The Ministerial Alliance Minute

By Pastor Kevin Griffin, Cornerstone Church, Winnie

The Fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:16, 22–23 teaches us to “walk in the Spirit” because the fruit of the Spirit is produced in a life yielded to God: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Love is selflessness—putting others’ needs before our own.

Joy is grounded in God and His Word, not in our circumstances.

Peace comes from being at peace with God, others, and ourselves.

Longsuffering is not simply waiting; it is having the right attitude while we wait.

Kindness is empathy and understanding.

Goodness is moral excellence and purity.

Faithfulness is reliability and consistency.

Gentleness is remaining kind and considerate, even in difficult situations.

Self-control is doing what we should, even when no one is looking.

The fruit of the Spirit is not a checklist of outward actions or something we produce through willpower. It flows from the life of God within us. It is the evidence of an inward transformation—a changed heart that produces changed behavior.

Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” Proverbs 4:23 reminds us that everything flows from the heart. Real transformation begins inside and flows outward.

This transformation is a journey of continual surrender to the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit is working in us, we become less focused on controlling others and more capable of controlling ourselves.

The fruit of the Spirit is not about us trying harder. It is about the Holy Spirit working in us, transforming our hearts and producing His character through our lives.