“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
Have you met people who warn about their “true colours,” meaning an aggressive side they hide until offended? As believers, we have “true colours,” but differently.
In this article, we’ll explore what those are.
At salvation, something remarkable occurred: God, the creator of the universe started living inside us through His Spirit. Every believer now has the Holy Spirit within them – this is a seal of our salvation (Ephesians 1:12-13). Anyone who believes the Gospel is born of God’s Spirit (John 3:5-9). Because of the Spirit dwelling in us, we receive a new nature that replaces our old one.
The hallmark of this new nature is evident in the fruits of the Spirit we portray. The fruits of the Spirit are character traits we have received and can walk in because we have the Spirit dwelling in us. In our anchor scripture, Apostle Paul lists some of the fruits of the Spirit, and Galatians 4: 6-7 details the foundation of who we are as believers – We are now sons of God.
As citizens of a new nation, born of a new Spirit, we belong to a new family (Ephesians 2:19-20). Consequently, our behaviour differs from our past worldly ways. We’ve received an upgrade, doing things as our new family does. One key aspect of our new nature is living above sin.
It’s like Romans 6: 6 says: “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.”
We are no longer slaves to sin, our old nature. The epistles are replete with instructions on our new nature and identity in Christ. In Romans 6:4, Paul explains that we were buried with Christ, and we rose with Him. Consequently, our conduct must reflect the new life that we have received. More so, Peter admonishes believers on their conduct in 1 Peter 3:8-11.
Dear believer, you have the Spirit of God in you. Your “true colour” is in the actions spurred by the fruits of the spirit. When you show joy, love, kindness, patience and gentleness to everyone, that is the true colour consistent with your new nature in Christ (James 1:22). Your conduct and behaviour must speak to the fact that you indeed have the Holy Spirit within you.
SAY THIS:
I am born of God’s Spirit. I have the nature of Christ because I am a citizen of heaven. Every day of my life, I am walking in the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are active in my life. I walk in love towards all men. Hallelujah!
Bible Reading Plan: John 9