Morning Hope – May 5, 2011

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)

We must keep strife out of our lives because with it come confusion and every evil work. To do so we need weapons, and we are looking at the fruit of the Spirit as some of our weapons against strife because we know our weapons are not carnal but are of the Spirit. This means it is HIM in us working these things, which gives us the power to do them even when our flesh is in a bunch over it. He makes us always victorious the Word says. HE.. not you, not how strong you are, but HE. Submitting to Him allows these fruit to grow in our lives as we walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Today we are up to the Fruit of the Spirit that is called goodness. What is goodness? It basically means morally upright, it means that you do the right thing even when the wrong thing is being done to you.

It also means not lying. Your word should always be good. The word says that you should keep your word to your own harm.  What you say is vital and has power in your life and others lives.

When strife is screaming in our face it’s quite easy to scream back with exaggerations, which in their purest definition are just lies. We scream back, “If you do that again I will kill you!!”.  We, of course, do not mean that.  It’s a lie and it puts in motion a power that comes with our words that we never want to let loose. If this happens to you repent of it immediately to stop the seeds of destruction.

This is also quite common with married folk when arguing they throw out the ‘D’ word, divorce, like it was something that God doesn’t hate. I promise you that He hates any breaking of covenant.

Never, ever, use the word divorce when arguing with your spouse. It makes it an option when it never should be, even if there was no reason before, and you are just exaggerating, (aka lying) the seed is planted and then strife allows it to take hold and makes things worse. It becomes a destructive force in your life. Your mind starts playing with it and you start thinking about other “excuses” for divorce. The destruction is in motion and an option in your life.

So the Holy Spirit in us allows us to do the right thing when the wrong thing is thrown in our face and He allows us to stop lying. Not bad for one little Fruit eh? 🙂

Speak life!

Be blessed!

-Kath

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