If we are living by the Spirit, then we will know how to respond to life when it turns upside down. We won't give up when things get rough or we feel disillusioned. Instead, we will remain faithful to the course God has set before us.
The fruit of the Spirit is God's instructional toolset given to us so we will know how to face life's problems and sorrows correctly.
When David faced a tremendous threat from his enemies, he cried out to God, and the Lord answered him.
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)
If David had abandoned all self-control, his enemies would have overthrown him. Instead, he waited on God's deliverance. He knew that the Lord was his Rock and Redeemer.
The fruit of the Spirit is God's instructional toolset given to us so we will know how to face life's problems and sorrows correctly. Paul reminds us to "keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other" (Galatians 5:25-26).
The fruit of the Spirit teaches us how to stay alert to Satan's schemes. Pride is one of his favorite snares. In his classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers warns, "Always remain alert to the fact that where one man has gone back is exactly where anyone may go back (see 1 Cor. 10:13)."
When we yield to pride, we set ourselves up for a fall. But if we practice the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—then the enemy will not be able to set up strongholds in our lives.
Therefore, be alert and submit your life to Christ. No matter what this life may hand you, God has given you all that you need to handle it in His strength.
Prayer: Lord, teach me how to rely on Your strength instead of my own. Protect me from pride and lead me in the way of humility so that I may honor You and be a blessing to others. Let there be no strongholds in my life for the enemy to use for his evil purposes. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun" (Psalm 37:5-6).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef's sermon The Spirituality That Heals, Part 10: LISTEN NOW
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