The Fruit of the Spirit 5 (Eating the Fruit)

by Ayoola Fakeye

The fruit of the Spirit is first to be consumed by an individual (Galatians 5:22-23).

An African adage says, “What a bird eats is what will carry it.” We always think that this fruit is only for others to see. Indeed, it is to reflect in us and through us to impact others. However, if you don't consume it, then it can never impact others because it has not impacted you.

 There is a tree in your Spiritman which is the source of this fruit. That tree is the Lord Jesus. He is the Tree of Life! Therefore, the Holy Spirit takes that which is of Christ and impacts it to your Soul. If so, then our souls need to start feeding on this fruit. We need to digest it to get all the nutrients from it which includes love, joy, peace, and others.

 We do not have access to the fruit of the Spirit in our natural self, so there is no way we could manifest them. For instance, you don't ordinarily walk in Agape. What we call love most times is the human definition, or societal definition, or from movies. What the world call love is, at its very core, selfish and egotistical. Even so, many parental love for their children (which is one of the highest forms of human love) is very selfish at its core. Therefore, feeding on this fruit is inexcusable. We must start to graze on the Fruit - the very life of Christ. Our hearts must be saturated and get acquainted with Christ’s love for us. We need to understand the Joy and peace He has and the patience He exhibited. We need to be consumed by the revelation of it. That is what it means to feed on the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

 This fruit is not a principle to follow but a life to live and a meal to feed upon. Upon grazing on it, you get the nutrient that would give us the ability to shine as light. Therefore, if we don't digest this fruit so that we get to understand, there is no way we can walk in the beautiful life of Christ and then manifest it. For instance, There is no way you can walk in Agape if you are not receiving a revelation of God's love. You can not move with the Joy of the Holy Spirit if you don't have the revelation of the Joy of Christ. You can't walk in peace, patience, and gentleness if you have not gotten a revelation of Jesus’ peace, patience, and gentleness.

 If we don't begin to eat and digest this fruit, that is, receive the revelation of Jesus as regards how He walked and manifested the fruit when He was here, then there is no way we can also manifest it. Consequently, we will struggle to live a holy life because true Holiness lies within the fruit of the Spirit. 

 In Colossians 3:12, we see the identical content of the fruit listed in Galatians 5 verses 22-23. But here, the Apostle relates it to a garment we are to put on. Likewise, as a fruit, it ought to be eaten. That emphasizes that the Holy Spirit gives us His fruit to transform us. You need to start eating!

 Just as we have stated in our previous article that Christ is the embodiment of the fruit. All of the elements in it are the absolute mind of Christ which He manifested during His earthly walk. In this critical moment that we are in history, the energy needed and the nutrient you need flow from Christ. We cannot pretend to manifest the fruit of the Spirit. If you are not receiving the revelation of Christ, and allowing His fruit to transform you as the Holy Spirit supplies, then you can not impact the lives of men.