We are told that we are let the Holy Spirit to develop His fruit as we grow and mature as Christians.
Galatians 5:19-23 (NLT) 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Bold mine)
The more the fruit develops the more we are able to think as Christ.
Philippians 2:5-6 NIV In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
When we have the mind of Christ we think only good things;
Philippians 2:5-6 NIV In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
Philippians 4:8 NIV Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The problem is that when we try to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, or think good things when someone cuts us off in traffic, curses us out when we make a mistake, we become seriously ill, lose a job, or any other difficult time; we don’t think good things. Instead we often strike back at and sometimes we strike back at God. Then we have to ask forgiveness. Thank God He always forgive. The point is that we can't develop the fruit of the Spirit, or have the mind of Christ, or always think good thoughts on our own. We have to rely on the Holy Spirit to enable us.
Ephesians 5:18-20 NIV Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:19-23 (NLT) 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Bold mine)
The more the fruit develops the more we are able to think as Christ.
Philippians 2:5-6 NIV In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
When we have the mind of Christ we think only good things;
Philippians 2:5-6 NIV In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
Philippians 4:8 NIV Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
The problem is that when we try to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, or think good things when someone cuts us off in traffic, curses us out when we make a mistake, we become seriously ill, lose a job, or any other difficult time; we don’t think good things. Instead we often strike back at and sometimes we strike back at God. Then we have to ask forgiveness. Thank God He always forgive. The point is that we can't develop the fruit of the Spirit, or have the mind of Christ, or always think good thoughts on our own. We have to rely on the Holy Spirit to enable us.
Ephesians 5:18-20 NIV Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Can We Produce Fruit through Our Own Actions?
Charles Stanley
For years I tried to accomplish by myself what Jesus Christ wanted to achieve through me—in other words, I attempted to produce fruit by doing good works. My desire was to impress God and earn His approval. His goal, on the other hand, was for me to act like the branch that I am and just abide.
The Holy Spirit's job is to live the life of Christ through us. This process is known by a variety of names, including the exchanged life, the Spirit-filled life, and the abiding life. All of these monikers describe the joyful existence Paul spoke of in Galatians 2:20: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God." The apostle meant those words literally.
Seen from the outside, a branch does not appear to be doing anything. But don't get the idea that the abiding life is passive. Jesus was the perfect example of a Spirit-filled life, and He certainly didn't sit around! He worked hard out of a reservoir of divine energy (John 8:28). All of Christ's wisdom, knowledge, and courage was drawn from God through the Holy Spirit.
The fruit of the Spirit does not pop out of believers through effort; Christians bear fruit through surrender. We "take root" in the Lord by meditating on His Word, praying, and serving. We reserve nothing for ourselves to control but fully rely upon Him. That's not passive living; it's an abiding life.
Taken from "The Abiding Life " by In Touch Ministries (used by permission).
The Fruit Of The Spirit Begins With Salvation
This is an excerpt from The Reason for My Hope: Salvation by The Reverend Billy Graham who went to be with the Lord on February 21, 2018.
I have often emphasized that becoming a Christian is more than making a decision to live a better life or to attend church more regularly. When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, something happens supernaturally. Christ comes to dwell in our hearts and gives us His own supernatural life—eternal life. But it is a mistake to imagine that from then on we are automatically and almost magically victorious over sin and doubt. Not so! Each day we must have the same trust we experienced when we first came to know Christ. This is made possible by the fact that He becomes the predominant Person in our life and empowers us to think differently, to walk in truth, and to follow an upright path. The Bible says,
“Now the just [the righteous] shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who draw back . . . but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:38–39)
We cannot do this in our own power, nor does the power come before we receive Jesus as Savior. It comes when we receive Him as the Lord and Master of our lives, and we cannot live this kind of life apart from Him. This is what it means to be a Christian. And this is the secret of living the Christian life—everyday faith, trusting Him every moment. Each day we renew our faith in God’s assurance that He will give us the faith to follow Him.
—Billy Graham, The Reason for My Hope: Salvation (2013)
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