The flesh and the spirit are at war against each other such that at times you find yourself doing the things you know you should not be doing. When you yield to the flesh then you will manifest the fruits of the flesh. In the same way if you yield to the Holy Spirit then you will manifest the fruit of the Spirit in your life. But what is the fruit of the Spirit?
Galatians 5:22 (AMP)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Compare that to the works of the flesh
Galatians 5:19-21 (AMP)
19 Now the practices of the [a]sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), 20 [b]idolatry, [c]sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], 21 envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
When the fruit of the Spirit manifests in your life, then you begin to display Gods nature.
Your love for people and the things of God begins to grow; you begin appreciating each individual as a son or daughter of God and not because of what they have.
We see joy in your life and even as the bible says that joy of the Lord is your strength, your joy is not determined by outside forces but by the Spirit on the inside.
The peace of God that surpasses all understanding envelopes you and regardless of the situation you are going through, you are enveloped in His peace.
With longsuffering you are able to endure like Job when you go through trials without complaining.
You become gentle in the way you handle people and situations around you, you display the same gentleness Jesus showed when He dealt with the woman caught in adultery. You do not condone the sin but you handle people with gentleness.
Humility becomes a reality in your life as you understand that it is not about you but about Christ who lives in you.
Faith arises in you as the Holy Spirit bears witness to the words that you read from the pages of the bible.
I don’t know about you, but I think that is a very powerful fruit that will draw others to Christ as they see it in you.
You may be looking at your life and you can only see small traces of this fruit in your life. Let me encourage you by telling you that fruit does not grow in one day. It takes time from when the fruit buds on the tree to the time when I it edible. For you right now the fruit may just be budding. Take heart and allow the Holy Spirit to continue working in you because the fruit will continue to grow and develop.
Declaration
I will not yield to the promptings of the flesh, I will allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me, I will follow His lead so that the fruit of the Spirit is evident in my everyday life
