Morning Hope – May 4, 2011

We are going to continue looking at the fruits of the Spirit as weapons to use when strife rears its ugly head around us.

Here are our two key scriptures.

James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work (KJV)

Galatians 5:22-23 but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (KJV)

I think everyone knows what gentleness means, but incase you don’t it means “going easy” in southern vernacular. It means having a “soft touch”. It means that whatever you do is felt like a breath, not like a tornado.

We’ve seen this before and how it deflates strife.

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. (KJV)

It’s like a pin stuck in a balloon, it stops strife and takes away it’s power.

This is another one of those things that may make you think that it is you being passive or being a doormat, but once again, God’s way of doing things is opposite of the worlds and actually works. You don’t need to be mean, rough or caustic to get your point across.

Now here is something to consider when someone is screaming in your face or being passively aggressive (which I find harder to give a gentle answer to , personally).

You don’t get to keep the strife going in your mind while your mouth is being gentle. The Word is very clear about what goes on in your thoughts is the same as doing it.

So the first step maybe what you say, but the thing that then needs to be worked on is what goes on in your head.

Your inner attitude is the deciding factor on whether this is a gift of the Spirit or a work of the flesh. Works of the flesh will not accomplish what you want even if you are “Doing” what appears right.

So if you are having some failure in this area or things don’t appear to be working, check the thought life.

Be blessed!

-Kath

Scripture quotations marked “KJV” are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769.