OPEN HEAVEN 27th January,2018.
Topic: FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT V
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless
them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"- Matthew 5:44
Bible Reading: Acts 7:54-60
54. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
55. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56. And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58. And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
59. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Message:
To conclude our reflection on the fruit of the
Spirit, we shall today be considering temperance.
To be temperate is to have self-control.
Temperance enables you to remain cool, calm
and collected in the midst of dire situations.
Through the manifestation of temperance, you will save yourself the pain of hasty and rash
pronouncements that you will later regret. Open Heaven 26 January 2018
Temperance will restrain you from overreacting in situations that could make you lose your integrity. It takes the restraint of the Holy Spirit to turn the other cheek to those who despitefully use you (Luke 6:29).
To better understand temperance, just picture Stephen in excruciating pain and about to die, praying for God’s mercy on those who stoned him to death.
This is the hallmark of a life full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 7:55). The Lord Jesus Christ also manifested this nature on the cross of Calvary (Luke 23:34).
When He was arrested and tried, it was temperance that enabled Him to restrain Himself from putting up a defence.
Open Heaven 27 January 2018
There would have been no redemption if
Jesus Christ had defended Himself. Matthew
27:13-14 says,
“Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.”
I reckon that in the course of His trial, the Holy
Spirit would have continually brought to His
remembrance what was written concerning Him in Isaiah 53:7-8.
When you cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit, whenever you are faced with
a situation of conflict, in order to restrain you, the Holy Spirit will remind you of who you are and where you are going.
He will also put words in your mouth if there is a need for you to respond. This is how His nature of temperance is manifested in our character.
As we conclude our study on the fruit of the Spirit, you need to be reminded that walking in
the Spirit is the process that brings about the
manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in us.
The Holy Spirit is a Person and not a force, and so He will not compel you to fellowship with Him, even though He resides inside you. you need to yield yourself to Him and cultivate His friendship for His fruit to manifest in your life.
Here is the key to walking in the Spirit, from Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
Your life needs to be in agreement with His principles for you to walk with Him. He is the
Promise of the Father, and He is willing to abide with you if you will make your life habitable for Him.
Action Point:
Take out time to sing to the Holy Spirit, and tell
Him how much you appreciate His ministry in
your life.
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