Hi, my name is Dylan Lewis and the Worship Pastor at Bethel Austin and I’d like to welcome you to God today. I want to teach you a little bit about the fruit of the Spirit and what it looks like to actually walk in the fruit of the spirit. Galatians 5:22-24 says, “but the fruit of the spirit is love. joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control against such things there is no law in those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Have you ever found yourself needing peace? Have you ever found yourself needing something gentle in your life? Have you ever found yourself needing self-control? Have you ever needed the goodness of God? I want to teach you a little bit of a trick and I’m very thankful that the Lord put this in here. The very first fruit of the Spirit is love and love is mentioned in the Scriptures constantly. It is one of the most important things we could ever step into. It says the fruit of the Spirit is love and then it’s peace and then it’s patience and then it’s kindness. I would actually like for you to look at this as a little bit of a formula. Normally I don’t like to look into formulas in the Scriptures, but sometimes God actually puts these things in here for a purpose.
The fruit of the spirit is love. If you can actually partner with the love of the Lord, if you can receive the love of Jesus, if you can say, Jesus, would You just love me today? You can receive that. If you can ask for it, I guarantee you He’s going to pour it out on you every single time…every single time.
Do you know what that leads to? It leads to joy. When I am feeling loved, when there is an overflow of love in my life, how easy is it for me to step into joy? If you are in depression right now, you know, we asked for joy, we can beg God for joy. Let’s not beg. Let’s just go to a Good Father and say, “Lord, would you love me?” Right on the other side of it of love is joy. Then on the other side of joy…when I am full of joy, no matter what my situation is, God I can look at You [God] and I’m full of You [God] – peace is actually on the other side of that. When I’m filled with joy. It’s like, Wow, why did my world get easier and better? Why do things not feel so extreme right now?” And then, what happens on the other side of peace is patience.
Wow, I’ve stepped into love Lord, I’m filled with Your joy and now I’m walking in Your peace and you know what, because I have Your peace. I’m just pretty calm. It’s so much easier to get through my day. You know? I didn’t just beg you for peace God. I said, Lord, I just invite your love. Would you come and just shower me with Your love, Your joy comes, Your peace comes, Your patience comes. You know what? When I am patient, I’m way more kind to my kids. I have a little girl and a little boy, and I’m just so much more kind to them when I’m able to be in the peace of God. And then His goodness comes and you know what? When I’m kind to my kids, I’m just like, all right, sky’s the limit! What do you guys want to do today? Let’s just go. Let’s enjoy it. Let’s enjoy the Lord.
So the goodness comes and then I moved in faith. So we go to the playground and then I’m like, hey daughter, son, you want to go and pray for that guy over by the slide? Yeah, there’s something wrong with his knee. Let’s go pray for him. I’m filled with faith. Then gentleness comes in and we’re able to minister to him. And then self-control comes in and all the junk, all the worry in my life, I’ve forgotten about it. There’s no point because I’m filled with His love and His peace and His patience.
I want y’all to just look at it like that. Instead of going, man, I need this today. I need that today. Look at the beginning and ask,” Lord, would You come in and would you, just cover me in your love? Would you fill me with your love? Would you tell me why you like me? Thank you, Lord.” I guarantee you, you are going to get words for people. You’re going to be able to tell people about Jesus’s love for them.
I just pray over you guys today that you are filled with the fruit of the Spirit, that that fruit would actually multiply in your life. And that as you get filled and you would be able to take Jesus and take God and take Holy Spirit out into the world and actually release His fruit. I bless you in Jesus’ name, have an amazing day!