Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control (Ref: Galatians 5:22-23) are all seeds planted within us when we accept Jesus into our hearts. Theses gifts are tools given to help us maintain the upkeep of our minds and our spiritual walk with Christ. Each gift works in a different yet cohesive way to renew the mind and keep it fresh mentally and spiritually.
LOVE covers a multitude of sins. It releases life back into any situation. It carries the power to restore a person. Love chases away fear and establishes faith in God. It is an all-purpose cleaner. It reveals everything not like God and removes the stains. Love is why Jesus was sent to save us; “For God so loved the world…” (Ref: John 3:16)
JOY energizes us. It’s not about how we feel, but what we know and we know we win. We know we are victorious. We know God is for us. We know we overcome. Joy is like music in the background. You listen to it and move with the beat. You move faster you sing louder. You are on a mission and you won’t stop until its done. You know the end result. You are free!
PEACE enables us to take a deep breath because we know who our God is (Ref: Psalms 46:10). God he is in control of all things. We fear nothing because God is everywhere and He always has our best interest at heart. When we walk in peace we leave no room for offensive errors. Peace is like a good fragrance. You enter the room and your hit with a rich surrounding scent. It follows you everywhere. On occasion it will even saturate your clothes. In the same way, peace overpowers any situation/odor. This does not mix with the old stale odor, but it destroys it completely and takes over. It makes breathing easier, so when you approach any situation you are in a place of victory.
PATIENCE leads to humility. We are use to getting what we want immediately however, God has a way of making us realize we can go nowhere without Him, and grow no further in Him if we don’t go through His process. We must understand that God knows what he is doing and in due time we will receive what we’ve asked for. Patience teaches perseverance which produces an amazing completed and perfected work when complete (Ref: James 1:4).
KINDNESS takes our minds off of ourselves. It allows us to give, help, and be of service. We have the opportunity to be the example Christ was to us. Going out of our way for people, sacrificing, and loving unconditionally. It’s like an air filter. You install it to benefit the house. It sucks up those things that aren’t good for you or others and distributes pure air. It allows circulation to take place and a freshness to take over your mind.
GOODNESS enables us to ask God what is right in his sight. We must ask God how He views things and what He says is good verses what the world says is good. We are called to live a life pleasing to him (Ref: Ephesians 1:4.)
GENTLENESS allows us to do everything with care. We can use the way Jesus handled people as an example. He did not berate them or tear them down, but he loved them into position. His approach was always firm but full of love. Always looking to heal and set free.
FAITHFULNESS is the hope we have in Jesus Christ, our redeemer. He is why we have LIFE, FREEDOM, and SALVATION.
SELF-CONTROL instructs us to take action. We must bring our flesh under the authority of Jesus. We must take responsibility for who or what we allow to enter our minds, ear gates, and eye gates. We must set boundaries for ourselves as well as others, casting down any thoughts that try to exalt themselves above the name of Jesus (Ref:2 Corinthians 10:5.)