The fruits of the Spirit are an important outworking of the Holy Spirit in the lives of those who follow Jesus. These fruits include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). For us to cultivate these fruits in our lives, we must take an active role with the Holy Spirit by means of prayer, intentionality and partnership (to name a few). If we are to follow Jesus, these nine fruits are essential indicators of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Picture our hearts as soil. For fruit to grow, we need seed. When we pray the fruits of the Spirit, it is like sowing seed into our hearts for the fruit to take root. Then, for the fruit to grow, it needs the necessary resources such as water, sunlight and care. The plant begins to grow as we are intentional with the Holy Spirit by giving the Spirit permission to work in our hearts to grow the fruit of the Spirit. This means the Holy Spirit may need to clean out our hearts a little bit to make room for the growing fruit. This can entail a revealing of sinful selfishness and fleshly tendencies that stand against the Holy Spirit's ability to bring transformation and growth (see a list in Galatians 5:19-21); Finally, the fruit begins to ripen and is ready for the picking, which symbolizes partnership with the Holy Spirit. The fruit is ready when we face situations in our lives where we are able to apply love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In this process of prayer, intentionality and partnership, the fruit of the Spirit develops unto a greater harvest.
As we pray the fruits of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and lives in such a way as to produce and grow these nine fruits in and through us. Specific prayer will receive specific answers. So, as we pray specifically for the fruits of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will answer specifically. And do not be surprised when you pray the fruits of the Spirit that situations will arise which challenge areas of your character. For example, if you are praying to grow in patience, do not be surprised when you find yourself in situations where you are given the opportunity to be patient! God is funny like that :)
Personally, I pray the fruit of the Spirit once per week when I pray on the armor of God, usually Monday mornings as the week starts up. Below is a model prayer you can use to pray the fruits of the Spirit, but this is only one way of many by which you can pray the fruits of the Spirit.
Praying the Fruits of the Spirit, a model prayer.
Holy Spirit, I pray that you would churn up the soil of my heart to produce good soil for the growth of your fruit in my heart and life.
Love
I pray that you would grow me in love for Jesus, that you would develop a passion, desire and intimacy for him. That you would grow my love for others, to include my enemies. Mold me into a person that is able to love others as Jesus loves them that I may be the hands of feet of Christ. And please open my heart and life more and more that I may know the love Jesus has for me and that his love would be revealed in greater ways.
Joy
I pray, that you would cultivate a deep joy in my heart and life, that I would be filled with the joy of the Lord. And that the joy that you grow in me is contagious to others and that people see the joy that Jesus gives.
Peace
I pray too, that I would be a person at peace and a person of peace. I pray that I would be at peace in my heart, mind, emotions, thoughts and will. That the peace of Jesus would permeate me, that I would be a person at peace. I pray also that I would be a person of peace; that I would be a minister of reconciliation. I pray that I would minister reconciliation with people to Jesus, people within themselves, between friends and family, in and between churches, as well as other institutions of the world. Make me a person of peace for your glory.
Patience
I pray Holy Spirit, that you would develop a patient faith in my heart. That I would be a person who is patient with your work in my life and who waits patiently before you. I pray too, that you would shape me into a patient person with others; that your patience would flow through my life so that others may be loved through patience.
Kindness
I pray that you would grow in me a deeper heart of compassion and mercy for other people. I pray that I would be a person who has deep compassion for those who need compassion, and that I would extend mercy to those who need mercy.
Goodness
I pray Holy Spirit, that you would make me into a person of moral purity. That I would walk in the character of Jesus, being made holy unto the image of God. I pray that I would walk in fidelity of heart, mind, sexuality, and commitment to whom I devote my life to.
Faithfulness
I pray that I would grow in faithfulness to Jesus, my family and all that you have entrusted to my care. I pray that I would be a person of deep faithfulness and person who is committed to my word.
Gentleness
I pray that I would be a person of gentleness; in my words and tone, in my attitude and actions. I pray that the words I speak would be spoken in such gentleness that people experience the gentleness of Jesus through my life; and that my actions are done in such as way that people encounter the gentleness of Jesus' hands upon them.
Self-Control
Holy Spirit, I pray that you would develop self-control in my heart, mind, thoughts, emotions and will; that I would not give way to rashness and instability of being, but to being controlled by you. Holy Spirit, permeate and fill me entirely so that the fruit of the Spirit may grow in my life.
Amen.
If you would like to start a dialogue, please share your thoughts, reflections and comments below.
As we pray the fruits of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will work in our hearts and lives in such a way as to produce and grow these nine fruits in and through us. Specific prayer will receive specific answers. So, as we pray specifically for the fruits of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will answer specifically. And do not be surprised when you pray the fruits of the Spirit that situations will arise which challenge areas of your character. For example, if you are praying to grow in patience, do not be surprised when you find yourself in situations where you are given the opportunity to be patient! God is funny like that :)
Personally, I pray the fruit of the Spirit once per week when I pray on the armor of God, usually Monday mornings as the week starts up. Below is a model prayer you can use to pray the fruits of the Spirit, but this is only one way of many by which you can pray the fruits of the Spirit.
Praying the Fruits of the Spirit, a model prayer.
Holy Spirit, I pray that you would churn up the soil of my heart to produce good soil for the growth of your fruit in my heart and life.
Love
I pray that you would grow me in love for Jesus, that you would develop a passion, desire and intimacy for him. That you would grow my love for others, to include my enemies. Mold me into a person that is able to love others as Jesus loves them that I may be the hands of feet of Christ. And please open my heart and life more and more that I may know the love Jesus has for me and that his love would be revealed in greater ways.
Joy
I pray, that you would cultivate a deep joy in my heart and life, that I would be filled with the joy of the Lord. And that the joy that you grow in me is contagious to others and that people see the joy that Jesus gives.
Peace
I pray too, that I would be a person at peace and a person of peace. I pray that I would be at peace in my heart, mind, emotions, thoughts and will. That the peace of Jesus would permeate me, that I would be a person at peace. I pray also that I would be a person of peace; that I would be a minister of reconciliation. I pray that I would minister reconciliation with people to Jesus, people within themselves, between friends and family, in and between churches, as well as other institutions of the world. Make me a person of peace for your glory.
Patience
I pray Holy Spirit, that you would develop a patient faith in my heart. That I would be a person who is patient with your work in my life and who waits patiently before you. I pray too, that you would shape me into a patient person with others; that your patience would flow through my life so that others may be loved through patience.
Kindness
I pray that you would grow in me a deeper heart of compassion and mercy for other people. I pray that I would be a person who has deep compassion for those who need compassion, and that I would extend mercy to those who need mercy.
Goodness
I pray Holy Spirit, that you would make me into a person of moral purity. That I would walk in the character of Jesus, being made holy unto the image of God. I pray that I would walk in fidelity of heart, mind, sexuality, and commitment to whom I devote my life to.
Faithfulness
I pray that I would grow in faithfulness to Jesus, my family and all that you have entrusted to my care. I pray that I would be a person of deep faithfulness and person who is committed to my word.
Gentleness
I pray that I would be a person of gentleness; in my words and tone, in my attitude and actions. I pray that the words I speak would be spoken in such gentleness that people experience the gentleness of Jesus through my life; and that my actions are done in such as way that people encounter the gentleness of Jesus' hands upon them.
Self-Control
Holy Spirit, I pray that you would develop self-control in my heart, mind, thoughts, emotions and will; that I would not give way to rashness and instability of being, but to being controlled by you. Holy Spirit, permeate and fill me entirely so that the fruit of the Spirit may grow in my life.
Amen.
If you would like to start a dialogue, please share your thoughts, reflections and comments below.
Thank you so much for posting this wisdom. God really used this to encourage me and to challenge me as I read this and prayed over it and realized my deep desire for all of these fruits. I was expecially struck by the part where you say that God has to clean out the stuff in us that gets in the way of the fruit so that the fruit has room to grow. I think that is what God is doing in my life right now. This was so powerful how God spoke to me through this and through Wednesday prayer. God has used you to bless and challenge me deeply once again. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteAna, thanks for sharing how God used this in your life! It's encouraging to hear how the Spirit works in different people that we may learn from each other. And I totally hear you on the part that God sometimes needs to clean us out to make room for the Spirit to work in our hearts and lives to produce the fruit of the Spirit. This is sometimes hard too! I have found growing in the fruit of the Spirit is a long-term process, that ultimately progresses through our lives as we grow into greater maturity in Christ. Thanks for sharing your reflections!
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