A few years ago now we studied through Galatians 5:16-24 together as a church and we saw very clearly that the fruit that ought to be increasingly evident in the life of a believer in Jesus is the fruit that only the Spirit of God can produce in us. According to Galatians 5:16 as we “walk by the Spirit…you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” The effect of walking by the Spirit is to have His fruit produced in our lives. As we are “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18) or you could say as we have the word of Christ richly dwelling in us (Colossians 3:16) the Spirit of God produces in our very character His fruit. So if only the Spirit of God can produce His fruit in our lives then obviously as we are filled with the Spirit and are walking by the Spirit we will be praying that He produces His fruit in us. We ought to be praying for the Spirit of God to produce in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. What exactly would that mean? What exactly is the fruit of the Spirit? What does the fruit of the Spirit mean? Below are definitions of the fruit of the Spirit that are recorded in Galatians 5:16-24. If only the Spirit can produce this fruit in our lives and a necessary way that He does so is through prayer then this list of definitions really is a prayer list that we can pray through regularly knowing that God will work this Christ-like character into our very being.
- Love: Giving of yourself for the best interests of someone else
- Joy: Deep-seated satisfaction in God alone
- Peace: Inner wellbeing or tranquility with God from God and toward others
- Patience: Bearing up under persistent sufferings or aggravations without grumbling or retaliation
- Kindness: Graciousness toward others especially those who are undeserving
- Goodness: A moral excellence that issues forth in acts of kindness toward others
- Faithfulness: Loyalty and dependability in responsibilities toward God and others
- Gentleness: Strength under control which expresses itself in a humble submissive spirit
- Self-Control: Having self-mastery and self-restraint over one’s desires, appetites, and actions