I have often heard people pray as well as say they asked God to give them the fruit of the spirit. Now rest assured, if you pray with sincerity, God knows what you mean and He will work with you. The point of this post is that it’s important for you to have the right frame of mind and thinking for your growth in God.
The fruit of the spirit is from the section in the bible known as “Living by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16-25). The parts most focused on, though you should focus on the entire thing are:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like — Galatians 5:19-21 (KJV)
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)
A fruit is not something that you seek or is given [to a tree]. It is something that is produced by a tree, and then produced continuously. So, likewise you must produce the fruit of the spirit. That being the case, the correct prayer should be “help me to produce better fruit of the spirit”. When you are born again, you are a new creature, a spiritual creature, that produces the fruit mentioned above: you were made to produce these fruits. If you are watered with the blood and fertilized with grace you will bare these fruits; it is impossible not to.
Now, notice how Paul chose not to say “the fruit of the flesh”, but the “works of the flesh”? This reference should not be glanced over, as it’s important for your understanding of walking in the spirit. Instead of being a tree, the flesh is a weed that corrupts and destroys: it wishes to choke out the spiritual. If left unchecked, in time it will prevent the blood from watering you. You can have all the grace [fertilizer], but without the blood, you will dry up and die.
As long as you live in this world, the flesh is still part of you and you must keep it in check; you too are a trinity: soul, body and spirit. Your soul is led by either the flesh or the spirit. However, when the flesh is in check, that is dead/has been crucified, you cannot be led by it. This is what Paul is explaining (as he literally says) and should be the real focal point of the entire passage.
How do you keep the flesh in check? By prayer, fasting, and living in the word of God (PFW). We covered how to do that in the series “The Fundamentals of a Christian Life”, posts #24 through #31. Please review them and make sure that you are practicing them! Also, we discussed the fruit of the spirit just a few posts ago in post #37 “What are you feeding your mind hourly, daily, or even weekly?”.
Now, in addition of doing the fundamentals to keep your flesh in check, and this really is a subset of living in the word of God, you must separate yourself from the world in order to walk in the spirit.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. — 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (KJV)
So many people, especially young people struggle with this part: being separate from the world. The world is full of all kinds of shiny things: talk, trends, behavior, etc., but you must be in this world and not part of it. Do not conform (habits and ideologies), be buddy buddy, identify, or be emotionally caught up with the things of this world.
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. — John 15:19 (KJV)
As a born again Christian, a new creature in Christ, your conduct: talk, behavior, etc., should make you stand out as different from the world. And, in doing so that means people won’t like you and you will even offend some people, including family. I think I mentioned it before, but the question I have gotten asked the most throughout my life has been: “why don’t you do such and such? Is it a sin?”. There are a lot of things that I do not do simply because they don’t, or no longer appeal (shiny) to me as a new creature in Christ Jesus. On the flip side, there are things that I now do that I didn’t before. Just because something is not sin, doesn’t mean you have to, or want to do it. These things are not burdens or chores to me in the likes of “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not”. The desire to do, or not do is not a struggle, they are pleasing and satisfying; they come naturally (for lack of a better word) from having the flesh crucified and from walking in the spirit.
If you are not saved/redeemed please do so today.
Come to God open, empty and without statements.
Ask him to be real to you and believe in Him.
Humble yourself before Him, confess who you are, and tell Him that you are sorry for your sins.
Ask Him to forgive you and to come into your life and start a personal relationship.
Believe this and be born again!
May God bless and keep all who read this.
May God bless and keep all brothers and sisters, new and old in the faith, in his name.
With his love and mine,
Chrom