The Evidence of God’s Spirit
Walking in the Spirit – Part VII
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:1-11
Key Verse: Galatians 5:22
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: … joy…
Our Key Verse for the last several devotionals reminds us that the fruit (result) of the Spirit living in us is joy as well as peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22 as well as Galatians 5:23).
Unfortunately, our humanness can get in the way of getting all these results. Think of how powerful the church would be if all of us Christ-followers would say “no” to all our pride, anger and unforgiveness and allow God’s Spirit to flow through us with all its wonderful fruits!
Keeping in step with the Spirit of God is key to our victorious living. As we work to hear and obey the Spirit, the Spirit produces its fruits in us. When this happens, we are blessed along with all those around us!
If you are a student of New Testament teachings, you know it mentions the combination of joy and peace many times. I believe this is because those two fruits of the Spirit keep us living the abundant life that Jesus died to give us. That is why the Apostle Peter taught:
Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7).
Our worries and cares are enemies of our joy and peace. They cannot co-exist in our lives; they are mutually exclusive. We choose whether to drop our worries and cares or to keep hanging on to them. The power to follow through on that decision is God’s job!
How does a Christ-follower overcome the worries and cares of this world?
The Apostle Peter answered that question: “for He cares about you”. When our faith grabs hold and hangs on to God’s love and His guidance in our lives, our worries and cares drift way.
This is not a one-time decision on our part. We must continually remind ourselves how much God cares for us! The enemy of our souls does all he can do to distract us from the truth of God’s care.
Father, I need Your help to remember how much You care for me. Your loving care for me is worthy of my trust! In Jesus’s Name I pray, amen.