Fruit
Today, as the Underground, we come together in prayer and fasting. Every great move of God in the Bible and throughout history begins with Extraordinary Prayer and Fasting. From the other side of eternity, we will find that the most influential people were not, perhaps, Presidents or Prime Ministers, but the people who walked with God through passionate prayer.
Today’s scriptures: Galatians 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Strategic Focus: Fruit
Movement 1: His Fruit
Read: Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. Against such things there is no law.
Reflect:
If you are a Christ follower and you have surrendered your life to Him and given Him control, things will look different. Oftentimes, people reflect on their lives before Christ and after Christ. Before we are introduced to the freedom accessible to us through a relationship with Jesus, we are slaves to the world and the things of this world. We find ourselves being enslaved to hatred, chaos, selfishness, our own will, and so much more. Some people will say that they didn’t even realize these things had a hold on their lives until they experienced freedom in Christ.
When He entered your heart, He started cleaning it out. He started to reveal to you the things that needed to change. Repentance that needed to happen. Ways in which you could become more like Jesus. In this passage, we read about the fruit that we can see in our lives when Jesus is the occupant there: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He wants to see more and more of this fruit in our lives, and the world around us needs to see this kind of fruit too.
Pray:
First, ask God to reveal to you the fruit of the Spirit that He is currently producing in your life. Which ones of these are shining through your actions and bringing glory to Him in the process?
Next, ask God to reveal to you the fruit of the Spirit that needs more development in your life. Where is He inviting you to journey deeper with Him and see Him work in your life?
Movement 2: Our Desires
Read: Galatians 5:24
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Reflect:
As mentioned, when we gave our lives to Jesus, our old self died. But I find this question often comes to mind: If my old self died and the new creation has come, why do I so often look and act like my old self?
Sanctification is a lifelong process in which we become more and more like our Creator. And this is where we must thank God for his great patience, mercy, and grace. He knows that we will take two steps forward and one back. He knows where we will stumble and struggle. And yet,
He walks with us every day of this journey never leaving us. He waits for us, all the while encouraging us with his never-ending compassion and forgiveness and undeserved love.
Pray:
First, take time to ask God to highlight areas in your life where you look and act more like your old self than the new creation that you are. Ask Him how you can become more like Him.
Next, thank Him for His never-ending compassion, forgiveness, and love toward you.
Movement 3: Keep in Step
Read: Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Reflect:
I’ve heard it said that you don’t want to be in front of the Spirit or behind Him. But we want to be attentive enough to His movement and His guidance that we are right in step with Him. You see, He is remaking us every day. Even though we come to Him broken and not so much looking like Jesus, He is making us new. He is doing a new thing. His mercies are new every morning.
Pray:
Ask God what it looks like to live by His Spirit. Listen. Ask Him where He is already at work in your life and how you can join Him there to become more like Jesus. Listen.
Meditate on these characteristics of our God: trustworthy and faithful. Thank Him for being these things even when you get out of step with Him.