Our Adamic nature responds to unpleasant events differently, and our reasoning is drawn from knowledge or experience from past interactions or a similar situation. The natural response from an empty soul is hopelessness, anxiety, anger, and emptiness; these are all natural reactions embodied inside an individual without the knowledge of God’s provision for our redemption.
Whenever a man is being tested or tried because of their faith or just as an occurrence based on their own decisions, our response goes a long way to determine the outcome of that situation. For instance, a man was supposed to board a bus by 8:15 am, but he got to the bus station by 8:20 am. Meanwhile, the bus had just left, and he could see the tail end of the bus. In such a situation, the person’s reaction will be anger, especially if the situation that caused the lateness was avoidable. This and more situations like this let the cat out of the bag and can cause a cascading effect throughout the day, week, or period we remember the scenario. The fruit of the Spirit helps a man respond rightly to situations and circumstances of life. Whenever it knocks hard or even harder at us, we will have the right disposition to counter that instinct. No one can guarantee smooth sailing during an excursion, no pilot can guarantee a turbulence-free ride anywhere, but the Holy Spirit can give us the right disposition during situations to ensure we come out as gold.
AS introduced to us by Apostle Paul, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” Gal 5:22-23 NLT. It’s crystal clear that the presence of the gift of the Father, called the Holy Spirit, produces different kinds of fruits apart from the fruit our human nature produces. The presence of these fruits cannot be hidden; if you have them, we will eventually see from your character, approach to life, possessions, and your daily interactions.
Steps to cultivating the fruit of the Spirit
Accepting Jesus as our Lord and personal savior is the foundation, and partnering with the Holy Spirit makes the salvation journey an exciting experience. Anyone proclaiming Jesus as their savior without a genuine encounter with the Holy Ghost is like a snowman waiting for the sunshine. There will be no substance in that vessel. Jesus Christ told the parable of the sow ( Matt 13: 3-9), our Savior explained all the categories of relationships men can play with religion and the summary of those religious player is “and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. ”Matt 13:6 KJV. Wither away is a matter of time.
Seeking tenuously and desiring with all our strength and might is a key to finding the kind of salvation that brings a personal Jesus encounter experience. After accepting Jesus as our savior, we must part ways with cancerous attitudes and behaviors that will suck out life from our salvation.
Thirst for the Holy Spirit
“As the hart thirsts after the water brooks, So my soul after thee, O God.” Ps 42:1 KJV. This text is very captivating; it describes how important water is to deer. The deer, like every other living thing, needs water to sustain and survive, and so water is a necessity. Thirsting for the Holy Spirit requires reading the bible, meditating day and night, and ensuring to do as required of you. Thirsting for the Spirit of God must be deliberate, intentional, and prayerful. Jesus told his disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until he endows them with power, Acts of the Apostles chapter 2, and after that experience and outpouring, the apostles were never the same again; there was multiple evidence of the presence of the Great One in their midst. That is the template of a Christian, after salvation, waiting on the Lord and receiving the Holy Spirit to download your manual to work efficiently with the master.
Evaluating oneself
“Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” I Corinthians 10:12 Constantly evaluating and
Subjecting ourselves to fasting and prayer is not an option in our Christian race; if anyone had told you it’s an option, then you need to rethink it. Jesus said, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matt 12:21. The appearance of light extinguishes darkness, our fasting breaks down the hold of self and allows the illumination of God to make his will transparent so that even the blind can see it.
Evaluating ourselves daily also includes seeking counsel from others by the direction of the Holy Spirit, attending a bible meeting, and a prayer conference where the truth of Christ is poured out without manipulation.
Continuous improvement
In the cooperate industry, continuous improvement is a philosophy and practice focused on making incremental, ongoing enhancements to either services or production processes. Likewise, as Christians, we must focus and refocus on the importance of our walking with the Lord, as the apostle Peter admonishes us in 2 Peter 1, “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 1:5-8. We must thrive, shed, delete, and deny ourselves to attain, and may the LORD of all truth keep us till the end. Amen
Written By: Kemi Olayinka
