Strength of Spirit: Fruit of the Spirit
I do my best to avoid closed-minded, judgmental people.
After spending so many years in a church that claimed Christ but lived hate, I have no desire to surround myself with people who spew hate, judgment, and legalism under the guise of the gospel.
Every once in a while, though, I find myself in social situations with people of this mindset, and I will be the first to tell you the struggle is definitely real for me.
When I know I will spend time with people whose views are radically different than mine (or Jesus’s, but it’s whatever…), I spend the entire week prepping myself to keep my mouth shut. I repeatedly tell Russ that no matter what’s said, I will practice self-control and not engage.
Sometimes, I’m successful.
Sometimes, not so much.
I have a really difficult time listening to people spew faulty and skewed theology, and I have an even more difficult time when every single thing they say they somehow manage to connect back to God’s will for their life.
For example:
I really wanted a doughnut this morning, but it was God’s will I had a croissant instead.
My boyfriend was really irritating me, and I realized God was calling me to a life of singleness.
I ran out of toilet paper, and God called me to use a paper towel instead.
Maybe that was a little extreme, but I hope you understand what I’m saying!
I found myself immersed in one of these social situations not too long ago.
I twitched for several hours.
I consistently made eye contact with Kate and Russ to remind me to keep my mouth shut and in control.
It was like the floodwaters raging against the dam, though, and after so long the dam broke completely free–aka: my mouth.
It was not my finest moment.
As these folks lamented an individual who was “going to hell because of their addiction,” I couldn’t take it. I want to think it’s how Jesus felt when he overturned the tables, but that’s probably a bit of a stretch.
I was furious with the way scripture was being taken out of context, Jesus was being misrepresented, and the judgment and hate I saw inserted in the place of love.
So, I let it rip.
And, here’s the thing: I know better.
I know how these conversations end.
I know folks with those mindsets won’t listen because their churches have trained them to offer cherry-picked scriptures and brainwashed responses.
I know all of these things, but I lost all self-control anyway.
Self-Control or Strength of Spirit
We’re nearing the end of this series on the fruit of the Spirit, and I tend to think Paul kind of saved the best, or maybe the hardest, for last.
If you’re new around here or haven’t kept up with the series, I’d love it if you went back and checked out the rest of the posts. If you just have a few minutes, I’d suggest checking out our discussion introducing the series and explaining the context of the fruit of the Spirit. It’s important. You can find that here:
https://kristenneighbarger.com/2023/07/05/whats-with-the-fruit-of-the-spirit-intro-context/
After his in-depth description of what it looks like to live for self, Paul finally guides his audience to what it looks like when you live by the guidance of the Spirit:
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
Galatians 5:22-23 TPT
Many other translations refer to this last quality as “self-control.” In fact, if you memorized this list as a kid or at church camp, you probably memorized it that way too. The Passion Translation, though, refers to this as “strength of spirit.” It does this because there is no reference to “self” in the original Greek. The original Greek word is enkrateia. Translated, this means:
Possessing power
Strong
Having mastery or possession of
Holding in hand the passions and desires
Mastery of passions and desires
While enkrateia is only used several times in the Bible, one of the other places it’s used is in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. He uses this analogy (emphasis mine):
Isn’t it obvious that all runners on the racetrack keep on running to win, but only one receives the victor’s prize? Yet each one of you must run the race to be victorious. A true athlete will be disciplined in every respect, practicing constant self-control in order to win a laurel wreath that quickly withers. But we run our race to win a victor’s crown that will last forever. For that reason, I don’t run just for exercise or box like one throwing aimless punches, but I train like a champion athlete. I subdue my body and get it under my control, so that after preaching the good news to others I myself won’t be disqualified.
I Corinthians 9: 24-27 TPT
Paul refers to the self-control and discipline of successful athletes in this analogy. He explains how they are disciplined in every respect, hoping to win a prize that will eventually fade away. The lesson Paul is teaching here, though, is that we should institute spiritually, mentally, and physically the same discipline and control champion athletes practice.
That discipline and control can only come from a strength of spirit.
If our spirit is weak, we will be weak.
If our spirit is strong, we will be strong:
In word.
In deed.
In mind.
In body.
Too often, self-control is related to our physical selves–how we control what we eat, drink, say, and do, but, like the other qualities of the fruit of the Spirit, this control is actually something that is rooted in our hearts and our spirits.
What a Strong Spirit Looks Like:
I really like the definition of enkrateia. I like that it encompasses both our possession of power as well as the mastery of our passions and desires. Those two things are really the keys to our modern-day definition of self-control, aren’t they?
A strong spirit is one that possesses the power it takes to master passions and desires–not just the desires we see as dangerous temptations, but the ones we might excuse as harmless as well.
A strong spirit is a spirit that:
Responds with love even in the face of anger and adversity.
Does the right thing even when it’s the hard thing.
Muzzles the mouth when the opposite of Jesus wants to come out.
Walks away.
Isn’t vengeful.
Keeps thoughts in check.
As I reflect on the different qualities Paul speaks about in this letter, I can’t help but think all of them stem from the first and last ones he mentions–love and a strong spirit. The roots of joy, peace, kindness, goodness, and gentleness are firmly planted in love and a strong spirit. These are the fruits that naturally occur as a result of those roots.
One thing that keeps nagging at the back of my mind is the fact a strong spirit doesn’t just happen overnight; a strong spirit is built through a relationship with God and an openness to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think we can just show up to a church service on a Sunday morning or be a part of a faith community and expect this strength to just manifest on its own. That’s unrealistic.
That would be like going to a football game or joining a fantasy football league and expecting to win a Super Bowl ring.
It doesn’t work that way.
As Paul said, we have to work toward that goal, and I think we do that by cultivating an intimate relationship with our Creator.
Friend, life isn’t easy. Discipline isn’t easy. Self-control definitely isn’t easy. I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful that God gives me grace and allows me to approach life as a marathon instead of a sprint! I’m grateful that He has allowed me to have the guidance and gift of the Holy Spirit so that I can work toward having the kind of strength of Spirit Paul talks about here in Galatians.
Reflections:
What are the biggest challenges you face when it comes to maintaining self-control?
What is one thing you can do to help strengthen your spirit this week?
How have you seen yourself grow as you’ve thought about these aspects of a relationship with the Holy Spirit?
