The nine fruit of the Holy Spirit as listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22-23; are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
They are all necessary for the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10); in the life of every believer in Christ Jesus.
We were all created in the image of Christ, to manifest the same quality of life that was in Him on the earth with the fruit and the gifts.
Your individual life as a Christian is not meant to be different from that of Christ on the earth. You are just as He is on this earth.
When Jesus gave the Great Commission, He never gave it to only those in the fivefold ministries, or to the twelve who were the first Apostles with Him.
The Great Commission is a command from Jesus to every believer in His name – everybody, and that includes me and you:
“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Mark 16:15-18 NIV
No believer in Christ Jesus can do anyone of these things, without the fruit of the Holy Spirit being evident in his life.
The nine fruit of the Holy Spirit are therefore the prerequisites for a believer in Christ, to receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit in his life.
For every believer in Christ’s name, to have the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit following him, the fruit of the Holy Spirit must be evident in the life of such a believer.
The fivefold ministries do need the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so as to be better equipped and effective for the work of the ministry.
But the calling into the work of the ministry is not only to those, who are officially in the fivefold ministries alone. It is to every believer in Christ Jesus.
We are all called to do something in the Kingdom of God. There is no Christian without a calling. Get to know your own calling and start walking in it.
We should never forget that Stephen was a Deacon in the early Church, before he became an evangelist. Philipp was also a Deacon, before becoming the great revivalist to the City of Samaria.
They both had the fruit of the Holy Spirit evidently in their lives before they were chosen as Deacons. But the gifts of the Holy Spirit started manifesting more often in their lives, after they became deacons.
The nine fruit of the Holy Spirit forms a basic foundation in the life of any Christian, which prepares that believer in Christ for the work of the ministry.
If a Christian is not manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his spiritual life; that believer cannot have the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
God is not interested in sending out a bunch of unholy, filthy, untested and unprepared believers against the devil. He is looking for those with the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They are the ones that He’s sending out into His harvest field.
These are those who have decided to enter into partnership with Him by the Spirit, as they are bearing the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.
I do strongly believe in my heart that the body of Christ on the earth, is in the crucial stage at this moment for the greatest outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
But the miracles, signs and the wonders are not for those, who are not willing to get rid of the fleshy desires of this world from their lives.
The works of the flesh must die first, for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to manifest in the lives of those who proclaim Christ Jesus as the Lord.
It is time for those who are longing for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, to start living a holy and consecrated lifestyle that glorifies Jesus on the earth. The Bride of Christ must make herself ready for Him.
All of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit are needed for the equipping of the Saints in the work of God’s Kingdom. But without the fruit of the Holy Spirit, such edification within the Body of Christ will be impossible.
That’s why many are weak and ineffective in reaching the lost for Christ.
A sinner may struggle to get saved in a gathering of fleshy and worldly Church people.
But God does not move to glorify the desires of the flesh in any life. That’s exactly what the devil does.
Walk in His wisdom always.
Of all the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, the word of wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:8) happens to be, one of the most needed gifts for the end time harvesters of souls in the Body of Christ.
They are all needed, but the word of wisdom often flows with any of the other gifts of the Spirit in manifestation.
The field is already ripe for the harvest, but the laborers are few. It’s got to be in the wisdom of God alone that we will get the souls saved, the people healed and delivered before Jesus’ return.
King Solomon advised us to:
“Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown.”
Proverbs 4:5-9 NIV
God’s wisdom always flows from the inside of our hearts; where the Holy Spirit lives within us, as we activate our faith, love and patience to develop spiritual muscles through prayer and intercession.
Moses also said:
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”
Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV
The secret things that belong to God has been handed over to us by Jesus Christ. Jesus took them back from the devil, who had stolen them from Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. He gave them to us to use in establishing God’s Kingdom on the earth (Matthew 28:18-20).
It takes a believer in Christ Jesus who has the fruit of the Holy Spirit in his life, to be able to gain access into these secret things of God for the end time harvest of souls into God’s Kingdom.
That is why nothing filthy or unclean must be tolerated in your life, as the vessel of honor to God.
It is clean up time for many who are still on the sidelines, while they’re still running their Christian race, with one leg in the world of evil and the other leg with the gathering of believers in Christ Jesus.
There is too little time left for us, to start getting into this end time harvest. It’s absolutely impossible to be a friend of the world and a friend of God at the same time. But unfortunately, that’s what these ones are doing.
You are either in the Kingdom of God, or in the devil’s kingdom.
In the meantime, Satan will continue to get as many as are still playing the “churchianity” games, roasted and toasted with him in hell fire.
God is not playing games about anything that He says in the Bible. He will do exactly what He says.
It is time for His children to start bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Jesus is coming back again and very soon!
Pray for spiritual growth.
The role of prayer and intercession therefore cannot be overemphasized in the spiritual life of a Christian.
A believer in Christ Jesus, who is not actively involved in spiritual warfare, cannot grow up spiritually.
Our ability to be praying in the spirit plays an important role, concerning our depth of comprehension into the wisdom of God (Romans 11:33).
We are able to tap into the depth, width, height and length of the mysteries of God by walking in His wisdom.
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Church at Ephesus said to them that:
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:14-19 NKJV
According to Paul our Heavenly Father is the One who grants us the access into such mysteries.
No one can ever gain access into the mysteries of God, without being given access into them by God. God alone initiates our access into spiritual mysteries.
But by praying in the spirit, we are able to remove every hindrance, that is preventing us from walking in love, patience and in the other manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit.
Faith comes from God’s word into our hearts (Romans 10:17).
But we do grow in love, patience and other fruit of the Spirit, as we are praying in the spirit to strengthen our inner man. This is how we are prepared for what God wants to do in our lives as Christians on the earth.
We don’t necessarily need to be led in the spirit, before we can start praying in the spirit.
No, this is a spiritual exercise with a much more fruitful accomplishment, whenever it is done by faith alone.
Our faith is what needs to be activated, so as to lead us into praying in this way. We don’t feel led into the mysteries of God. God alone is the Initiator of those things.
You don’t need to have some superfluous spiritual encounter for God to reveal His mysteries to you. All that you need is your act of faith to walk in God’s wisdom.
The scriptures say it clearly:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
However, the mysteries of God are revealed to us in part as we are praying in the spirit. But He does expect you to put your faith to work, by walking in His wisdom in putting the pieces together.
That’s why Paul said:
“For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.”
I Corinthians 13:9-10 NKJV
There are many things that we will never be able to know, until we see Jesus – face to face.
But for us to understand the mysteries of God, which are necessary for the end time harvest, as we are bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives; we do need to be walking before God in His wisdom by faith.
Our faith grows whenever we release it in this manner before the Lord.
The word of God that gives birth to faith inside of our heart, is the very source of God’s wisdom to us.
The spirit man draws always from the abundance of God’s word in our hearts. Just as faith comes by the word of God; wisdom also comes from that very word of God that is inside of us.
Our spirit man draws out wisdom from the presence of the Holy Spirit inside of our hearts, through prayer and intercession, whenever we are praying in the spirit. Such wisdom is necessary for our application into real life situations.
Every believer in Christ Jesus does has a measure of faith, which comes from the word of God to us (Romans 12:3).
That very word of faith is the wisdom of God in your life. It may come by reading, studying or meditating on the holy scriptures. It may also come through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ to you.
Through whatsoever means the word of God comes to you, faith always comes with it.
Mortify the works of the flesh.
The flesh is a major hindrance to the believer’s ability in bearing spiritual fruit. Therefore, it can be a hindrance to God’s wisdom inside of his heart.
That’s why Paul once advised us:
“So, I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Galatians 5:16-18 NIV
The desires of the flesh are contrary to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in your life as a child of God.
We often want to walk in the wisdom of God, but the wisdom of this world which is manifested in the fleshy desires comes to overrule the wisdom of God in the heart.
That’s why a Christian who wants to live for Christ alone, finds himself living according to the standards of this world, instead of following Jesus to be living by the standard of God’s word.
God’s word brings us the deliverance into the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. It is by walking in the Spirit, that we are able to get rid of the wisdom that comes through our fleshy desires.
Paul told the Romans again:
“For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”
Romans 8:13 NIV
We are able to put the misdeeds (wisdom) of our fleshy desires, that hinders our ability to walk in love and patience to death, by praying in the spirit.
Most of the time when people pray against the works of the flesh in their understandings, they are often led by their own flesh, opinions and feelings, which is humanistic wisdom in nature.
Our personal opinions or feelings are often not from God. They are from this world of flesh and blood.
All of these things will always stand in your way to love and to be patient in trials and tribulations. The wisdom that comes from God, comes from the inside of you by the Holy Spirit, who got it directly from the Father above and gave it you.
James wrote:
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
James 3:13-17 NIV
The wisdom of God has all the attributes of faith, and the fruit of the Holy Spirit within it.
Wisdom flows wherever faith is activated with the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The fruit of love and patience strengthens our faith for spiritual development.
That’s why as Christians, we must never see the problems of life, as a hindrance to our spiritual fruitfulness.
Unfortunately, there are many believers today who do see their problems in life, as the major hindrance to their love walk and commitment to the Kingdom of God.
This is yet another lie of the devil. We don’t run away from God in difficult times. No, we always run to Him.
Problems then becomes our steppingstone to greater heights in the Lord, as our faith and our ability to walk in love begins to get stronger and bolder.
If Jesus could use His temptation by Satan as the steppingstone into His ministry, you can do the same thing also, because He lives in you (Ephesians 3:20).
Persecuted Church grows in love.
Paul once told the Thessalonians as they faced a fierce opposition to the proclamation of the gospel:
“We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,”
II Thessalonians 1:3 NKJV
The Church at Thessaloniki was at that time facing so much opposition, from the Jewish converts to Christianity, when Paul wrote to them.
Even though the opposition from outside the Church was very strong, but it was not able to hinder or affect the bond of love, faith and unity among these believers.
They grew in faith and love towards all Christians and one another, even as they faced persecution from their fellow Jewish believers.
The Body of Christ grows stronger in the face of opposition. This is still the situation today. Christians who are spiritually fruitful, will always grow stronger in faith and love, when they are facing persecution.
We therefore cannot use the difficulties of life, as an excuse not to be praying, read or study scriptures.
It is the devil who will like you to stop fellowshipping with Bible believers, because of the difficulties of life which confronts you. So, stand up against him by faith.
Start using every opportunity that is available to you by faith in your particular situation, to do exactly what the devil does not want you to do.
This is the path which God has prepared for you in getting you out of your particular situation.
Don’t hold back. Stop considering your circumstances.
Remember:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God’s promises]–”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 AMP
Paul wrote also to the Colossians about the love for God in their midst, which was mixed with their faith in God, as they were being confronted with similar opposition like that of the Thessalonians.
He told them:
“…we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel”
Colossians 1:4-5 NIV
A Church that lives by faith and walks in the love of God towards all believers, is a Church that has been renewed in the spirit of the mind by the word of God.
The Church at Colossi grew in love and grace even in the face of opposition. Difficult times came from the enemy to try their faith and love walk.
But the faith of the believers of this Church continued to grow in manifesting the power of the Kingdom of God among them.
They continued to win souls. They continued laying their hands on the sick, just as Christ commanded them to do.
The results are the great miracles which took place among them. They continued even in the midst of their difficulties, to minister to the needs of the weak among them – to the widows and the orphans.
A Church that grows in this manner, is the most dreadful Church to the devil and his cohorts.
This is the Church that will always triumph in the face of opposition, because of their ability to walk in love and live by faith, in getting the victory when facing trials.
Apostle John wrote:
“For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
1 John 5:4-5 NIV
If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, it is normal for you to be walking always in victory. You have no excuse for going back into the way you used to live before you got saved.
No, No, No! You did not get saved so that you can return back to that dead, old way of life. The living Christ inside of you, is bigger and stronger than what you are going through right now. Don’t you know that?
The scriptures say:
“As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.”
Proverbs 26:11 NIV
No, you don’t have any reason to go back to living in the old fleshy ways, which you had abandoned when you came to Christ Jesus.
It’s time to get rid of those flimsy excuses. Your Heavenly Father is waiting on you. It is time for you to get back into His word and promises for your life. It is time to begin growing in your prayer closet.
You can use the very situation that confronts you now, to work on your personal spiritual development. Begin today to grow by doing so.
As an example, we can see that Paul was used to praying for the Church at Colossi, which loved all believers everywhere in the Spirit (Colossians 1:8).
The Colossians were able to love in the Spirit, because they were walking in the Spirit.
You can’t love problematic people, if you are not walking in the Spirit. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we are able to love them.
The Holy Spirit will always guide our steps in our association and relationship with them. He will cause you to keep yourself in the bond of the love of God with them.
We cannot therefore compare the spiritual growth of the Colossians, with that of the Corinthians and the Galatians.
To Paul, the Colossians were great lovers of God’s people everywhere, because they had been able to effectively develop their spirit man, as they’re living by faith which works through love.
But the level and intensity of the opposition, that both the Churches at Thessaloniki and Colossi were facing was different.
The intensity of the opposition of Satan to our faith in God, determines the intensity of the love of God through us to all men.
The harder the enemy hits at you, the stronger you will become in love and grace as you are resisting him. The Holy Spirit will pour more grace and love into your life in defeating the enemy.
That’s why the fruit of the Holy Spirit is vital, as the foundation that supports and maintains the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Seek to grow more with the fruit, and you will see the gifts of the Spirit being manifested in your life.
The fruit keep the nine gifts in your life stronger as you are growing up spiritually – praying in the spirit.
