The Fruit of God’s Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23 | P2
Mar 28, 2025 | by Teacher Michael Carter
Longsuffering - Longsuffering is the ability to bear with or forbear others short comings. It is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation, wrong doing or actions that typically would bring your judgment, retaliation or desire for punishment. 2 Peter 3:9
Often some misunderstand longsuffering, thinking that it means to suffer long. This fruit has nothing to do with suffering. There is a suffering associated with persecution from the world for standing for God’s righteousness. But we are not called to suffer otherwise.
Sometimes people put up with certain situations and people that cause suffering and think that it’s biblical when it’s not. God does not want His children abused. We are to be longsuffering towards others, but not to suffer or experience abuse because of them or from them. Consider your choices and recalibrating those challenging relationships.
- We rejoice in knowing that God is longsuffering towards us. 2 Peter 3:9
- His longsuffering should lead us to repentance. Romans 2:4
- We are to be longsuffering towards others. Colossians 3:12-13
Longsuffering is the ability to put up with others short comings. While not desiring to demean, disrespect or reject them. Longsuffering leads us to assist them in overcoming their short falls.
Gentleness - It describes how we deal with people who may provoke or behave unseeingly. It expresses the heart of God as a parent dealing with a child. 1 Thessalonians 2:7. In our day to day lives, people will not always act or behave according to our standards.
This can lead us to address them in that regard. Do we demean them, throw them away and treat them harshly? No, we act gently with them. Thankfully, God is gentle with us. The Holy Spirit descended like a dove on the Lord. John 1:32
This speaks to the gentle nature of the Holy Spirit. Although we may have done wrong, and even knew it before we did it, God extended His gentleness to lead us to repentance. Thank you Lord!. Even after thoroughly pointing out the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus desired to gather them as a gentle hen. This defined His gentleness and showed how He truly felt about them even though many of them opposed Him. Matthew 23:37
- The Lord invites to take His yoke upon us as an act of His gentleness. Matthew 11:29
- We are to be gentle towards others. Titus 3:2
Gentleness is the opposite of acting brash or insisting on the letter of the law. You don’t need a hammer to get the bug off their arm, just a gentle wave will do. Walk in gentleness towards others, as God has been gentle with you.
Goodness - It means to be morally honorable, pleasing to God in the sense of what is upright, morally and correct. The English word "goodness" includes many pleasing qualities whereas the Greek word indicates one particular quality. It is moral excellence of character.
It is simply doing the right thing rather someone knows or not. God will always lead us in goodness. Not merely goodness as a quality, rather it is goodness in action, expressing itself in deeds. Romans 15:14
The challenge today is to focus on what God declares is good. Otherwise, we can succumb to what the world declares is good, excepting standards that God rejects. God’s goodness is principled in His justice, righteousness and word. It is applicable to every area of our lives.
- Goodness flows in our behavior whether seen or unseen. 1 Thessalonians 5:15
- As believers, our Goodness sets us apart from the world and glorifies God. 1 Peter 2:11-12
When the world desires to bend the truth, you will be led to be good and do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Even in those moments with nobody around and you could get away with it; do good, it’s the right and Godly thing to do.
Faith / Faithfulness - The word faith in Galatians 5:22 is a dual word, faith and faithfulness
Faith- The principles of faith are belief with our heart, confession and actions. Faith requires corresponding action. Your actions are relative to your believe in God’s word. You believe it; therefore you act or obey it independent of your natural assessment. Notice in this text, the man had to obey Jesus to receive his healing. John 9:1-7. This corresponding action is absent from natural inferences. Proverbs 3:5 We anchor our faith in God's word. 1 Corinthians 2:5
Therefore, living according to God’s word in obedience is living y faith. 2nd Corinthians 5:7
- We please God by faith. Hebrews 11:6
- Faith comes by the word of God. Romans 10:17
Faith is not an incident, but a way of life for the believer demonstrated by our actions and obedience to God's word. Our faith is anchored in God’s word. And our obedience demonstrates our faith in it and God. Living it out in obedience and act is us living by faith.
Faithfulness – The Greek word is pistos, the act of being dependable, trust worthy, and reliable and one with your word. It is a necessary in ministry. You cannot build without faithful laborers. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2. A part of God's judgment of us is based on our faithfulness. Matthew 25:14-30
- God deals with how we manage things by our faithfulness. Luke 10-12
- We should be faithful over our words and oaths. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6
This fruit also describes our ability to commit and keep our word. What we commit to do, we should put all that we are behind it to make it come to pass. We have to become one with our words. Faithfulness leads us to keep our word.
Meekness – Meekness in humbled strength or knowledge under control. Meekness is how we approach people in certain situations when you know more about something, or are stronger than them in a certain area. Galatians 6:1-3 / 1 Corinthians 4:21.
There is no need to demonstrate your strength to overpower someone or to prove your higher aptitude in that area by demeaning someone. That’s actually a sign of weakness and arrogance. And God hates pride and arrogance. Actually, meekness has a measure of humility within it by recognizing that who we are, what we know and what we are capable of doing was provided by God.
Notice I said provided. You still have to grow in it and develop it. Romans 12:3 / 1 Corinthians 4:7 /2nd Corinthians 10:1.
We are to be grateful to God for what we are able to do, grow in and know. We are to walk in meekness.
- We are to deal with people in meekness. Titus 3:2
- We are to put on or yield to meekness - Colossians 3:12-13
Meekness leads us to use our strength or knowledge to serve and help others, lifting them up, not ourselves. Although the apostle Paul was given extensive revelations, he was meek, desiring to pass that on to others to lift them up, and glorify God.
Temperance - It is the quality and ability to master your desires, physicality and passions. Many of the problems that Christians get into are caused by their lack of being temperate and practicing self-control. Whether it’s their inability to remain physically in control or their inability to control their tongue in an arguments, or disciplining their sexual appetites or natural impulses, temperance is the answer.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 / Titus 2:11-12
- We are to die to our old way and grow in temperance. Romans 13:13-14
- Temperance is strength or self-control in challenging circumstances. 2nd Peter 1:6
Many regrettable actions are the result of being out of control. Too many Christians take the attitude that they cannot control their temper, their thoughts, or their actions because that’s the way they are. As reborn children of God, that’s not the way you are, you’ve been recreated. You just need to grow in the fruit of temperance and yield to It. You will find that the more you yield, the easier it becomes.
And the more you become Christ-like. Growing in temperance closes doors of temptation and eliminates certain buttons that otherwise would lead to us making bad choices. Herein is the impact and power of growing in the fruit of temperance.
The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift given to humanity. Upon entering our hearts, He recreated our spirit and endows us with His character. This gives us a choice to walk in the flesh and the worlds ways or to yield to the Holy Spirit and walk in the fruit of God’s Spirit, His character. When we grow in the character of God, our flesh will not dominate our lives. Flowing in the fruit of the Spirit impacts our natural and spiritual growth, relationships and more. The more walk in the fruit of the Spirit, the more we become Christ-like.
When people look at our lifestyle, they should see our Christ likeness. No we are not perfect. Fact is; they know that. In most cases they simply want to see if what we are declaring really works. This includes them seeing God’s character and mercy operating in our lives as we make bad choices. Yet, they should see us getting up, getting back in line and living out God's word. This is only done through the grace and the power of God and His character. The more walk in the fruit of the Spirit, the more we become Christ-like. All to the glory of God!