New Year’s Resolutions? The Fruit of the Spirit

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Do you believe in New Year’s Resolutions? I don’t, and it has been years since I had. Apply the fruit of the Spirit. Instead of making a bunch of promises that I can barely keep for myself, I decided to stand on God’s promises and His Word.

Rom. 12:12 is a wonderful reminder to “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” These are some of the fruit of the Spirit we should strive for daily. It can be easier said than done. Sometimes you may ask, “How can I be joyful, patient or faithful with all that’s going on around me?”

I can say from experience that something like these questions have popped up in my head before during my downtime. However, when I look back over my life and see where God has brought me from, He shows me how joyful, patient & faithful I can be, especially compared to how I was.  Here are a few of the Fruit of the Spirit:

New Year’s Resolutions? The Fruit of the Spirit – Joy

I Peter 1:8 -9 says, “whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, (9.) receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.”

Have you ever watched a dramatic movie that starts off sad, but has a happy ending? That’s a how a life of salvation with Christ can be. Life is like a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, but at the end of the day or life, you can be joyful knowing you can have a wonderful, expected end.

Joy is not always about jumping up and down. It is also an inner expression that goes beyond emotion. You can still have joy in the midst of negative circumstances.

Although you may not physically see Christ but believe He exists, you can rejoice with everlasting contentment knowing that after believing in Someone greater than yourself, you will see a greater ending of your journey.

Reflecting & refocusing have helped me. Now, I’ve seen growth in different areas. I sang through my pain. That was how I encouraged myself and others. Before, I just complained through my pain. Joy is the fruit of the Spirit that I experienced a lot of because I felt so much better on the inside as I hoped and worked in faith. Remain hopeful and do things that bring you joy.

The Fruit of the Spirit – Patience

Whew! Patience is one of the fruit of the Spirit I have struggled with the most. I’m still a work in progress, so I don’t have as much to say about patience except during affliction, patience is needed.

It can be difficult to maintain when going through trials, but Job is the epitome of a triumphant and victorious man. It took patience for him to endure throughout his pain and loss, but He depended on God through his tests and trials and made it!

I used to hear not to pray for patience because of tests and long-suffering that come, but really I’ve learned it is the other way around. It is while you are going through tribulations that you learn patience.

Patience can build and make you stronger and more disciplined to wait for what you want or desire. When I waited, what was delayed was not denied. I received what I desired and prayed for.

 The Fruit of the Spirit – Faithfulness

Faithfulness in God is another fruit where I failed at times.  Sometimes, I didn’t believe in myself and doubted my abilities. I realize that I was also doubting God and His abilities to help me reach my goals. After all, we are made in His image, so He blessed us with these abilities.  Instead of trusting God, I was trying to do everything myself, even when He showed me He would help me get it done. I was afraid to finish what I

started, because there seemed to be no ending to it. When I sought help from God, I got it done with His wisdom and guidance.

I still run into obstacles, but with staying on the wall, building faith and believing God, I’ve learned to succeed much better than when believing in myself. Have you experienced this?

Encouraging people through singing was the norm, but I never thought that I would encourage people through apparel. Now, I recently received my trademark seal for my new brand, Divinely Taylored Apparel! I am so grateful. That’s the only time to look back. It is to thank God that you’ve moved forward from that negative place.

For more encouragement on faith, check out my post,  Faith Over Fear. 

In Summary

Instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, make amends to your mindset. Apply the fruit of the Spirit one step at a time. When you struggle, keep going, fasting praying, etc. as you work towards your goal. You can move forward, even when the future is so uncertain. Do you know how you are moving forward?  You know you are moving foward when you look back at past situations and see where you were before. If your situation was worse before, you know you are progressing.

If this is you, leave a comment and share your experiences and progress.  Share this post with others. Remember Romans 12 and where God has already brought you from. Joy, Patience and Faithfulness are only a few of the fruit of the Spirit. Check out Galatians 5:22-23 for more. I pray you be prosperous as your soul prospers. Be encouraged!

 


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