people who receive the seed in stony places. They receive it with joy but when trouble comes or persecution comes they get offended because God's word was sewn without much root so they wither. 

The Crowded heart

The person who receives seed among thorns is the one who hears God's word and becomes so busy with the cares of this world and its riches that God's word is choked out because of their distractions and they lose interest in the things of God and they become unfruitful. Don't let anyone or anything distract you. Lay your treasures up in Heaven and not on the things of this world. Trust God to take care of you. Don't let the love of money take root. 

The fruitful heart

The fruitful heart is the person who hears God's word and understands it, and they bear much fruit producing a rich harvest. They don't get distracted by the things of this world. They stay focused on God and don't let their hearts be troubled