“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
Have You Heard These Sayings?
You are what you eat. What’s in the well comes up in the bucket.
I bet you’ve heard others just like it. We know we are creatures of habit. However, it’s important to look at our habits and notice what the root causes are. Did you know your habits will fall into one of two categories? They will be of the flesh or of the fruit.
Look What Paul Writes
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:19-24
Take inventory Right Now
If you are habitually angry, which category do you think that fits into? If you are habitually kind to those you come into contact with, guess where that is rooted?
You see, it really is that simple. We want to make excuses for our bad habits. We may find ourselves saying, “They deserved it.”, “No one knows but me what I’m doing.”, or “It just feels good." When we walk in the flesh our very soul rots. When we walk in the fruit our soul is renewed!
Make Changes
So what do you do if you need to make some habit changes? If you belong to Christ, you must crucify the flesh, with all of its passions and desires. That means put it to death. Whatever the habit is, give it to God and walk in newness of life. Then practice new habits.
Remember, practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. So put into practice life giving habits.
Travis Sellers
MD5 Lab Facilitator