THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Galatians 5:22 NLT A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces……….A good person produces good deeds from a good heart………. Luke 6: 44-45 NLT Commentary Chapter 12of the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians tells us of the many gifts which the Holy Spirit bestows on God's children…..the ability to give wise advice; the gift of special knowledge; special faith, the power to heal the sick. To some he gives the power to perform miracles, to some the ability to prophesy, discernment, the ability to speak in unknown languages, to another the interpretation of the unknown languages. These wonderful gifts are given to believers in order to build up the Church. However, God's Word tells us that Satan can counterfeit every one of these gifts, and use them for tearing down the Church. So what is our protection from the deception of the evil one? Scripture also tells us that Christians shall be known by their fruits. Satan will NEVER counterfeit the fruits of the Spirit. Therefore, we may discern if a person is a true Christian by whether or not they demonstrate the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. Let's examine the meaning of each……. LOVE: The Greatest Commandment tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind. The second Greatest Commandment tells us we must love our neighbor as ourselves. Unless we see this manifested in a person who claims to be Christian, then it does not matter how many of the Gifts that he may demonstrate. JOY: Joy is not happiness. The circumstances and happenings in our lives may all disturb our happiness. But the joy that we receive by loving and being loved by the Lord…..this, no man, no occurrence, no circumstance may take away. PEACE: What a wonderful fruit! To be undisturbed by problems, to pass through troubled waters, and even the Valley of the shadow of death, and not be afraid….. With faith, true faith, comes peace. We will not worry about tomorrow, the gas bill, our children's education, or unemployment. We will know the Peace of God, a gift free for the asking, and a fruit of a living relationship with our Lord. PATIENCE: "Lord, please give me patience…..but hurry!" How many times have we heard ourselves utter this prayer? Patience, like faith, comes only through testing. Each day, we can commit ourselves totally to the Lord's control. Then when trying circumstances and events occur, such as getting stuck in rush-hour traffic on the freeway, or a long line at the bank, we need only claim his patience. He will not fail to provide the strength we need to bear the fruit of PATIENCE. It is his work in us, and no effort of our own. If we can look on all things from an eternal perspective, then patience will become a natural response for us. KINDNESS: This is one of the most important fruits. It is the sign of a loving and caring heart. Today's fast-paced and impersonal society provides much opportunity to develop this virtue. Our Lord has been indescribably kind to us. It is only right that we be kind to all his children, whether they are "deserving" or not. It is based on the loving heart of the giver, and has nothing to do with the heart of the receiver Kindness to others creates a never-ending chain, moving from person to person until it returns to the giver. "Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another; just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 NLT As we allow the Lord to create in us a kind heart, let us not forget to thank him every day for his kindness and his love. GOODNESS: How can we "be good"? Being "good" is simply living as our Lord would have us live. The scriptures are full of guidelines for "being good". They give us a clear view of what the Lord wants of us. If we live according to his Word, then we will live according to his will, and we will not have to worry about "being good". It will be our natural way of life. Everything we say and do is a window into our soul, and a testimony to our "goodness". FAITHFULNESS: What is faithfulness? God is faithful. "All heaven will praise your miracles, Lord, myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness." Psalm 89:5 NLT God expects faithfulness from his children. When we practice faithfulness, we build a sense of security in those around us. People begin to trust and believe in us. If we keep our promises and commitments, then we will be cultivating faithfulness. We will be building a good reputation. Faithfulness brings eternal rewards, also. "Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10 NLT GENTLENESS: A rare quality in today's violent society, gentleness is much to be desired. We all like to be around a gentle person. Some may think of it as weakness, but a truly gentle spirit is a powerful spirit. Our Lord tells us we are to be gentle in our dealings with others. It is one of his characteristics, and no one would ever accuse our Lord of being weak. Gentleness brings about peace, and calmness. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger." Proverbs 15:1 NLT Try it, dear brothers and sisters, you will be amazed at the power of gentleness. SELF-CONTROL: Another word for self-discipline. Not too often seen among those who live according to the "If it feels good, do it" philosophy. Every word we say, every action, every place we go, speaks loudly about our level of self-control. How do we practice this valuable virtue? First we need to be immersed in God's Word. We must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to change us. Let him speak in us, through us, and to us. Self-control is really Spirit control. "Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed." Psalm 141:3 NLT My mother, a very wise lady, always told me: Boys flying kites haul in their white-winged birds.. But you can't do that, when you're flying words. Thoughts unexpressed may sometimes fall back dead.. But God himself can't kill them when they're said.