7 Fruits Of The Holy Spirit Broken Down In Plain English

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Let’s talk about the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  The reason why the fruits of the spirit are so significant is that it literally governs how we are supposed to act as a Christian.  If you take the following Bible verse it explains exactly what the fruits of the Holy Spirits are and why we should be following them as Christians. 

The following verses are from the amplified version of the Bible which you can click here to get the one I read from.   Just because it gives a more expansive definition of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. And the Bible states: 

Fruits of the holy spirit Bible verse: But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. Galatians 5:22-24

Now I am going to break down the fruits of the Holy Spirit here shortly but first I want to give you the secondary Bible verse as to WHY we practice the fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

1. Why It Is Important To Follow The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit As a Christian

Take the following Bible verse: 

Fruits of the holy spirit Bible verse: If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].  We must not become conceited, challenging or provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:24-26

Meaning that the fruits of the spirit are something that we must be following as Christians.  Overall what the fruits of the spirit guide us to do is to live with integrity and to have peace within ourselves and with other people.  

7 fruits of the Holy Spirit

1. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit  ~ Love

The first fruits of the Holy Spirit is love which means that there is an unselfish concern for others.  When it comes to how we should love then look no further than the following Bible verse which teaches us exactly how we should love others. 

Fruits of the holy spirit Bible verse: Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant.  It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 

Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. Love never fails [it never fades nor ends].  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I also have a video below that you can watch on love where I break down this verse exactly so that you can learn how to love, what love is, and how you should love others.  And don’t forget to subscribe to my channel by clicking here. 

2. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit  ~ Joy

The second fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy AKA inner peace.  To explain what I mean I want you to take the following Bible verse. 

Fruits of the holy spirit Bible verse: Not that I speak from [any personal] need, for I have learned to be content [and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy] regardless of my circumstances.  I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity.

In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret [of facing life], whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need.  I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.] Philippians 4:11-13

What this speaks to is that no matter what situation you are in, even if it is not the best type of situation that we learn to have peace and not complain.  And to understand that God is always on our side even when things around us are going to crap. 

Don’t just praise God in your good times but you should praise God and be happy in the bad.  Also, check out my video on how complaining can actually hinder your blessings.  

3. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit ~ Patience

How hard is it for us to have patience? Especially when we want something and it is taking too long to get.  It could be money, a relationship, and marriage for all of my single ladies out there is a big one.

And not just having patience but having inner peace and being content while we wait for what God has promised us.  I want to point out the following Bible verse so that you can understand the importance of patience. 

Fruits of the holy spirit Bible verse: And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance;  and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance [of eternal salvation]. 

Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

I get that when we are in a place where we are waiting for a change in our life can be hard.  But what you must do is glory in your suffering, because if God is telling you to wait.  It is for a reason, and most of the time that reason is to strengthen your character and to even teach you more patience. 

I have a video on how to glory in your suffering where I talk about Joseph where it literally took years for him to get what God promised him.  And in the meantime, he went through a lot of hardships.  But he was still patient, content, and had inner peace through the entire process.  

4. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit ~ Kindness

Being kind is literally one of the easiest things to do. But so many people have trouble with it because their works of the flesh get in the way (click here for my blog on that).  That could be because of jealously, anger, resentment, the fact that you do not like someone, or want revenge.  

God teaches us that despite all of these emotions that we may feel toward other people that we still have to treat people with kindness.  And that is simply just being nice.  Make no mistake about it if someone has used and abused you I am not telling you to let them back in your life.  We forgive and we are kind.

Forgiveness and kindness do not mean that you allow people to abuse you or treat you badly (click here for my blog post on that).  But rather even when or if you encounter people who do treat you bad you do not treat them badly in return.  And do not seek to backstab or bully people just because it is fun. 

5. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit ~  Goodness

For this fruits of the spirit I want you to really ask yourself are you a good person?  If you were to ask other people, even your enemies, would they say you are a good person? I want to tell you a story, I once worked at a job where the supervisor really did not like me due to her own issues. 

But when she pulled me into the office she still had to admit that I was professional, a nice person, and well-liked. Meaning that we are good people simply because we are good people. 

Not because of what other people will think about us or depending on the day or who you are dealing with.  You can check out my video below on becoming the woman God wants you to be, to see more advice on goodness. 

6. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit ~ Faithfulness

What if God never gave you anything that you wanted out of life, would you still love him then?  That is what you need to think about when it comes to faithfulness.  Of course, God wants to bless us but we love God because He is faithful to us not because of what He can give us.   

Faithfulness means loving God regardless of you not getting what you want, loving God no matter if you are up or down, and loving God no matter what.  This does not mean that you love God until he does not answer your prayers.  And when he does not answer your prayers you hate him.  You should be faithful to God regardless, simply because he is God. 

7. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit ~ Gentleness

In order to demonstrate gentleness I want you to take the following Bible verse: 

Fruits of the holy spirit Bible verse: Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. Ephesians 4:29

You could be trying to give someone constructive criticism and come across like a jerk or you can give someone the same constructive criticism and at the same time encourage them.  I have a separate blog on the power of the tongue.

But overall you should be gentle with people.  Not aggressive and not abrasive.  This does not mean that you are a doormat and you have to keep your mouth shut.  But pay attention to what you say to people, how you say things to people, and how you treat people.  Make sure that it is gentle and not over-aggressive. 

8. The Fruits Of The Holy Spirit ~ Self Control

This is a big one.  Most people lack self-control.  Most people curse people out because they cannot control themselves, many people have sex too soon (click my blog here) because they cannot control themselves, most people get angry and do something that they may later regret because they cannot control themselves. 

The reason why you must have self-control is that you need to able to think through your actions and not just act on impulse.  Because most time when we act on impulse we end up doing something that later we may regret.  So even if someone is talking to you crazy, yelling at you, doing something you do not like, you still maintain your self control.

And do not just jump at whatever impulse comes into your head because God may be telling to react differently.  And you may not be able to hear that because you are too much in your head and wanting to act on your first impulse. 

These are all of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, what they mean, and how to get them.  And if you struggle in these areas, then it’s okay you are human.  Work on yourself do better, and when you do you will notice how much more at peace you will be within yourself. 

Don’t forget to check out my Christian Manifestation Guide that will give you 29 affirmations and Bible verses that will remind you to maintain the fruits of the spirit click here to buy.