The Fruit of the Spirit 1 (What you need to know about it)

 Fakeye Ayoola 

By God’s grace, this is the first episode in a brand-new series: The Fruit of the Spirit. I believe as we reflect together on God’s word, the power in God’s word will transform us in such a way that we begin to manifest the Fruit of the Spirit in all that we do. 

Our reference text for the series is taken from Galatians 5:22-23 

Today, I will introduce the series: tagged “what you need to know about the Fruit of the Spirit.” I will firstly share about the fruit as a whole before we begin to look at each constituent which is listed in Galatians 5:22-23 

From the reference text, the first word in verse 22 is ‘but.’ The word ‘but’ is so significant in a sentence; we use it to contrast two opposing things or statements. Therefore, to know what Paul was contrasting, it will be necessary to look briefly at the previous verses. 

So, when we take a little step backward to vs. 19-21, Paul talks about the works of the flesh. (You can check love how TPT put it in modern terms). That indicates that the ‘but’ at the beginning means that this Fruit of the Spirit can never result from the flesh. The flesh cannot manifest in it. Just think about the Fruit of the Spirit with all its characteristics listed; You certainly cannot produce them by your self-will. Nope! 

At times, it might seem as though the flesh is doing something nice, but I bet you; it is with a perspective of the works of the flesh listed in vs. 19-21. Paul also spoke about self-life in Romans 7:18-21. He divulged that nothing good could result from the flesh. Therefore, this series will not teach you how to panel bit the flesh, tame it or modify it. Instead, it will help us thrust ourselves into the hand of the Holy Spirit to deny the flesh of its functionality in our lives. Because anytime the flesh tries to take control of our lives or a particular situation, you can be sure that the end product is SIN. 

The flesh cannot do anything well, even when you have the intention, because it has been re-designed by the devil to do evil. Perhaps, you are a Christian: the truth is that Jesus has crucified the Old man. He removed the devil from His place in our lives over 2000 years ago on the cross. And the moment you realize this by Faith, the devil vanishes immediately. But his influence remains. It is vital to know that the old man operated with the body of sin - the flesh. And He has been governing with this body ever since Adam fell. 

The word “law of sin” in vs. 21 of Romans 7 is translated as Nomos, and it means an influence impelling to action (from the expository dictionary). Beloved, sin shall not have authority over you if we appropriate what Christ has done for us on the cross. We now have the freedom and power to say NO to sin. Unlike before that: we dare not to because the devil, the man of sin, was in charge. However, its influence is still very much present in the flesh. 

But the good news is that if you have placed your faith in Jesus and what He has done, the Holy Spirit has regenerated you. God's goodness now lies in your Spirit-man; God's grace now occupies us, and we must allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate it for us so that we can feast upon it, and we shall be an expression of God's goodness and grace into a world that needs it. 

The influence of the Spirit must drive us and define our life else we will find ourselves still living intoxicated by self-life. The world lies in wickedness and is full of evil. But as Christians, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate His goodness, so we can feast on it, live by it and be an expression of it. Then you will stand as a difference! 

In conclusion, what I want you to know about the fruit of the Spirit is that it is what the flesh cannot do. Instead, it is what is to be cultivated by the Holy Spirit to counter the influence of the flesh 


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