Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, self-control.  Nothing in the Torah (Law) stands against such things.

There has never been a more important time than now to not allow the fruit of the Spirit of God to be robbed from you.  That may sound odd, but think about it with me for a moment; God has given us His Spirit when we accepted Him as our Savior, but unlike being possessed by a demon, the Holy Spirit doesn’t override our free will.  When someone is possessed they have little or sometimes nothing to say about what is done in and through them.  With the Holy Spirit, we still have a free will to choose just how much we allow Him to do in and through us!  In order to have these attributes we must allow them to fill our hearts and minds and sometimes that takes being intentional in our focus.  For example, it means that when we allow someone else’s anger to cause us to retaliate, we took over and we shut down the fruit of His Spirit.  So who robs us of it?  We rob ourselves when we shut Him down and take over.

If you have ever set a goal or played sports then you understand that it takes focus.  You must block all of the “outside noise and distractions” and you must keep your eyes on the goal!  I can remember shooting free shots in basketball and having to train myself to block out everything except for the shot and that is how we have to live.  There are a lot of disturbing things going on around the world and if you aren’t careful you could be consumed with it all.  I am not saying we shouldn’t concern ourselves with what is going on, we must be aware and we must do whatever God calls us to do in every situation because some are called to fight a cause, but the point is that not all of us are.  If something is going on but it isn’t part of what God has called you to do then the best thing you can do is be consistent in prayer for that situation and the people called to stand and fight.  It is too easy to get distracted and you could end up fighting a battle that you have no business being a part of.  Focus on God and ask for discernment and direction in all you do.  Ask Him to create in you a clean heart and a right spirit every single day and watch as the fruit of His Spirit begins to well up within you.  It is a choice every day what we allow to rule in our hearts and minds.  You don’t have to accept every thought or feeling that comes your way!  When things like anger, worry, negative thoughts, etc. try taking over stop them, reject them, and remind yourself of the fruit of the Spirit of God within you!  Pray for God to remove them and ask Him to fill you with His confidence and His Spirit and plans for your life.  

We live in a world full of angry, confused, distraught people who need Jesus!  How will they see Him if we aren’t different?  We need to be so full of Him, allowing Him to guide us on every level that His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control just flow out of us to the world around us.  We need to always be ready to share Him and what He has done in our lives.  There’s no other battle on earth that is as important as that!