The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Fruit of the Spirit, continued

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

(Galatians 5:24-26—NIV)

How then do we develop an attitude of kindness?

This may be impossible for those who do not have the Life of the Holy Spirit in them and so I am addressing Christian believers who are counting themselves dead with Christ and risen with Christ.

We must rid ourselves of anger and rage, the Apostle Paul insists.

How do we rid ourselves of anger and rage?

First we must decide to regard anger and rage as the darkness and spiritual death that they are. They belong in the Lake of Fire, not in the Christian personality.

After decades of experience in the Christian way I have come to the conclusion that people fail to receive moral deliverance because they are not persuaded the behavior is really that reprehensible, that evil, that destructive, that unacceptable in the Kingdom of God.

If you are to be delivered from anger and rage you must come against these devils as though you were fighting for your life—and you are! You are fighting for your eternal life, for these are eternal death.

You must denounce them, renounce them, tell them they are not at all welcome in your personality, that they belong in the Lake of Fire. Call on the Lord Jesus. Ask His help. If necessary ask for prayer from a fellow Christian or from the elders of the church.

Have you ever really gone after something with your whole heart? Have you ever made up your mind what you truly wanted and then sought it with single-minded determination? If you are so muddled that you never have energetically sought anything, remaining in indecision and double-mindedness, then you will get nowhere with the Lord. Ask God to make you single-minded.

Most of us probably have gone after something, a relationship, a circumstance, a position, an item we desire, with zeal and concentration of purpose. You have to do this to get deliverance from anger and rage. You have to make up your mind that the world stops until you get delivered. "In the name of Jesus, get out of here you devils. You are not welcome in my personality whether you were inherited or acquired by me. Get out and stay out. I have chosen to go the way of kindness. I want nothing more to do with you! Ever!"

This attitude is three-fourths of the battle when it comes to moral deliverance, deliverance from drugs, alcohol, witchcraft, and all the other sins of the flesh.

Paul says we must rid ourselves of malice. You must handle malice the same way you did anger and rage.

Paul says we must rid ourselves of slander. Slander and gossip are twins. They are two of the worst devils in the Christian churches. You will never be able to stop slandering and gossiping until you cast these out by the Spirit of God, demonstrating an iron will on your part. Pray for an iron will!

To be continued.