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Fruitful – Self-Control

 

This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Self-Control.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

Have you ever seen something or someone completely out of control? In racing, you might hear half the people go for the race and half go for the crash. It’s the idea of seeing something out of control. Something bigger than ourselves that could spell the ultimate victory or a painful defeat that goes down in a huge crash; completely out of control. Have you ever been out of control? I mean after it’s all over you look back and think, “How did I let that happen or how could I have gotten so out of control of myself?” I’ve been there more times than I’m proud of that’s for sure. Whether it’s anger, addiction, lust, or anything else that the human condition can produce, it’s not a good feeling being out of control. Prisons are filled with people who couldn’t control themselves but so are office buildings. It seems we live in an out-of-control society. As a matter of fact, our entire reality TV addiction in this country is built on getting people who can’t control themselves then filming and editing it for us all to see!

Having self-control is probably one of the most beneficial fruits of the Spirit. This is the fruit that will keep us out of harm’s way in our walk with God and our relationship with others. Just like all the other fruits though, it is grown in situations that require it. When we use it we don’t lose it! You’ll be presented plenty of situations where you can lose it and blow up on everybody or you can blow it big-time with your family but regardless of the situation how we grow the fruit is applying it.

When we want to respond angry we use have self-control. When we want to make a bad decision because we “deserve it”, use have self-control. When we want to take something that isn’t ours because “we’ve earned it”, use self-control. Sometimes taking a deep breath and “playing out the tape” is how I avoid bad decisions. Like I said, I’ve made quite a few bad decisions and so have you, but I’ve also made quite a few good ones and it’s usually because I “play the tape out”. This is a saying I picked up in recovery. It helps overcome impulsive thinking.

Before you make a decision, do these 3 things:

  1. Ask, “Is this what God’s will is for your life?”  This is pretty straight-forward. Is this what God would want me to do?
  2. Play the tape all the way out and just envision the future and the impact your decision will have on it.
  3. What’s the wise thing to do? One of the most powerful questions you could ask!

If you have an affirmative on all these points, then you can be pretty sure you are making a good decision.

Making good decisions isn’t something people are born with, it’s a skill that can be developed. So let’s make some good ones this week!

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Fruitful – Gentleness

 

This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Gentleness.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

I was raised in a way to open doors for others, to say, “Yes ma’am” and ” No sir” to my elders, basically with the overall sense of being a gentleman. Now gentleness isn’t being feminine or soft but it has way more to do with being strong than anything else. Gentleness is very similar to goodness. The goodness that the Holy Spirit plants in us and it grows as a fruit is then expressed through gentleness. Gentleness is the action of goodness. Being gentle has more of a correlation with meekness. My youth pastor taught me way back in the day that “meekness isn’t weakness”. Meekness is strength under control. It’s having the power to crush something or somebody but instead you strengthen them through love and encouragement.

Being a gentle person might have the picture of someone skipping through the dandelions whistling along without a care in the world. Maybe, but true gentleness and true spiritual fruit is when someone has wronged you and you have the ability to speak harshly ABOUT them but you don’t. Instead you speak to them and love them in order that God may be glorified and their purpose may be fulfilled. This is meekness, this is true spiritual fruit! I long for the day when Christians stop hurting other Christians and actually do what the bible says!

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. -Galatians 6:1 NIV

The scripture uses the word “gently” on purpose. It’s the same word that correlates to “meekness” so it means that even those who have screwed up do not get slammed! The bible is written for us to understand that God has a path and plan to restoration and complete fullness but it comes through the fruit of the Spirit, more specifically through being a gentle person. Gentleness is such an underestimated source of power that can overcome almost any bad situation. The reason we don’t operate in gentleness is because it takes humility. Being humble and gentle go hand in hand. I’ve never seen a gentle person with a big ego.

This week you will be presented with the opportunity to lash out and crush someone. But take a moment, take a deep breath, and be gentle. This is having your strength under control.

 

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Fruitful – Faithfulness

 

This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Faithfulness.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

Being faithful. Everyone wants faithful, but what is faithful? Does it mean dependable? Does it mean on-time? Does it mean good attendance? Someone who has your back? That’s faithful right? Well maybe in some opinions and cultures those are what people mean by being faithful, but the fruit of the Spirit has a different meaning when it comes to faithful. In the Greek, it translates right back to the root for faith (pistis) so when we call someone “faithful” or say they have “faithfulness”, you are really saying, “They are FULL of Faith!” It means they have a full faith in God according to the fruit of the Spirit. So while being on-time and dependable are important, what’s more important is a faith in a strong God!

So how do we get more faith? This fruit is GROWN in our lives right in the middle of when we think we need it most! Right in the middle of a problem that we need to believe God for is right when this fruit is grown on our life. When we are facing something that we don’t have the money for or the strength for or the heart for… that’s right when we need faith. This God-infused fruit called faith is grown in our lives. It’s the God-kind-of-faith. This is the faith that pleases God. It’s when we throw our hands up in surrender, not out of frustration or weariness, but in surrender, so we are believing God for His best when we don’t know what to do. I’m there right now! I have a couple personal situations and relationships that I’ve done all I can do and I am believing the Holy Spirit will do the rest!

Faith is the cornerstone to our walk with God. It takes faith to believe in a God we can’t see. Faith is what pleases God.

This week, don’t allow situations and relationships to drain your faith. Guard your faith and keep speaking and declaring what the bible has said about your situation!

 

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Fruitful – Goodness

 

This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Goodness.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

This week we are going to talk about goodness; being a good person. Growing up, we’ve always been taught to be a good boy or good girl and if we didn’t, well if you’re from my generation, we got our butts whooped! So the motivation for being good was to avoid punishment. Unfortunately, when we become believers we take that same unrenewed and unbiblical belief with us into our relationship with God the Father. The truth is, the gospel isn’t about us being good or God doling out punishment if we aren’t good. The gospel is about living in the Spirit, more specifically an understanding of the fruit of the Spirit. We can’t come up with this fruit on our own. It’s the fruit OF THE SPIRIT. The Spirit of God plants this fruit in us. So in essence, we can’t be good on our own! Some folks think goodness is equal to self-righteousness. The thought is, “If I’m good enough God will bless me with something.” Goodness is implanted into us through the sacrifice and work of Jesus on the cross. So goodness is because of Jesus, not how much sin we can avoid or how many self-righteous checkboxes we can mark off. Yes, we should avoid sin but avoiding sin isn’t for God’s benefit, it’s for ours! Sin has consequence and sometimes we confuse that consequence with punishment, but it’s not the same! We don’t want to see the Old Testament punishment of God, the ground-swallowing-fire-falling-from-heaven punishment of God. In this grace dispensation we live in, we must not try and teach the law with grace. The law of the letter kills but the Spirit brings life!

Goodness takes place in our lives because of Jesus. Out of His work and fruit of the Spirit is how we are good. Let’s look at the greek transliteration of the word “goodness.” Goodness is entry number 5544 in Strong’s concordance (xrēstótēs) pronounced (khray-stot’-ace). It literally means “useful kindness” and refers to meeting real needs, in God’s way, in His timing and fashion. With the believer, goodness is “divine kindness” it is the Spirit-produced goodness which meets the need of others. Being a good person won’t get you to heaven, only Jesus does that, but it can bring heaven to earth.

Being good to those who don’t deserve it is one of the best ways that this fruit can be produced in our lives. Being good to those who are good to you is easy, but not much growth happens there. Being good to those who aren’t? Well now you’re growing some fruit! Let’s give goodness to those who don’t deserve it. Let’s be good to the bad in our lives. I’ve found that most people want to be good but they live in the flesh and react in a negative way. This is why we live in the Spirit! I’ve had many people do bad to me in private and public. How do I respond? I don’t. Well, most of the time I don’t. 😀 I honestly don’t want to give anyone the satisfaction that they have gotten the better of me. The better of me is reserved for those who are better to me! Being good to these people is a challenge but I have found it usually turns the situation for my good.

This week let’s be good. Allow the goodness of God to flow through you and watch how your relationships and life drastically improves.

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Fruitful – Kindness

 

This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Kindness.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

Kindness is something you don’t find much of these days. Being kind to people is not hard but it does take some thought. There are many opportunities to increase this fruit in our life. When you see a cashier checking you out at the grocery store, take a moment and be extra kind. It might be the only kindness they’ve experienced all week! How about to your spouse? How about those closest to you? Are you being kind? Sometimes the people closest to us get no kindness because of our familiarity. They know who we really are and maybe don’t expect the extra effort; but do it anyway! Those closest to us deserve the most kindness! I’ve seen and experienced this time and time again in the local church. Caution: I’m not ragging on the church, I’m a local church guy, but we have a tendency to be kind to outsiders whilst the insiders who are helping build the church get the least kindness. If you are a leader, it’s your duty to be kind to those who serve with you.

Being kind can diffuse tense situations. Most people react and with each interaction that continues, it heightens anger or frustration. When you take a moment and be kind, it can turn the whole thing around.

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you. -Proverbs 25:21-22 NKJV

Kindness isn’t a weakness, it’s understanding how to get the best outcome from those relationships and how to invest the most in those relationships. If I have experienced great customer service, have been on the phone with someone who is kind, I’m likely to continue with those people and conversations. Being around people who are sour is just no fun. I personally don’t have time for relationships like that. I want to have life-giving relationships! Even when confronting someone, you can do it with kindness.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. -Proverbs 25:11 ESV

Being kind starts in our hearts. I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t have the kindest thoughts towards some folks. This where kindness begins; in our hearts and our minds. If we aren’t genuine in those places, then our display of kindness is in vain.

The world has enough jerks to go around, let’s do our best not to be one.