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Kimley Dunlap-Slaughter

Fruit of the Holy Spirit


The Key to Developing the Fruit of the Spirit:

God cannot establish within us a pure heart and a steadfast spirit without allowing genuine temptations and actual obstacles that must be overcome. The reason the Lord even tolerates evil in the world is to produce a righteousness within us that not only withstands the assault of evil but grows stronger and brighter in the midst of it. The Bible speaks about fruit from a literal perspective such as olives, grapes and figs; many times. More frequently the biblical Hebrew and Greek words translated “fruit” have a symbolic reflection. Such as, crops are considered “fruit of the earth,” children are called the “fruit of the womb” and a man’s words are viewed as “the fruit of the mouth.” In ancient and modern times, people have used “fruit” to mean results, products, outcomes, accomplishments and achievements. An employee or laborer must be productive to be worthy of their wages. One must work hard, work fast and work smart to get jobs done and done right. In Scripture, “fruit” has comparable meanings. When God’s Spirit is at work in a person, amazing things happen. The person’s whole life blossoms and bears beautiful fruit. Through the Spirit you can experience joy and peace in every circumstance, no matter how difficult or painful.

The fruit of the Spirit give us clear instructions and understand of what God what’s us to be rather than what we’re doing. Before, you can understand God’s purpose and will for your life, you must operate with some and most of these attributes of the Holy Spirit. If you’re looking for God’s will for your life, look first what God wants you to do. Look first of all at what God wants you to be, and that’s to be more like Christ. Keep in mind that probably 99 percent of knowing the will of God for our lives is perfecting ourselves to become the person God wants you to be. The gifts of the Spirit come to us through the miraculous endowment of God’s Spirit. Some may come through development and progressive growth. The baptism in the Spirit happens often in a moment. But the fruit of the Spirit grows as we continue to sink our roots down in Christ. The key to developing fruit is to abide in Christ. The fruit of the Spirit allows us to take the high ground, even when we come under attack by the enemy and others who are uncertain of their calling and purpose. There’s no room in the Spirit–filled life for that’s encumbered by life is overwhelmed by the cares of this life and wiles of the devil.

God has designed the fruit to helps us to get all doubts, fears, and uncertainties out of our life, in which are the things that often grow from adversity. The fruit of the Spirit is the opposite of fruit in the natural sense. The delightful thing about the fruit of the Spirit is that nothing can kill the development of Christ’s personality within our life. Christ’s personality grows in all kinds of temperatures, atmospheres and circumstances. The fruit of the Lord’s personality is shown even to the point of death. The gives us a great example of Stephen, who experienced a one–time gift while his life was coming to a tragic end. He responded with the love of Christ to those who were stoning him. He said, “Do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7:60). Jesus spent His entire life as a perfect role model for servants of God who are modest, thoughtful, sympathetic and compassionate. They are individuals who are always putting others before themselves through affection, understanding and servitude. These individuals acknowledge that serving isn’t something that only draws us closer to others, but it draws us nearer to God Himself. And, the fruit of the Spirit that God desires us to produce and share freely daily. By developing and maintaining an intimate relationship with the Spirit of God, you will be able to nurture and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in your daily life.

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