The Fruits of the Spirit – by Jeff Goss

When we receive Jesus into our lives as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. With the Holy Spirit comes the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22–23 describes this fruit as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

Since these fruits are already within us through the Holy Spirit, how do we allow them to become evident in our daily lives?

The same way we receive and experience the promises of God: by believing and speaking His Word.

Second Corinthians 4:13 says, “I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak.” Romans 10:10 also explains, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

The word salvation includes the meaning of deliverance, protection, and health.

The Bible also teaches us about the power of our words. Proverbs 18:21 says that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” James 3 compares the tongue to a small rudder that directs a large ship. In the same way, the words we continually speak can influence the direction of our lives.

We do not need to ask God to give us the fruit of the Spirit because these qualities are already present in us through the Holy Spirit. However, if we want to walk in love, joy, peace, patience, and the other fruits of the Spirit, we must put God’s Word into practice by believing and speaking it.

For example, we can declare:

There may be times when we do not feel loving, joyful, peaceful, or patient. But as we continue meditating on the truth that the fruit of the Spirit is already within us, and as we continue declaring God’s Word over our lives, we can grow in expressing these qualities more consistently.

The fruit of the Spirit is not something we need to pursue as though it were absent from our lives. Through the Holy Spirit, it is already within us. Our part is to believe God’s Word, speak it, and allow it to shape how we live each day.