Goodness Is...

Goodness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to exemplify God’s moral nature. When the Holy Spirit is resident in our lives, His qualities transform us into God’s image, enabling us to treat others with holiness. That is goodness. It can only reflect what is godly. It bears no ill will and concerns itself only with the mind and mission of God to humanity.

Because only God is good, only His Spirit can produce goodness in our lives. Goodness is a trademark of a life exhibiting the character of Christ. Apart from a relationship with Him, goodness cannot be concocted.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Phil. 2:3–4 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The fruit of the flesh equates goodness with being nice. Unaided by God’s Spirit we calculate how to behave in the most socially acceptable way to subtly access and use life resources to meet perceived needs. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, exploitation conceals itself in the disguise of being nice. We will evidence the fruit of goodness when we forgo exploitation with its resulting inadequacy in order to exemplify Christ in all that we do.

PRAYER
Lord, I don’t want to be selfish. I don’t want to try to impress others. Help me to be humble and think of others as better than myself. I don’t want to look out only for my own interests, but I want to take an interest in others too. (Phil. 2:3–4)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Kindness Is...

Kindness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to show God’s love. Since love is distinguished by how it treats others, then kindness is the essence of that treatment. When the fruit of the Spirit evidences kindness, it ministers sacrificially to the needs of others for no higher reason than to benefit another for God’s glory. It is seeking another’s best interest, not about getting what we want.

BIBLE TRUTH

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:4–7 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
As a counterfeit to kindness, manipulation is the process of managing people, posturing into a position, and utilizing possessions as a means of achieving control. The objective of manipulation is to bring life resources (people, positions, possessions) under our domain of influence to promote our personal agenda, leading to what we believe will make us complete. If you find yourself experiencing the symptom of anger, consider what means of manipulation you may be employing to counterfeit God’s fruit of kindness.

PRAYER
God, because You chose me to be the holy person that You love, enable me to clothe myself with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Col. 3:12)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Psalms 138 Prayer Pattern

This psalm was chosen to provide a model designed by God showing ways we can approach Him in a desperately dependent fashion. Use Psalms Prayer Patterns to pour out your heart to God while acknowledging your weakness and His strength, as you grow deeper in your relationship with Him.

Psalms Prayer Pattern

I give you thanks, O LORD, with all my heart;
      I will sing your praises before the gods.
I bow before your holy Temple as I worship.
      I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness;
for your promises are backed
      by all the honor of your name.
As soon as I pray, you answer me;
      you encourage me by giving me strength.

Every king in all the earth will thank you, LORD,
      for all of them will hear your words.
Yes, they will sing about the LORD’s ways,
      for the glory of the LORD is very great.
Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble,
      but he keeps his distance from the proud.

Though I am surrounded by troubles,
      you will protect me from the anger of my enemies.
You reach out your hand,
      and the power of your right hand saves me.
The LORD will work out his plans for my life—
      for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever.
      Don’t abandon me, for you made me.       —Ps. 138 NLT

(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Patience Is...

Patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to persevere under pressure. Patience maintains the virtues of love, joy, and peace when faced with the pressures of wrong, mistreatment, or taxation. When pressed, patience does not retaliate but rather addresses the underlying motivations of the soul. By His fruit of patience, the Holy Spirit moves us to look to Jesus for strength, giving the ability to forbear in circumstances that would otherwise deplete our resolve.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Col. 3:12–13 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
The clothes we are to put on are tailor-made to fit our lives by the Spirit. Dressed in His power we are divinely enabled to accomplish the task He asks us to undertake. We cannot create our own style of patience; instead we are to put on His personally designed and custom-fitted attire. The royal garments of the King identify our position of servitude apart from personal ambition. We exhibit patience because He empowers us to do so, not because we have created it ourselves for our purpose. If you find yourself experiencing the symptom of frustration, consider what means of control you are employing to counterfeit God’s fruit of patience.

PRAYER
Lord, I need Your help to be humble and gentle. I need the fruit of Your Spirit to enable me to be patient with others, allowing for their faults because of my love for them that comes from You. Guide me in making every effort to keep us united in Your Spirit as we bind ourselves together in peace. (Eph. 4:2–3)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Peace Is...

Peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that supplies security in Christ, who provides all that is needed for life and godliness. It is the evidence of one who is dependent on Christ to provide the ability to cope with the problems, pain, and perplexities of living. In the midst of conflict we can experience the absence of fear, dread, and impending doom as we rest in the presence of His safety, tranquility, and contentment. A continuous relationship with Jesus Christ overflows with peace that comes from entrusting every struggle to Him. There is strength in knowing that while all around us is in flux and failure, Jesus provides a spiritual stability beyond the normal boundaries of this existence. We experience peace in the presence of finding Christ relevant to our situation even when we cannot be in control.

BIBLE TRUTH

“You will keep in perfect peace
      all who trust in you,
      all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the LORD always,
      for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock” (Isa. 26:3–4 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Humanity desires a Christ-less comfort. Submission is too demanding and taxing and infringes on our sense of control. We choose rather to be at ease by creating an environment where the circumstances and situations favor us. Our relational connections to people, positions, and possessions serve to vanquish stress and strain. The pursuit of comfort most assuredly leads to all we have sought to avoid, and results in turmoil. We will evidence the fruit of peace when we cease our pursuit of comfort with its resulting turmoil and find our security through Christ instead.

PRAYER
My Lord, please help me not to worry about anything; but instead to pray about everything. I want to tell You what I need, and thank You for all You have done. I desire to experience Your peace, which exceeds anything I can understand. I know Your peace will guard my heart and mind as I live in You. (Phil. 4:6–7)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Joy Is...

Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that reflects reliance on God. Jubilantly, a soul connected to Jesus gives tribute to God’s redemptive work. When the conflicts of the heart have been resolved, joy is the result. Such a condition is simply the outward testimony that all is well within.

Joy is the expression of the trusting heart experiencing God—His power to live, His freedom from bondage, His promise of eternal fellowship. The transforming hand of God liberates a life from the prison of oppression when we yield to His design, resulting in joy.

BIBLE TRUTH

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever” (1 John 2:15–17 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
People seem content to counterfeit joy with pleasure. The shackles of the sensual amusements of the world, the flesh, and the devil draw us through the lust of our hearts and the vanity of our lives and bind us in strongholds.

Pleasure does not have to be blatantly sinful. Yet all pleasure becomes sinful when we seek to be complete in it. When Jesus is left out of our lives, the pain of insatiable desires results in depriving us of the hope of fulfillment—futility. We will evidence the fruit of joy when we give up our futile pursuit of pleasure and choose reliance on God.

PRAYER
Father, I pray that You, the source of hope, will fill me completely with joy and peace because I trust in You. I want to overflow with confident hope through the power of Your Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)

We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.

Love Is...

Love is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to value others with the distinguishing characteristic of sacrificial giving for the best interest of another. God places within us the ability to value Him and others, producing the capability to give while expecting nothing in return. True love can be seen at the cross, where Christ willingly sacrificed everything to be in a relationship with us to fulfill the Father’s purpose. Love promotes the work of God rather than the will of the individual. It is God’s heart in action through us.

God’s fruit of love perfects our hearts with abilities that are alien to the human condition. We are not simply better versions of what we were; we are now something altogether different because of the Holy Spirit’s work that moves us to Christlikeness.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance" (1 Cor. 13:4–7 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Apart from God, the human heart has no capacity for love. Left to our own devices, we offer only a counterfeit version laden with self-interest as a means to secure our self-centered pleasures. We strive to attain value and worth through people, positions, and possessions, believing we can find fulfillment apart from Christ. This illicit love masquerades in forms that may look noble, but the chief concern is how something will impact self. The ideal of giving to another has been replaced by the idea of gaining for oneself. We will evidence the fruit of love when we resign from the self-centeredness that culminates in emptiness and then allow the Holy Spirit to enable us to value others.

PRAYER
My Father, help me to continue to love others, for I know that love comes from You. I believe that anyone who loves is a child of Yours and knows You. But anyone who does not love does not know You, for You are love. (1 John 4:7–8)


(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)


We would love for you to share in the COMMENTS the insights you have received on your journey.