After getting into an argument with a church member, we both said something in the heat of the moment that we wish we could take back. I was accused of not exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. Those words hurt, and I took them to heart. I began to analyze what it meant to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit.
I know without a doubt that the Holy Spirit lives within me, but just because we are at odds does not necessarily mean that I am not displaying the fruit of the Spirit. But what does it actually mean to demonstrate those achievements in everyday life? Galatians 5 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such there is no law.”
What does it mean to show kindness to someone who gives way to you in a traffic jam? How can you hold church members accountable for their sins while still being kind and faithful to God’s Word?
These are difficult questions to answer in today’s world. The world says we are not allowed to judge, but the Bible teaches that it is important to judge the actions of those in the church in order to protect their purity and help them grow spiritually. All Christians need to evaluate whether they are demonstrating the Spirit in their daily lives. Here are five ways to know if you’re really doing it.
seek the holy spirit
Those who are manifesting the fruits of the Spirit must have a solid prayer life. We should seek to be in God’s presence, listen to His Spirit, and allow Him to guide and direct our daily tasks. People who act without consulting God have a hard time realizing that the Holy Spirit comes to help them when they are busy doing something they shouldn’t be doing. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit directs our steps.
This means that the Holy Spirit guides and guides us every day. While there may be unavoidable tasks like going to work, caring for family, and doing household chores, you can ask the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you about who you talk to, how you spend your time, and how you manage your resources. All of these acts, even the most mundane acts, require the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
By seeking the Father’s heart, we exchange our hard hearts for His soft hearts. Then we will know that the Holy Spirit is guiding us and we can ask for His help in difficult times.
others confirm it
Not only is it important to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit, but it is also important to have people in our lives who can confirm that we see those types of fruits in our lives. The people we worship with each week will be a good indicator of the fruit of the Spirit. They can see which are the strongest and which are the weakest in our life. By seeking their advice, we can work on not only ourselves, but also our inner weak spots.
In order to become a person who can more easily display the fruit of the Spirit in daily life, we need to seek out those who know us better than we do. It’s easy to believe we’re doing better than we are. But those who know us best and are not willing to tell us what we want to hear are good for us and help us understand our true selves, our strengths and weaknesses.
we see it in ourselves
We find ourselves becoming more Christ-like when we find ourselves interacting with those same disgruntled neighbors without outbursts, backbiting, or going out of their way to perform kind acts of service on their behalf. If we are truly seeking the Holy Spirit’s help in manifesting the fruit of the Spirit in our lives, we will find ourselves speaking and acting differently than we have in the past.
Most of all, we can love others more. There is always room in our hearts to love others more than before. Find the person you hate the most and notice that we are interacting with them in a more loving way, knowing that we are expressing through the spirit in our lives.
It’s not always easy to assess how your life is going, but if you’re self-aware enough, you can compare how you responded to that neighbor last year to how you responded this year. Have we become more loving? Do we think about them more often? Do we do acts of kindness with them in mind? If the answer to these questions is yes, then we are probably manifesting Spirit within us in a way we never have before.
your emotions are regulated
The earliest sign of a lack of the fruit of the Spirit is when anger and rage quickly erupt during a conflict. For example, do you find yourself participating in gossip about that person who once caused you problems, or do you find it less enjoyable to hear about it and more likely to want to be part of the solution?
Do you sit down to have open and honest conversations with them to mediate conflicts or start peace negotiations? The only way there can be peace is if the fruits of the Spirit are present. Become a person of peace by cultivating the fruit of the Spirit in your life. As a result, you may find that not only your relationships are more peaceful, but you are also more peaceful.
Your actions are in line with the Bible
Regular reading of God’s Word is important for every Christian’s spiritual growth, but so is applying it to one’s life. If your actions match what you know about Jesus and His actions, then you are manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit because Jesus is part of the Trinity and is in constant communion with the Holy Spirit. If you feel that your actions are becoming more Christ-like, you are more likely to be in communion with the Holy Spirit than in the past.
Write down some scriptures you want to work on. These verses should be those where Jesus directly or indirectly demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit to others. Post it around your home to remind yourself to strive to be more faithful to the words of that verse. Keep a journal, write down your goals, and review your weekly accomplishments. Evaluate your actions, thoughts, and feelings based on these Scriptures. Have you noticed that the Bible is changing the way you think, act, or feel?
As humans, it is impossible to always display the fruit of the Spirit in every situation. But this is no excuse for striving to be more Christlike. When we commune more with the Holy Spirit, the fruits of the Spirit will appear in our lives. Let us align our lives with God, both in word and deed, so that the fruit of the Spirit may be manifest not only to us but also to others.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Krisanapong Detrahiphat
Michelle S. Lazurek is an award-winning multi-genre author, speaker, pastor’s wife, and mother. She is a literary agent with Wordwise Media Services and host of The Spiritual Reset podcast. Her new children’s book, Hall of Faith, encourages children to understand that God can be trusted. When I’m not working, I enjoy drinking Starbucks lattes, collecting 80’s memorabilia, and spending time with my family and dog. For more information, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.
