Galations 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
Revelation 14:13 "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."
Matthew 21:19 "And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away."
Matthew 3:10 "And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
The fruit of the Spirit is a gift from God. There are nine fruits mentioned in the fifth chapter of Galations. The fruit (singular) of the Spirit is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. It is not just something we can gain on our own. It is something we attain only by joining our lives to Christ, by loving Him, by imitating Him and by remaining close to Him. Although our works don't save us, Revelations 14:13 says they do follow us. What we do is important. How we act, the way we conduct ourselves on a day to day basis, reflects on the name of Christ if we call ourselves Christians. It's so important to build the nine fruits of the Spirit as solid as you can build them into your character and practice them in your everyday life. Bearing fruit was so important to Jesus that he put a curse on the fig tree that didn't bear fruit so that it couldn't bear any more figs and it withered up and died. Matthew 3:10 says every tree that doesn't bear good fruit would be cut down and burned.
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Love - for me to accept everyone as they are, not to judge or make preconceptions before even meeting the person
Joy - for me to have continual joy through the Spirit, even when I'm in despair, even when I feel I've lost all
Patience - for me to step out of my shoes and understand how others think, how others feel; not to have such high expectations for people, but rather to accept what I'm given
Kindness - for me to not only take notice of those in need, but to ACT on it
Goodness - for me to be filled inside with the Holy Spirit and the Living Word, so that everything coming out of me is wholly and completely good like all that which comes from the Father
Faithfulness - for my faith to stand still and strong like the mountain, and not to wax and wane like the moon; for me to be deeply rooted in the Living Word and the Living God so that even if a hurricane comes I will still stand tall
Gentleness - for me to practice meekness; to be humble in the sight of God, not only that, but to be humble in the sight of man; not to be proud of anything, but to recognize all I have, all I can do, is because of God's grace
Self-control - for me to say No and act upon it; for me not to waste time with useless things, but to focus on that which is most important
