But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22–23(NLT)
When you decided to follow Christ and invited Him into your heart, a profound change took place in the part of you called your spirit. According to Ephesians 2:10, you were recreated in Christ, and 2 Corinthians 5:17 says you became a “new creation.”
Your spirit, the part of you that connects and communicates with God, was made brand-new in that moment. You’re now connected to God, even when you’re unaware of it, and you hold every benefit that comes with being in God’s family.
Peace and joy are two of those benefits—peace that can’t be shaken by circumstances and joy that sticks around even when life gets so tough it feels like you’re walking through a bog up to your knees.
As believers, we have access to these benefits, yet many of us don’t act like we do. Some are so serious they look like they’ve been sucking on lemons all day; others feel so powerless they spend their time running from problems. This is not how we were designed to live as Christians.
You can access every benefit. How? By meditating on God’s Word and connecting to His presence. When you connect with Him regularly, these benefits start to show up in your life. You will experience joy, peace, patience, and self-control that you can’t explain. You will show kindness, gentleness, love, and faithfulness beyond your capacity.
God’s Holy Spirit inside you causes these characteristics to rise up within you, but only if you do what it takes to connect with Him. Will you spend some time with Him today?