March 9, 2020
The "fruit of the spirit" are VIOLENT… but we often present them as gentle and sweet. I am recognizing that they are swords positioned around the heart — fighting their way in without mercy. Sometimes we do not know how these fruit CUT AND DIG until we face situations in life that force THEM to push us to our knees.
LOVE — slashes the jugular of division, unforgiveness, bitterness and hate. It contends with hardened hearts until they let go of its coagulents and run free in fierce mercy and grace against the object of force.
JOY — refuses to let darkness consume us if we make room for it. It does not allow you to rely on momentary happiness… but it digs out something in you that you didn't recognize was there… and forces its way to the top of the ocean like a drowning man grasping for air. Sometimes, it's that difficult to dig out… but we must fight for "the joy of the Lord" or be consumed by darkness. (Sometimes, the Lord sends PEOPLE to help with that… as a desperate measure.)
PEACE — is FORCEFUL… like hurricane level winds. We must VIOLENTLY contend for it and allow it to CONTEND FOR US. Where there is no peace, there is not rest… or clarity of mind. Without it there is no stability in decision making, no stability in relationships, no stability in …. faith or in the Lord. PEACE drives the mind's ability to make sense of the world around it… in its worst place or best place.
FOREBEARANCE – is unyielding as we learn to restrain ourselves from living from emotion, feelings…. familiar lusts. The suffering that comes from lack of access, inability to control your circumstances, etc. is a true test of maturity. FOREBEARANCE can be crushing in the heart of a son, a slave to Christ. It forces you to BEND INTO THE WILL of God… even when every muscle in your BODY fights to bend its own way.
KINDNESS – is the initiator of compassion, the ultimate actions of outwardly expressed love, whether we are learning to be kind to ourselves or be kind to others. It is THE FRUIT that really reveals WHO WE ARE in Christ… as it has no favorites and it reveals our position. KINDNESS is a sacrifice builder and combats the very depths of selfishness in us…. digging out the TRUE SELF. ….
And there's more. TRULY, we wrestle NOT against FLESH AND BLOOD…. the fight is not just against evil spirits… but the HARDENED HEART OF HUMANITY…..
This is not a game we are in… among the congregation. We will answer for our heart-choices. The FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT are no joke… when you understand WHO GOD IS and what is required of US in our sonship….
Some people are PLAYING church…. not living "IN" Christ… #chamberofthescribe #BUILDYOURCITY #DENOUNCETHECIRCUS
