It’s Thursday, and time for your daily devotional. The life of a believer has challenging moments, so tapping into the Spirit is essential to staying in the race. You’ll need God’s character, which is planted in your spirit as a seed called the Fruit of the Spirit. In today’s daily devotional, Paul lists nine fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, and you’ll need each one.
Prayed and Sang Praises
To endure hardness as a good soldier, the nine spiritual fruits are developing in you. When Paul and Silas were thrown into a Philippian prison after being beaten and then put in stocks, they didn’t abandon their spiritual fruitfulness. They prayed and sang praises, trusting God to deliver them. In your daily devotional, your fruit doesn’t just manifest when things are going well; it’s for challenging times, too.
Filled With the Holy Spirit
One of the greatest examples of bearing fruit was at Christ’s crucifixion when Jesus prayed for His enemies while on the cross. It’s not an easy endeavor to see people through God’s eyes when they’re persecuting you. However, you have the Fruit of the Spirit. When Stephen was being stoned, he knelt and prayed, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” Stephen was chosen to be a deacon because he was filled with the Holy Spirit and God’s wisdom. In today’s daily devotional, as a believer, you’re known to the world by your love, the first Fruit of the Spirit.
Being Spiritually Mature
Showing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance isn’t normal for most people. Many would say it’s not possible or even desired. They’d rather cling to works of the flesh like sexual impurity, hatred, variance, and envying. However, these worldly lusts will exclude one’s entrance into the Kingdom of God. Being spiritually mature means walking in the Spirit. Spending time in God’s word and His presence cultivates the Fruit of the Spirit. In this daily devotional, it also means enduring trials, for all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
Signs and Wonders in His Name
When the disciples signed up to follow Jesus, they didn’t foresee that persecution awaited them. They saw Christ being confronted by religious leaders who eventually crucified Him at the hands of the Romans. After Jesus ascended, the disciples continued His ministry, performing signs and wonders. Sick and demon-possessed people were brought into the streets to be healed by Peter’s shadow passing by. Then the high priest and Sadducees had the apostles thrown into prison.
Miraculously, the angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, instructing them to go and boldly preach God’s word in the temple. Upon hearing they were there, the council called them and commanded them not to speak in Jesus’ name. Then they were severely beaten and released. In your daily devotional, when situations look crazy, it’s time to let the Fruit of the Spirit operate through you. It may not seem like it, but people are watching you, noticing there’s something about you that’s different.
Continue Daily Living for Christ
In Thursday’s daily devotional, after they were beaten, the apostles didn’t quit. Acts 5:41 says, “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” After suffering persecution, they continued daily in the temple, teaching and preaching Jesus Christ. In today’s daily devotional, stay full of the Holy Ghost, and let the Fruit of the Spirit operate freely in you, despite persecution.
