When I realized what these verses were saying, I determined to have these powerful forces called the fruit of the spirit flowing in my life because I don’t want to fall. I don’t want to stumble around and miss my destiny. I want to run my God-appointed course and finish it in victory!  “I do, too, Gloria,” you may say. “But I have a problem. I’m just not a very patient person. My personality is harsh—not gentle. And I have a major lack of self-discipline. In other words, these fruit of the spirit just don’t come naturally to me.”

Yes, they do.

If you’re born again, the fruit of the spirit are a part of your new nature. They’re your natural “supernatural” disposition!

When you made Jesus the Lord of your life, you became “a new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Your spirit was reborn in the image of your heavenly Father. You were made a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

• God is loving by nature. First John 4:8 says, “God is love.”
• God is joyful by nature. Psalm 16:11 says, “In thy presence is fullness of joy.”
• God is good by nature. Exodus 34:6 says, “The Lord is abundant in goodness.”
• God is peaceful by nature. Philippians 4:9 says He is “the God of peace.”
• God is patient by nature. Numbers 14:18 says, “The Lord is longsuffering [patient] and of great mercy.”
• God is gentle by nature. David said to Him in Psalm 18:35, “Thy gentleness hath made me great.”
• God is faithful by nature. Psalm 119:90 says, “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations.”
• God is meek by nature. Jesus—Who is exactly like the Father—said, “I am meek” (Matthew 11:29).
• We know God is temperate by nature because if He were not, none of us would be here anymore!

The reason I went through the entire list of the fruit is because I wanted to impress firmly on your mind that they are all attributes of God. And since you’ve been born again in His image, they are also your attributes! Because God is love, you are love. Because God is patient, you are patient. Because all the fruit of the spirit are His by nature, they are yours, too! It’s who you really are!

Speak the Word

 « I am not barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of the Lord for I give diligence to let the fruit of the spirit abound in my life. »  (2 Peter 1:5-8)