The Fruit of God’s Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23 | P2
Mar 28, 2025 | by Teacher Michael Carter
Longsuffering - Longsuffering is the ability to tolerant and bear with others short comings. It is that quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation, wrong doing or towards an action that typically would bring punishment retaliation or judgment. Who are we to be short, intolerant or impatient towards other when God is longsuffering towards us and ours. 2 Peter 3:9
Often some misunderstand longsuffering to mean to suffer long. That is not biblical. This fruit has nothing to do with suffering. There is a suffering associated with persecution from the world for standing against sin for God’s righteousness. Sometimes people put up with certain situations and people that cause suffering and think that it’s longsuffering, when it’s not.
God does not want His children to suffer or be abused. We are to be longsuffering towards others, but not to suffer or be abused by or because of them. Consider your choices in those circumstances, recalibrate the relationships and make some different choice. . Longsuffering is not about suffering, but forbearance towards others short comings.
- We rejoice in knowing that God is longsuffering towards us. Numbers 14:18
- 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 demeaning, disrespecting or rejecting them. Longsuffering leads us to assist them in overcoming their short falls. God is longsuffering towards us; who are we to be intolerant of others.
Follow up Questions
What is longsuffering?
How does God's longsuffering play out in our lives?
How does longsuffering play out and impact our relationships?
Gentleness - It describes how we deal with people who may provoke or behave unseemly. It expresses the heart of God as a parent dealing with a child. 1 Thessalonians 2:7. People will not always act or behave according to our box of righteousness.
This can challenge us to respond and address them harshly or talk to them in a demeaning manner. No, we are to act gently with them. This can be misinterpreted as being weak. But it's not. It's the very opposite of being weak.
Just because you have a hammer does not mean that you use it to swat the bug off of their head. Even and although they put a solution in their hair that attracted the bugs. It's a softened touch by a strong hand. Thankfully, God is gentle with us.
Although we may have done wrong, and even knew it before we did it, God extended His gentleness to lead us to repentance. Even after pointing out the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus desired to gather them as a gentle hen would.
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 us 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 brashness or insisting on the letter of the law. It's a soft touch by an otherwise strong hand. Walk in gentleness towards others, as God has been gentle with you.
Follow up Questions
How is gentleness expressed?
Is being gentle being soft?
How do we express gentleness with those in the sphere of our influence?
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; moral excellence of character. It is simply doing the right thing rather someone knows it or not. God will always lead us in goodness. Not merely goodness as a quality, but an action and behavior of moral excellence expressing itself in deeds. Romans 15:14
The challenge today is to focus on what God declares is good, opposed to what the world says is good. It's easy to succumb to what the world declares is good because it often appeals to the flesh, sensibilities and worldly concepts. God’s goodness is principled in His justice, righteousness and word. It sets our moral compass. It is to be maintained in 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 do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Even in those moments when nobody is around and you could get away with it; do good, it’s the right thing to do. It's goodness in action.
Follow up Questions
How does goodness impact our actions and behavior?
How does goodness impact what we do when no ones else sees us?
What is God's goodness principled in?
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. He believed Jesus word, acted on it and received healing. This corresponding action is absent of your understanding and natural evidence. Proverbs 3:5 Our faith and trust is in God's word. Therefore, living by faith is living and obeying God’s word. 2nd Corinthians 5:7
- We please God by faith. Hebrews 11:6
- Faith comes by the word of God. Romans 10:17
- Faith is released by corresponding action. John 9:1-7
Faith is not an incident, but a way of life for the believer lived 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 in obedience is us living by faith.
Follow Up Questions
Do you need natural evidence to believe God's word?
How does action declare your faith?
How do we walk 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. Our faithfulness impacts our ability to keep our covenant and contractual promises. You can depend on a person who is faithful to keep their word. All that they are is behind them keeping their word. They are consistent, reliable and trustworthy. They are one with their word. This is the essence of faithfulness.
- 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 bring it to pass. We have to become one with our words. Faithfulness leads us to keep our word.
Follow up Questions
What does faithfulness look like?
How faithfulness demonstrated in your natural and spiritual contractual agreements
How does faithfulness impact your relationships?
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. 1 Corinthians 4:21. There is no need to demonstrate your strength or to prove your higher aptitude in that area by demeaning them. 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. Meekness is undergirded by humility.
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 in arrogance. 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. Yes, you may be stronger or even smarter in that particular area. But its not to your glory, or to demean others. But to serve and bless them, to the glory of God. Be meek when correcting and leading others. It demonstrates God's heart to them. Galatians 6:1-3
Follow up Questions
How is meekness demonstrated?
How does meekness impact situations of conflict when you know more than the other person?
How does humility impact meekness?
Temperance - It is self control; the quality and ability to master your desires, physicality and passions. Many of the problems people face 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 argument, or disciplining their eating habits or sexual appetites or impulses, temperance is the answer. We've got to live this race with temperance or self control. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 / Titus 2:11-12
- We are to die to our flesh 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, their words or their impulsive because that’s the way they are. As reborn children of God, that’s not true.
You are reborn of God's Spirit and have His character in you. This is a choice to flow in your flesh or the fruit of God's Spirit. However, it requires that you pause and yield to Him. When your flesh desire to flow according to your old sin nature and become out of control, pause and yield to God's temperance. It is self control in action. It will discipline your actions, tongue and behavior.
And it just may save your life, treasured relationship and your soul. This is the impact of growing and yielding to of temperance.
You will find the more you yield, the more you become Christ-like. Growing in temperance minimizes certain buttons that otherwise would lead to us making bad choices. This is the impact of growing in the fruit of temperance.
Follow Up Questions
What do we need to do in order for temperance to manifest in and through us
What does temperance look like?
How does temperance impact our relationships and lives?
The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift given to humanity. Upon entering our hearts, He recreates our spirit and endows us with His character. This empowers us 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; people know that because they aren't. 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 when things are not perfect.
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 grow and become Christ-like. All to the glory of God!