The Nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit
In Galatians 5:22-23 the Bible says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."
In this Bible verse, Paul emphasizes the word "fruit," so that we can have a clear understanding and knowledge of the work of the Holy Spirit and the urgent need to have His fruit in us. The bible also makes us understand the product of the Holy Spirit, which is beneficial in our lives and why believers must have it.
The Greeks interpreted the word "fruit" in the context of this scripture as the inherent or legitimate product of a living thing. If you have read the text I emphasised at the beginning, you will notice that the word "fruit" used in the Bible passage is singular. It is singular because it signifies oneness, unity, and cooperation.
That’s what the fruit of the spirit is. We are only perfect through grace. We must also learn to weed out all the forms and traits of the devil in our lives because that will stand as a setback to the manifestation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our individual lives and destiny.
Through this, the Holy Spirit comes into the picture in our lives by eliminating all the traits of sin in our lives. We will be saved if we allow Him to do His work in our lives. Paul emphasised the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are:
Love
In 1 John 4:7-8, the bible says, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."
The bible has given us a unique definition of love. Whoever does not practice love is not an image of God, nor is the creature aware of the existence of God, because our creator is Love. It was because he loved us that He sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of mankind.
Whose father will sacrifice his son to pay for the sin of the universe? Nobody will do that because of the love he or she has for their child. Since Jesus Christ has paid the price for the sin of mankind, why then is it so hard to show love to your neighbor?
Love is selfless, not selfish. Most of the time, you can deprive yourself of some enjoyable things just to put the needs of other people before yours. That's also an act of love.
Joy
In Nehemiah 8:10, the Bible says, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." No matter the trials and temptations you are facing, count them all as joy (James 1:2). The Greeks define joy as gladness and delight.
The luxurious life, prudence, and pride of life have an expiring date, but the joy of the Lord is everlasting. This everlasting joy can only be found in Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Once the Holy Spirit begins to manifest in your life, the joy that everything will be alright despite the circumstances you are facing will be assured in your life.
Joy comes when we put our hope and trust in God, believing he can do anything. God is loving and he will fulfill all his promises in his word. Nothing is impossible with God, and everything is impossible without God.
Peace
There is nothing like having peace of mind, and that peace comes through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When you are going through a difficult moment in your life, you may be troubled. But with the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life, you will definitely find peace.
The difficulties might be: unemployment, death, health issues, mental instability, anxiety, depression, pain and doubt. Once you are going through all these ugly challenges of life, just remember the word of God, hold on to the promises and live by them.
In John 14:27, Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you."
The peace of God in our lives cannot be compared to the peace the world gives us, because the peace of God is everlasting.
Faithfulness
To be faithful means to be consistent, truthful, accountable, and loyal in all that you do.The redemptive power of Christ is a sign of the faithfulness of God in our lives. The faithfulness of God is in the fulfillment of His words.
We must be obedient to the Holy Spirit, who provides us with the ability to be faithful at all times. Times are challenging and the world we live in has so many ups-and-downs that cause painful scenarios just to make us doubt the faithfulness of God.
For this reason, possessing the fruit of faithfulness is necessary to help us trust in the faithfulness of God no matter what may befall us. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faithfulness demands total submission to God, trusting in Him always and being obedient to His word.
Goodness
The true meaning of goodness is neglected and overlooked by some people because they don't understand the true meaning. God is naturally good, and He is not hypocritical.
We are obedient to the scripture when our actions reflect the fruit of the Spirit.
Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
It’s your act of goodness that serves as a reflection of Christ’s character and the significant possession of the fruit of the Spirit.
Gentleness
Your gentleness does not mean you are sluggish or weak. Anger and aggression cannot resolve any issues, and two wrongs cannot make a right. Gentleness is the nature of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore, every believer should practice gentleness.
The fruit of gentleness brings promising results. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we must follow in the footsteps of Christ and have a gentle spirit.
Self-control
Self-control gives us unique grace to overcome trial and temptation and avoid conforming to worldly pleasures. In 2 Timothy 1:7, the bible says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
"Sound mind" means discerning and reasoning by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and not by carnal knowledge. With the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, it is necessary to possess the fruit of self-control because when we possess this fruit, it makes us live a life pleasing to God.
It’s a wrap on the nine fruits of the Spirit. I believe your soul has been refreshed and you have learnt the importance of possessing the fruit of the Holy Spirit.