Fruit of the Flesh

Galatians 5:16, 19-21

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh… 19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

We often teach and share about the fruit of the Spirit; for example, see April 30 and June 2.

However, before revealing the fruit of the Spirit, Paul first describes the “acts of the flesh”, or we could say the “fruit of the flesh” (in contrast with Galatians 5:22-23).

Having been led by “the flesh” for the greatest part of my life, I already had a great deal of familiarity with most everything Paul lists here. In fact, Paul says they are obvious. If I didn’t have Paul’s list, I imagine I could have named many of these from personal experience. Couldn’t you?

We have spent plenty of years serving the world, the flesh, and the devil. The ways of the world and the desires of the flesh just come naturally when we serve the devil instead of God.

After we choose to serve God, the Holy Spirit brings forth the right kind of fruit to benefit us and the Kingdom. Anyone who has truly repented will no longer regularly produce this “fruit of the flesh” because they do not continue to practice sin (1 John 5:18).

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Tell the Father you repent from the previous acts of the flesh. Ask the Spirit for His fruit.

Dive Deeper: Study Galatians 5; 1 John 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Galatians 6:7-10.