Are there any relationships around your life right now that are causing you distress? Most of us have people in our lives who seem to exist solely to help us grow in grace; they are our Grace Growers.  They can be anything from a minor frustration and annoyance, to someone who challenges every part of our character.

It could be your boss at work, it could be colleagues, a neighbor, a friend of a friend, or even someone in your extended family!

Think of those irritating people right now and ask the Lord, “What particular fruit of the Spirit do You want me to allocate to that person?” What if you could allocate a fruit of the Spirit and turn that whole thing around?  What if an enemy could become a friend because you choose love? What if…?  Nothing can resist the fruit of the Spirit. Nothing works against it.*

One of the many wonderful things about the Lord is that, you don’t have to ask Him for permission, because permission has already been granted.  The fruit of the Spirit is yours! It is in you, and the Lord wants you to know that and to use it!

Don’t ask the Him, “Lord, give me patience with this person” because you already have patience inside of you. And like everything else in the Kingdom, when you use that ounce of patience it gets bigger.

Let’s tell some stories…  Give an example of a time in your life when God redeemed a relationship, or a story when everything turned around in your heart towards someone?  

What did it teach you about the fruits of the Spirit?

* This excerpt is from Graham’s message Cultivating The Fruit Of The Spirit