Self-Control Is...

The presence of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives offers us the fruit of self-control. Self-control is the fruit that enables us to deny self. This is not the ability to control ourselves, but it is the freedom from being controlled by the desires of the flesh. Through divine enablement we are empowered to say no to our personal desires. Here, we have been granted the divine ability to fulfill the will of God by saying yes to the desires of the Spirit.

BIBLE TRUTH

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there” (Gal. 5:16–17, 24 NLT).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Self-indulgence, as counterfeiting self-control, emphasizes the putting off of personal restraint and giving in to the desires of fleshly longings. Only when the desire is certainly more painful than it is potentially pleasurable does one say no. As we submit to the Holy Spirit, we will see evidence of the Spirit’s fruit of self-control in our lives when we renounce self-indulgence that gives way to discouragement.

PRAYER
Lord, I do not want to be dominated by my sinful nature that thinks about sinful things. I desire to be controlled by Your Holy Spirit and think about things that please Your Spirit. I know that letting my sinful nature control my mind leads to death. Instead I want to let Your Spirit control my mind which leads to life and peace. (Rom. 8:5–6)


(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 32 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

Oh, what joy for those
      whose disobedience is forgiven,
      whose sin is put out of sight!
Yes, what joy for those
      whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,
      whose lives are lived in complete honesty!
When I refused to confess my sin,
      my body wasted away,
      and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.
      My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
      and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”
      And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude

Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
      that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.
For you are my hiding place;
      you protect me from trouble.
      You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
      I will advise you and watch over you.
Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
      that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

Many sorrows come to the wicked,
      but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the LORD.
So rejoice in the LORD and be glad, all you who obey him!
      Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!       —Ps. 32 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.

Gentleness Is...

Gentleness is the fruit of the Holy Spirit that enables us to reflect God’s grace to the world. Grace is God’s power to live that enables us to fulfill His will and be complete. The transforming presence of Christ establishes the order of our souls so we can convey God’s grace through gentleness. As God’s Spirit produces gentleness in our lives, He establishes our attitude, fashions our approach, and directs our actions with others. When we are blessed with the fruit of gentleness, His abundant supply must overflow into the lives of others.

BIBLE TRUTH
“Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” (James 3:13 NASB).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Without God’s grace, selfish ambition asserts, “I must be served”; “My way must be followed”; and “I am right.” Having control over life’s resources is seen as the priority and must be the object of life’s pursuit. Selfish ambition is not concerned with the welfare of others but with the power we have over our domain. We can exemplify the fruit of gentleness when we relinquish our selfish ambition and its resulting alienation. Enabled by the Spirit, I can reflect God’s grace.

PRAYER
God, enable me to gently instruct those who oppose the truth. I desire to see their hearts changed and for them to learn the truth. (2 Tim. 2:25)


(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.

Faithfulness Is...

Faithfulness is the fruit that enables us to trust Christ and rely continuously upon His truth. This fruit of faithfulness is not about our being worthy of trust, but recognizing God as being worthy of trust, which leads to a constant reliance on Him.

The faith given by the Spirit is intricately involved in connecting to God. It is essential to pleasing God and possessing His power. Through this divine fruit we can accomplish His purposes. Here we see the reciprocal relationship of divine enablement leading to personal empowerment.

BIBLE TRUTH
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13 NASB).

HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME?
Too often we choose to counterfeit faith when we pretend we can handle everything. A crisis quickly exposes the pretense when anxiety invades. In the midst of anxiety we give mental energy to the resolving of our own problems as opposed to trusting God to resolve our problems. Our feeble attempts are lacking without genuine trust in Christ. Trust either waits on God to provide direction or it acts on what God has already instructed. We will evidence the fruit of faithfulness when we lay aside our pretense and its resulting anxiety in exchange for trusting Christ.

PRAYER
Father, please help me to understand that it is impossible to please You without faith. I want to come to You and I believe that You exist and that You reward those who sincerely seek You. (Heb. 11:6)


(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.

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.