Author: hillturnfs

The fourth fruit of the Holy Spirit is longsuffering. Nowadays we use the term patience. People have always been impatient and even more so today in our fast-paced world. Every day we have people killed over road rage and for cutting in line at a restaurant.  People get into fistfights and shootings over trivial matters. But God is in no hurry. After all, time is immaterial to God. Ask God to pour His patience into your spirit and emotions for a more restful, peaceful state of mind.

2 Pet 3:9 – The Lord is … longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance..

The fifth fruit of the Holy Spirit is kindness. Kindness is a natural result of God’s love so these two divine attributes go hand in hand. Kindness also results in respect for others. Jesus was the perfect role model for kindness.  If you follow the life of Jesus closely you’ll notice He was always showing love and kindness to the people He dealt with, no matter what the circumstances were. When I think of kindness the golden rule come to mind as the best way to be kind to others.  Next to love, kindness is probably the most mentioned of all the divine attributes of God that are mentioned in the Bible.  Ask the Holy Spirit to pour this fruit of the Spirit into your heart and mind.

Joel 2:13 – So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.

Psalm 31:21 – Blessed be the Lord, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city.

Psalm 117:2 – For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

The third fruit of the Holy Spirit listed in the Scriptures is peace. Through the Holy Spirit God pours His divine attribute of peace into your spirit, which translates to a sense of fulfillment, well-being, and overall tranquility of soul. People today are living stressful lives in constant turmoil due to the increased level of violence, terrorism and adversity of every kind.  We need to pray for God’s peace to flow into our mind, soul and emotions. No matter what happens in this world we have the certainty of eternal life in heaven because of our trust in God through Jesus Christ.

Phil 4:7 – And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Rom 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Pet 1:2 – Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Rom 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

When Jesus indwells the believer He pours His divine attribute of peace into their hearts and minds, giving them the peace of God which does indeed surpass all understanding. Their souls overflow with the blessed hope that is in them which is eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Increase in the knowledge of God through prayer and studying the Holy Bible every day.

The second of God’s listed attributes is joy. People have lost their joy of life due to health concerns, family issues, financial worries and the overall feeling that the world is going to hell in a hand basket. Everyone sees this pessimistic view of the world if they watch cable news.  God’s joy heals the human heart and restores the soul. God’s joy will renew your strength to go on. God’s joy is like a battery charger for your soul. Look, life can beat you down if you let it. Stay in God’s Word so you know what is coming.  Everything you are experiencing God told us beforehand would happen. Trust God and keep you focus on Jesus through prayer. You are in God’s hands and your final victory in Jesus Christ is already assured. We need only persevere in faith until the end.

Rom 8:31 – If God is for us who can be against us?

Rom 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Col 1:11 – We are strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.

Rom 8:27 – And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.

Phil 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It’s obvious in Rom 15:13 that God is using the Holy Spirit to fill you  with (or pour) the fruit of joy into your soul (along with peace). Adding God’s joy makes you overflow with hope, by which you are strengthened, as mentioned in Col 1:11, Rom 15:13 and Phil 4:13.

Love is the most important attribute of God that the Holy Spirit imparts to believers as part of God’s sanctification process in our lives. Our ability to love like God is limited due to our fallen nature. As the Christ-like unselfish love of God starts to permeate into our spirit we find ourselves caring more deeply about all the unsaved souls who need a witness about Jesus Christ.  My personal mantra of “one more for Jesus” is proof that the Spirit of God is working in me. As believers we need to focus on imparting love into our mind, soul and emotions because we need this quality to facilitate the growth of all the other fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Bible said it best, God is love.

Rom 8:29 – For all eternity God’s plan was for us to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.

Rom 8:26 – The Spirit helps us in our weakness.

Rom 5:5 – And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

John 15:8 – By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

You can see in Rom 5:5, that God is using the Holy Spirit to pour His divine love into our hearts which is awesome indeed!  We cannot bear any other fruit than that which God has given us.  You can see in John 15:8, if we work with the Holy Spirit to grow and develop the fruits God has given us then the Father is glorified.  If we glorify God by our actions we are proven to be disciples of Christ because we have obeyed the Master’s commands.  

 

We all know the Holy Spirit indwells us to help us in our walk with God. What does that mean? I’m a little fuzzy about the process. The Holy Spirit is God and His divine attributes (fruits of the Spirit) He is making available to His children in order for them to grow in Christ.  If we ask God for this blessing He will pour His divine attributes into our soul and spirit so that, over time, we become more and more like Jesus by what is referred to as the process of “sanctification.”  We understand these nine fruits of the Spirit are the tools God uses to sanctify us. However, it’s not automatic. You can’t be passive. I did that for forty years to no avail. You must be proactive and work with the Holy Spirit to develop and use these fruits of the Spirit in your life.  Read and study God’s Word daily. Pray every day for God to imbue you with these nine fruits of His divine nature. It’s mind boggling to imagine the Creator of the universe giving us a piece of Himself but that is what happens.

2 Tim 1:14 – Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

Phil 2:13 – It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Rom 11:29 – For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

James 4:2 – You do not have because you do not ask.

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

In the Bible God often describes man using the analogy of a tree giving off fruit after its kind. A good tree will give off good fruit and a bad tree will give off bad fruit. This applies not only to man but to God Himself. When the Holy Spirit indwells us we are filled with the good fruit of God.  The Father graciously provides access to nine special fruits of the Spirit to those who love Him. These nine holy attributes of God are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Gal 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Psalm 34:8 – Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

I have often thought the above verse a weird turn of phrase. If you equate the attributes of God as fruit the analogy now makes more sense. God doesn’t explain everything. Some stuff you just need to figure out. God is multi-faceted and we’ll never be able to comprehend the magnitude of God.  However, God has indirectly shared with us, through the Holy Spirit, who He is by His fruit which God’s Word tells us is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  You don’t need to wonder what God is like any more. Each of us produces fruit that mirrors who we are.  We are what we produce and so is God. These fruits of the Holy Spirit give me a sense of who God is and they are a source of comfort.  Throughout the Bible I have noticed all of these attributes of God in action with how He deals with Israel and fallen man. I’m so thankful to God for His tender mercies!

So far we’re covered the gifts of teaching, exhortation, organization and service. Now lets look at the last three special gifts to see if they apply in your life. The gift of prophecy doesn’t necessarily mean telling the future. This gift is for those who proclaim the truth of the Lord boldly and at all times.  You’ve seen the people on the street corners waving a Bible to passing motorists while preaching the Word. You’ve seen the people preaching in public areas to anyone who will listen. I suspect their gift is prophecy.  John the Baptist had this gift as did many of the prophets.

The gift of mercy is for those who love to be around people and are emotionally and mentally supportive of those in distress. These people are drawn to help others and are the nurturers. These people are good communicators and I suspect the majority of people with this gift are women. My wife has this gift and I do not.  The last special gift of God is giving. If God didn’t make you wealthy you probably don’t have this gift. The Christian family that owns Hobby Lobby gives much of their wealth to Godly causes and their gift is probably giving. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet also give away much of their wealth and may also share this gift of God. I don’t have this gift.  Read and study the Bible for knowledge. Pray for understanding and wisdom so that your gift from God will become evident. Let your special gift lead you to God’s plan for your life.

The Apostle Paul was a capable preacher and administrator but where he shined was in his writing and teaching the tenets of the Christian faith. Paul’s letters (epistles) make up a large part of the New Testament. Paul’s special gift from God was teaching, which is self-evident after the fact. The key is Paul knew this was his special gift and he worked at developing it through study.  As we look at the seven gifts of God we can eliminate some of them right away because we know they don’t fit us. I personally eliminated four of the gifts that don’t fit my personality and the facts of my life. My top three gifts are teaching, exhortation and service. I like them all to some degree and I have experience with each one. to some degree.

I can now focus on these three gifts and over time my special gift will emerge eventually. I think it’s teaching but I want confirmation by the facts that emerge over time. If you can exhort with the written word maybe that’s my gift.  I want to fulfill God’s plan for my life and discovering my gift  and using it for God’s kingdom is of prime importance.  The gift of organization encompasses organization, leadership and administration. I’m a retired mid-level manager in the federal government and I enjoyed doing many of the tasks associated with this gift. I believe the skills we have on earth translate to heaven so I expect to be a mid-level manager in heaven someday. wanting to service to others is the key.

I’m familiar with the gift of service because I’ve always tried to help people. My wife thinks this is my gift. I still think it’s number three on my list.  I trust the Lord to give me a love of my special gift and that’s why teaching has to be my primary special gift. I like the others but I love teaching. I almost went into teaching as a career.  The gift of organization encompass’ three qualities:  organization, administration and leadership.  I’ve used my life experiences to develop these skills even if they aren’t my special gift from God.  In heaven I believe God will place us where our life skills learned on earth can be used most effectively for the kingdom.  My career was in management supervising people and I suspect I’ll be doing the same thing in heaven one day.

If you want to know what your special gift from God is look inside yourself first. What are you good at? What motivates you? What interests you? What makes you happy? I mentioned in an earlier blog I thought my special gift was exhortation but maybe I was wrong.  We all use exhortation when witnessing for Christ. The key for this gift is the verbal one on one and group motivation of others to fulfill their full spiritual potential. This gift is for extroverts and is best manifested in preachers and evangelists. Oral communication is primary.  I’m an introvert. I have a love of reading, writing, planning, studying, etc. I was never happier in my job before I retired than when I was teaching someone what I knew. Maybe my gift is teaching, which requires all of these traits. Exhortation is verbal and teaching for me is to put it in writing and presenting it.

Both of these gifts when used in conjunction can motivate the faithful to grow in Christ when used on a blogging platform.  Exhortation can be both verbal and by the written word.  Blogging is just a new way to share the gospel that’s in its infancy.  God will use every advance in technology to further the kingdom of God.  The Holy Spirit can bestow multiple gifts on a person, although I’m not sure that’s common.  I know the Holy Spirit has been bugging me for several years study God’s Word and write about my faith. This eventually led me to start my blog site.  The Holy Spirit wouldn’t give me a task without also giving me the gift or gifts needed to complete it.

Everyone has at least one gift from God so I’m claiming both exhortation and teaching as my special gifts from God.  Only time will tell if I’m correct.  My goal is to exhort everyone to study God’s Word while teaching them how to witness for Christ.  If we know the Bible we won’t fall for false teachings and if we witness for Christ we fulfill the Great Commission give us by Jesus before His ascension back to heaven.

Col 1:28 – Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

2 Pet 2:1 – But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

For this study on the gifts of God I pulled from my reference material Life Principle Notes from Charles Stanley’s In Touch Ministries titled “Living in the Power of the Holy Spirit”. You can go to their website and copy what I’m using if you want a more in depth review of these gifts.  While every Christian may have abilities in several of these areas God has given each of us the ability to excel in at least one of these seven areas. That means the plans God has for us will utilize our special gift to fulfill God’s plan.  If you know your gift you have a clue to what God has planned for you. Our goal then is to first identify our special gift and then find ways to develop it so we’re useful to God while we’re still here on earth.

Jer 29:11 – For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

1 Pet 4:10 – As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

1 Jn 4:1 – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.