The Spirit’s Fruit (Galatians 5:22–23)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
– Galatians 5:22–23
What a great description of the fruit of God’s Spirit in our lives that just leads us to pray for God to produce all these things in our lives. That’s the whole concept behind this being the fruit of the Spirit. This is not something we can manufacture. It’s something only the Spirit of God can produce in us. Which means this is a supernatural love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control that doesn’t happen naturally. That only happens from the power of the Holy Spirit of God in you. This is not saying that people who don’t have God’s Spirit in them can’t have love, joy, or peace. But not at the level that Galatians 5 is talking about here.
Galatians 5:22–23 explains the beauty of Spirit-produced character.
This is the fruit of God’s Spirit. It’s an otherworldly love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So let’s pray for these things over our lives. Let’s ask God to produce this fruit in us today that this fruit would flow from us. God, we pray for this. We pray for the fruit of your Holy Spirit to flow from our lives today. God, we pray for supernatural love to flow from our lives today. Help us to love others with a love that can’t be manufactured by us but can only come from you, divine, supernatural love.
We pray for supernatural joy amidst whatever circumstances we walk through for joy that transcends suffering. For joy that transcends affliction. Not a flippant happiness, but a supernatural, deep joy. We pray for supernatural peace. It guards us from anxiety. It guards us from worry and fear. God, we pray for supernatural peace in our lives today.
We pray for supernatural patience flowing from us today. We confess we are impatient in so many ways. God, produce supernatural patience in us amidst waiting in different ways in this world. Amidst the circumstances we’re walking through, help us to be patient. Help us to be patient with others. Just like 1 Corinthians 13 told us that love is patient, God, we pray for supernatural patience when we’re tempted to be impatient. We pray for supernatural kindness to flow from our lives for other worldly kindness that’s selfless and generous and good. We pray for supernatural goodness in our lives.
Galatians 5:22–23 encourages us to keep in step with the Spirit.
God, we want to live today for that which is good. We want to display and demonstrate that which is good and everything we do, say, and desire. God, we pray for supernatural goodness. We pray for supernatural faithfulness. God, help us to be faithful to you, to your Word, faithful to do all that you’re calling us to do today.
God, to not hold back in any way from what you’re calling us to do. Help us to be faithful and loving others. We pray for supernatural gentleness. Yes, God, for supernatural humility. And God. So we pray that we’re tempted to think this feels weak. God, help us to realize that gentleness from your Holy Spirit is strong because it flows from the character of Jesus in us, the Spirit of Jesus in us. We pray for supernatural gentleness and supernatural self-control.
God, we pray that our mind, our thoughts, our desires, our wants, our affections, that our speech, that our actions, everything we think, desire, say and do would be a picture of supernatural self-control. Oh, God, we just confess in our flesh, we’re prone to do the opposite of all these things. We need your Holy Spirit to produce these things in us, and we praise you for your promise to produce these things in us.
Galatians 5:25 says to keep in step with your Spirit. Help us to bear the fruit of your Spirit in ways that lead to good for people around us. Just as Galatians talks about like faith expressing itself through love, God, we want people around us to experience the character of Christ because of our lives today through our lives today.
A Prayer for the Merat People
And God, we pray for the fruit of your Spirit to spread to the nations. For the Merat people of India, we intercede for them right now. God, for 400,000 Merat men, women, and children. Please, oh, God, cause the good news of your love to flow through witnesses empowered by your Spirit to the Merat people. And God, help us to be faithful witnesses wherever you lead us, God, until all the nations of the world experience the fruit of your Spirit through Jesus. Oh, God, we pray all this according to your Word in Galatians 5:22–23, which we love, in Jesus’ name, oh, Jesus, produce the fruit of your life and your Spirit, and in through us today. Amen.
