The very nature of our new birth as Christians, demands that we should be bearing spiritual fruit, from the very moment when we got born again by the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:21-24). We do carry in us the exact characteristics of God, which are being gradually revealed, through the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us. God with all of His attributes begins to dwell inside of us, by His Spirit from the moment when we got born again (1 John 4:13-15). Apostle Paul described those attributes of God that are being manifested in us when He wrote:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Galatians 5:22-26 NKJV
There is absolutely no spiritual law against these attributes of God, in the life of a believer in Christ Jesus. The devil can’t fight or resist any one of these attributes in our lives. He flees away in terror from us, because these attributes of God in us are spiritual truth and law, that he can’t stand up against.
They are not only spiritual truth and law; but we must also acknowledge that, they do serve as part of our weapons of spiritual warfare against the devil. We will always win whenever we are standing up in the love of God, patience, faith, self control, joy and other listed attributes. But we do need to learn how to use these weapons effectively against satan and his cohorts.
It is only when a carnally minded Christian rejects the works of the Holy Spirit in his life, that the fruit or attributes of the Holy Spirit will not become manifested in the life of such a believer. The works of the flesh will often take the preeminent position in the life of such a believer (Galatians 5:19-21). But if a carnal minded believer in Christ begins to live by the Spirit of God, he or she will receive the empowerment by the Spirit, to crucify the works and desires of the flesh with its passions for sin.
With this being said, we need to note here that, it is from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit inside of our spirit man, that our ability to bear spiritual fruit originates from. If the Holy Spirit lives in us, we are therefore able to bear spiritual fruit. The fruit expresses through us the various characteristics through the Holy Spirit living in our lives.
AND THE FRUIT IS NOT THE GIFTS
There are however some believers in Christ, who do often confuse the ability to bear spiritual fruit (Galatians 5:22-26), with the distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). We need to understand that, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is clearly distinct from the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Just as mentioned before, the fruit of the Holy Spirit represents the attributes or qualities of the life of God in us. But the gifts are the various distributions, operations and administrations of the Holy Spirit in our lives as believers in Christ. They are both different from one another in clarifications, and in their various functions within the body of Christ.
As Paul said:
“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:”
I Corinthians 12:4-7 NKJV
The diversities of operations, the differences in ministries, the diversities of activities are all the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. They are all a reference to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 12:3-8 Paul revealed to us further, how each one of these gifts do work in complimenting one another.
We moreover do need all the attributes, or qualities of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, so as to be able to develop our spirit man. But we don’t necessarily need all of the distribution of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us, for our spiritual development. We experience spiritual development because, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is making us spiritually fruitful.
The fruit of the Holy Spirit are more important, than the gifts for our spiritual development as Christians.
The Holy Spirit distributes His gifts to each believer, as He deems fit for each one of us to function with them, for the edification of the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:11).
From the moment when we received Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit begins to manifest spiritual fruit in us. Our relationship with the Holy Spirit is what makes this possible. But the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us are imparted to us, as we are growing up spiritually, or as our spirit man is being developed.
Without the reality or self consciousness of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a believer, the flesh will always express and manifest itself through that believer. But it is the infilling of the Holy Spirit, that helps us in fighting back the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:16). We are then able to kill the works of the flesh by the Spirit..
But in reality it is actually our ability to be baptized, or to be immersed or be drunk in the Holy Spirit, that helps us in completely getting rid of carnality (Romans 8:9 and Ephesians 5:18). When we are immersed in the Holy Spirit, we gain access into the supernatural realm of the Spirit of God. We then become the vessels through whom God is able to flow continuously by His Spirit. A completely yielded Christian life, is therefore completely immersed in the Holy Spirit.
KEEP ON WALKING IN LOVE
Apostle Paul told the Corinthians, after explaining the functions of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to them:
“But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all–love].”
1 Corinthians 12:31 AMPC
The manifestation of the fruit of love in our lives as Christians, is the most excellent way through which any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit can be more effective in operation. None of the gifts of the Holy Spirit can function, without the love of God being simultaneously manifested through us.
If a Christian cannot keep on track with his or her love walk, such a believer will not only be unable to bear much more spiritual fruit; but the gifts or the graces of God will be far from such a believer. The grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit abounds, where love abounds also. Our love walk is the key to our spiritual growth and development. Many are carnal Christians today, because they can’t keep themselves in the love of God.
The love of God is the initial manifestation of our ability to bear spiritual fruit before the Lord. Love becomes more and more effective as our faith grows. But faith here is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is in fact listed by Paul as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9). We are unstoppable by the devil, as long as we are walking by faith which works through love (Galatians 5:6).
Apostle John wrote:
“In this [union and fellowship with Him], love is completed and perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him]; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].”
1 JOHN 4:17-18 AMP
It is the perfected, developing or growing love of God in us that casts out fear. We grow in faith also as we grow in love.
There are a lot of Christians who often do pray for more faith. What they do not actually know is that, they already have faith from the moment when Jesus entered into their hearts. Faith came into their hearts as they received the word of God, that was preached initially to them in getting them saved.
Jesus said:
… “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20 NIV
Christians don’t need more faith in God. All that is needed is the use in application of the faith, that was already received when we first believed. We grow up in faith if we are practically using our faith. Instead of praying for more faith, many just need to be working on developing their love walk. As we become perfect in love our faith also grows exceedingly.
Spiritual maturity comes as we grow in faith and love. Perfect love has no torture or torment associated with it. But we must also acknowledge that, it is possible to be born again, and still live in hatred towards other people. This is due to the fact that God’s love is still developing, growing and yet to be made perfect in us.
However it is by walking in love that we are able to throw off every advancements of the devil against us. The devil has no power against us, as long as we keep ourselves in the love of God towards all men. He can’t stand before a believer who walks in love.
If and when we get offended by people, we must learn how to quickly release our faith to forgive, and go back into walking in love towards such people. Offenses against our faith walk through the love of God will always come. The devil will always use offenses in attacking our faith and love walk. But what we don’t ever want to be doing, is to be living our Christian lives based on the offenses of others against us. We will be opening the door for the enemy, to use our lack of love against us.
Christ in us is bigger and greater than all of that. The devil will want us to keep our eyes on the offenses of others. But we must resist him. He is the one behind the offenses anyway. It has nothing to do with people, but the devil.
We must never allow the enemy to push us over the edge, into the realm where we are walking in malice, anger or hatred towards people. When we do this, we will be empowering the devil in building up his stronghold in our lives. The moment we are walking away from love, we are indeed walking into sin.
But we are able to grow into spiritual maturity, because we are walking in the love of God by faith. Our faith grows as we are walking in the love of God. By walking in love we create the atmosphere inside our spirit man, for the Holy Spirit to move and use us.
Our faith therefore has to be a living and active one, for us to be able to grow, even in the midst of difficulties in our lives.
LOVE AS WEAPON OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Difficulties in life are there to always help us grow in faith and love. They did not come into our lives to destroy us. Instead of complaining about the difficulties of life, we need to learn how to thank God for them. They are the necessary ingredients for us in developing our spiritual muscles.
For example Jesus was once tempted by the devil in the wilderness, but He never complained to God about the devil. If Jesus never complained about being tempted, why do Christians often complain to God about their problems as they pray?
God has given us the authority over the evil one, who keeps tempting us.
And the temptations will never stop. In fact they will increase, as soon as the devil knows that they are working in distracting you from following Jesus. We just need to learn how to use our authority in the name of Jesus against the devil; and we will see him crushed right before our eyes.
Jesus used the temptation by the devil, to develop His spiritual muscles in the wilderness, as He resisted the devil. We can do likewise also. The scriptures says about the end result of Jesus’ temptation:
“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.”
Luke 4:13-14 NIV
You can see that Jesus left the wilderness in the power of the Holy Spirit. He did not come out of the temptation by the devil as a spiritual weakling. No, that was actually the beginning of the call of God to Him. He started His earthly ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, as He used the temptation by the enemy, in preparing Himself for what lies spiritually ahead of Him. Your troubles in life will never destroy you. They are the launching pad onto greater heights in your Christian walk. Do exploits with them and enjoy the blessing, that is kept in store for you at the end of it all. We can grow up spiritually and be stronger in faith and love towards all men, if we don’t give up.
DO NOT CONSULT WITH FLESH AND BLOOD
The wisdom of God will always come to us, as our spiritual muscles are being developed, in the midst of the trials and troubles. We do need God’s wisdom in troubled times, and not the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness before Him.
We do this by not initially consulting with flesh and blood, while in the midst of trouble. By first consulting with “flesh and blood”, many had made a wreck of great opportunities for their lives in God’s Kingdom.
The wisdom of God is always seeking, to point out a way for us out of every difficult situation in life. You may be going through a situation in life right now, that the people with whom you are consulting with, has no clue or understanding of anything about it. They are not the ones going through, what you are going through.. So they don’t understand you. And they can’t; because they are not you. Only you and God understand what the situation is all about. There is no amount of explanations to them, that will help them in living the situation, that you presently are confronting in real life.
Flesh and blood can’t resolve a situation, that only the Holy Spirit can resolve for us. We must therefore learn how to always consult with the only One True and Living God, who lives inside of us.
The solution to your problem is not outside there, with the people like you of flesh and blood. It is not with your friends, family members, fellow Christian colleagues at work or in Church. The solution is spiritual; and God who lives on the inside of you, does has the solution to fix it. Link up with Him and not with mere men.
We must stop looking at human beings as the problem or solution. The devil does know how to manipulate people around us and against us. But God has the permanent fix waiting for every situation, that we are all now confronting. We will do far better by looking up to Him, rather than towards mere men.
So we must learn to speak few words only about the struggles.. By talking to everyone about it, we are not helping the situation at all. It will only empower the devil to explore new opportunities against us.
Those words that are coming out of your mouth in complaint, are the confessions that satan is waiting for to use against you (James 1:19). It is far better to consult with God, in the spirit than with men.
You may be seeing certain people as your Christian brothers or sisters. And they do love you and do sincerely want to help you; but they are limited in their understanding of your real life situation, because they are not in your shoes. The best they most likely can do is to sympathize or empathize with you! They are limited in what they can do, because they are flesh and blood also like you. Only God can help you! Listen to hear His voice! Flesh and blood will not help you; but God will deliver you, from the very moment you turn away from the arm of flesh, to begin seeking His guidance.
Paul said about his own personal experience at the beginning of his ministry:
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,”
Galatians 1:15-16 NKJV
Paul did not count on the Church or people’s connections, to pass through what God had assigned for him. There are people who do like to manipulate their way, in using others to do for them what God has called them to do. The call is for them, but the devil is using fear of the unknown to cripple their faith walk. So they can’t walk by faith and love in obeying God.
In many instances the Lord has given them an assignment, that they are trying to avoid. We must watch out for such believers. They can’t be putting on others, what the Lord has assigned for them to go through.. We must be willing and obedient to God, if we truly want His blessing (Isaiah 1:19).
So take up the cup that God has prepared for you. Take it and drink it all with joy. That’s your portion from the Lord. As you joyfully walk in it, you will start experiencing God in a great and new way.
You can’t win by reacting like people of the flesh to every spiritual problem that confronts you. You need to start walking in love, by releasing your faith into troubling situations. God’s love can resolve the most difficult situations in your Christian life. Let the love of God begin to make its appeal through you now. Open up to the great opportunities waiting on you, by beginning to walk in the love of God today.
