Cultivating a faithful spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness (Galatians 5:22 ESV)

How does the Holy Spirit manifest in our lives? We are more accustomed to the outward manifestations of gifts, such as speaking in tongues, prophecy, etc. Yes, gifts are a prominent outward manifestation of the Spirit, but that is not the entire story. The Spirit also manifests Himself in our lives by the fruit of the Spirit, which are distinctive virtues characteristic of God’s character, such as love. And if you are able to accept this, the fruit of the Spirit is far more important to God in our lives than the gifts ( 1 Corinthians 13).

One of the fruit of the Spirit as mentioned above is faithfulness. This is the simple habit of being dependable or trustworthy. Please think about this for a moment. God can pour out His Spirit on you in an amazing way and the manifestation of His Spirit in your life could be you becoming faithful in whatever you do. God could rely on you to behave or act in a certain way. People around you can also depend and rely on you.

Are you faithful? In other words, are you full of the Holy Spirit? Sounds strange, right? It is because we are so used to associating being full of the Spirit with the gifts only. In Acts 13:52, the disciples were full of the Spirit and the virtue was not power but joy, which is a fruit of the Spirit. Allow the Spirit to produce a faithful character in you.

MEDITATE

Are you full of the Spirit? Think of the fruit or the gift that is tangible in your life right now.

APPLY THE WORD

Can God trust you with money? Will you continue to be humble if God gives you the power you are crying out for every day or will you lift up yourself and lord over the believers He will bring to you? Can people depend on you at work or at home? Walking in the Spirit is more than just miracles and speaking in tongues. Brethren, the Lord wants us to be faithful. Be full of the Spirit. Be faithful.