7 Ways of Cultivating the Fruits of the Holy Spirit
What’s the significance of fruit in the Christendom?
Fruits here can be likened to the benefits or results that come from a particular source.
When we refer to the word of God bearing good fruits in our lives, we mean that the word of God will touch us, encourage us, and change whatever needs to be changed in our lives.
What are the Fruits of the Holy Spirit?
These are not like common fruits that we eat. They are the ones that the holy ghost gives us:
- To quicken our mortal bodies,
- Empower us
- Encourages us
- To give us boldness
- To help you as a Christian live in a way that you are required to live as a Christian, Christ-like.
How Many are the Fruits of the Holy Spirit?
The fruits of the comforter(the Holy Spirit), which is in Union with the Father (God) and the Son (Jesus Christ), are nine (9) in number.
These nine powerful fruits that the Holy Spirit gives us are:
- Love: To care deeply for yourself and other people.
- Joy: To be cheerful, happy, and rejoice through any circumstance.
- Peace: To feel free, calm, and tranquil from any mental, spiritual, or physical disturbance.
- Long-suffering: To remain firm and patient and endure any trial or suffering. Long-suffering also means patience and forbearance.
- Kindness: To show gentleness, consideration, softness, and politeness to others.
- Goodness: To do what is morally right and favourable to you and other people.
- Faith: To be hopeful, not shaking with fear or having doubts even when your expectations are far from you.
- Meekness: To be lowly in spirit, being humble and submissive. It’s the absence of arrogance and boast.
- Self-control: To be able to control your emotions and actions in whatever situation presents itself to you. It can also be called temperance.
You can’t afford to be in lack of any of these fruits of the Holy Spirit in your life. Their absence will cause you to develop the fruits of the flesh (the worldly desires), which are in Galatians 5:19-21 (KJV) :
What are the Fruits of the Flesh?
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these:
- Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
- Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
- Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Why the Fruits of the Holy Spirit?
Our divine virtues and attributes are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and he gave them to us to make us stand out. He wants us to be distinguished as we are God’s Image and representatives on Earth.
These fruits tell a lot about us as children of God, taking us apart as the light of the world. The evidence of these nine fruits is that they make us become like Christ, who has called us to serve.
How do you cultivate the fruits of the Holy Spirit as a seed and reap the benefits of bearing these great fruits rather than receiving the evil ones of the flesh?
Cultivating here means practising these fruits in our lives and relationships with the people around us.
7 Ways of Cultivating the Fruits of the Holy Spirit
- Love Effortlessly:
Show love to others without keeping records of their past mistakes or using their sins to judge them over and over again. Learn to forgive and let go.
- Make the Joy of the Lord Your Strength:
When you lose your Job or something unfortunate happens to you, your happiness goes down. Let the burning joy of the Lord and his promises encourage you.
- Let Peace Reign in You:
The peace that comes from God eliminates every form of fear. When you plant it in your heart and mind, people will continue to be in awe of the power of God, which will make you never afraid.
- No Matter What, Wait for God’s time:
God’s time has always been the best, rephrasing the saying. Your timing and how you think things will happen in your life are not the same as God’s own, so wait patiently without grumbling, like Job forebears.
Also, see Psalms. 5:3.
- Go All Out in Being Kind:
God is ever kind to us, letting us come back to him even when we sin uncountable times. So, as your father is kind, don’t ever hesitate to help out others and show compassion to them.
- Be Good:
Always do what is right in the sight of God and man. Keeping to God’s commandments, as well as the rules of constituted authorities, is a way of being good.
- Have Faith, Be Gentle as a Lamb, and Control Your Attitude:
Let your faith be unshaken! Always be gentle while speaking and relating with others. Be slow to anger by controlling how you react to situations that are provoking.
Final Dose
Continuously pray for the grace to represent Christ through the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Now is the time to cultivate and show these fruits.
Are you showing the fruits of the Holy Spirit in you?