Sometimes when I read the same passage of scripture that I have read many times before, I will see something different. Such it is with the verses on the fruit of the Spirit. When I think about the fruit of the Spirit, I tend to think about love, joy, peace and some of the others. The one I tend to not think about is faith.
Did you think it came from within you? Or, did you think of it as a fruit of the Spirit?
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:22-26
As God does the drawing, we can choose to have faith or not, but the drawing always comes from God. Consider the faith that Peter had in these next verses.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 16:15-17
The knowledge or rather the faith that Peter had came from God. God is the source of our faith.
We know that faith saves us, but did you know that you are supposed to contend for your faith? Contend in the next verse means to argue for it.
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude 1:3
As Christians, it is our responsibility to contend for the faith. We are to stand up for what we believe. One of the major reasons that preaching and teaching has become so watered down over the years is that we have as a society of Christians not properly contended for our faith. It’s the reason that America no longer looks like a Christian nation.
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Ephesians 6:16
Faith is our shield. When our faith wavers – when we choose not to walk in the Spirit, our shield is weak. We are targets for the fiery darts of the wicked.
What is your faith like today? Do you contend for the faith? Do you let others change it?
LIFE APPLICATION
Today’s challenge is to think about faith as a fruit of the Spirit. Think about faith as your shield. Think about faith – the Christian faith – as something to contend for. Perhaps you want to separate “the faith” and “having faith.” Aren’t we really talking about the same thing? It’s all about Jesus. It’s all about the Word. How much of it do you believe? How hard would you contend for it? In Luke 17:5 the apostles asked the Lord to increase their faith. Today, ask Him to increase yours.