Fruits of the Spirit

By Rev. Theresa Harding

Many Christians have overlooked the significance of the fruits of the Spirit, and as a result, they have been undermined by their enemy to make them look like what they are not. The book is written to shed light on the significance of the fruits of the Spirit in the life of the believer. When we talk about the fruits of the Spirit, we are talking about the nature and character of God. God is love, kind, patient, faithful, etc. All these godly traits are also in us as believers; however, we must be intentional to see them manifest in us so that we can be great representatives of Christ on earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639619283

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Fruits of the Spirit

Rev. Theresa Harding

ISBN 978-1-63961-927-6 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63961-928-3 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by Rev. Theresa Harding

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Fruit of Love

The Commandment of Love

Faith Works Through Love

Characteristics of Love

Fruit of Joy

Benefits of Laughter

Fruit of Peace

Fruit of Patience

Fruit of Kindness

Fruit of Goodness

Fruit of Faithfulness

Fruit of Gentleness

Fruit of Self-Control

About the Author

Introduction

When we speak of the fruits of the Spirit, what are we exactly talking about? The fruits of the Spirit are produced by the Spirit of God himself. The same Spirit that raised up Christ from the dead and the Spirit that lives in you and I as born-again children of God is the Spirit that produces these fruits. Jesus said that every tree is known by its fruits (Luke 6:44). The fruits of the Spirit are virtues that proceed forth from the Holy Spirit. If you don't have the Spirit of God, then it is impossible for you to produce these fruits because the Spirit is the Tree that produces the fruits.

As a Christian, your Godly character is embedded in the fruits of the Spirit. The nature of God is in you through the fruits of the Spirit, and in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, you and I can manifest the personality of God right here on earth. One of the things that are lacking among us today as believers are these virtues. Many of us have gifts. The parable of the talent in Matthew 25:14–30 made it clear that at least all of God's children have one gift. The more we are faithful, the more the gifts are multiplied. If we all have gifts but lack virtues, then in the day of adversity, we will devour one another (Gal. 5:15).

Prayer, giving, serving, and the manifestation of the power of God are all good. The principles of life that God has set in motion are all great and amazing; however, without the virtues, all are in vain. In 1 Corinthians 13, we are told that if we have many gifts and do many mighty works but do not have the virtue of love, then all is vain, and you better believe that God meant everything that he said.

The virtue of love will take you to heaven. If you love God, you will obey him and do his will, and thus the doors of heaven will be opened unto you. Remember that God is Love; it was love that compelled him to send his only begotten Son to die for you and me. Love laid down his life for you. Love will open the doors of eternity before you. Love is the most relevant thing that Christians must focus on. None of us want to be around powerful people without character, and such is very common in our world today.

The kingdom of God is about producing fruits. There is no barrenness in the kingdom. From the beginning, in Genesis 1, God decreed unto man to be fruitful, multiply, replenish, and subdue the earth, have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowls of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Barrenness came into being due to the fall of man in Genesis 3.

Jesus came to restore that which was stolen in Eden—which is the glory of man. The glory is what makes a man of much worth. Without glory, man is subject to slavery and unprofitable labor. God is willing to share all that he has with his people, except His glory. For his glory, he shares with no man (Isa. 42:8). Glory is what makes God who he is. God created man and ascribed glory unto him (Ps. 8:5). That way, he didn't have to share his with anyone. The glory that was stolen from men by the enemy, Satan, Christ has come to restore it. In John 10:10, he declared that he came so that we may have life in abundance to the full till it overflows.

In Luke 13:6–9, Jesus cursed the fig tree because of its unproductiveness. John the Baptist, in Matthew 3:10, declares that the ax is already laid at the root of the tree and every tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. In John 15:2, Jesus said that the father cut off every branch that does not produce fruits. Every gift God has given you, he is expecting you to reproduce it and impact many lives for the Father's glory.

In the parable of the talent, the individual with the one talent never multiplied his gift. He hid his talents and accused the master of being a hard man, reaping where he had not planted and gathering where he had scattered no seeds. He had such a wrong mentality of the gift he had; his perception was completely out of alignment. Remember that judgment was pronounced on him and to all those who will abuse the Father's gifts. The kingdom of God is about productiveness, and the secret to that productiveness is in the Word of God.

In John 15, Jesus said that he is the Vine and we are the branches. No branch produces fruits outside the tree. They can only produce when they are attached to the vine, so the secret to fruitfulness is to fellowship with Christ and have a relationship with him. If we abide in his Word and his Word abides in us, then we will bear many fruits. Apart from Christ, we will bear absolutely no fruits (John 15:7). The book of Isaiah said that if we want to bear fruits, then we must take root downward to bear fruits upward (Isa. 37:31). The fruits of the Spirit are not going to passively fall on you. You must be proactive and