Growing the Fruits of the Holy Spirit

 1. Love

1 John 4:16 

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 

Ephesians 3:16-17
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

Proverbs 20:28
Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure.

Psalms 119:159
See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, LORD, in accordance with your love. 

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Proverbs 7:18
Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!

2. Joy

Nehemiah 8:10 

Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 15:11
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Psalms 100:1
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Psalms 97:11
Light shines on the righteous and joy on the upright in heart.

3. Peace

Romans 5:1 

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 4:3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

John 16:33 

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

2 Thessalonians 3:16 

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

Isaiah 26:3 

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Matthew 5:9 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

John 14:27 

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Romans 12:18 

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Colossians 3:15 

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

4. Forebearance

Romans 8:1-2

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

Matthew 3:8

fruit in keeping with repentance.

Romans 5: 3-4 

“Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope: and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Forbearance is perseverance.

1 Thessalonians 5: 5, 6

 “You are all sons of light, and sons of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor darkness, so then let’s not sleep, as the rest do, but let’s watch and be sober (calm and self-controlled)”.

1 Corinthians 13: 7

“Bear all things, believe all things, hopes all things, endure all things”.

5. Kindness

2 Corinthians 6:6-7
in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;

Proverbs 18:21

The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 15:4

The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

6. Goodness

Ephesians 5:9
for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth

2 Peter 1:5-7
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 
and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

Hebrews 6:5
who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age

2 Peter 1:3

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

7. Faithfulness

Philippians 1:19

For I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.

Psalms 85:10
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Lamentations 3:23
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Psalms 36:5
Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.


8. Gentleness

Phillipians 4:5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Ephesians 4:2
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Galatians 6:1
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Mathew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Colossians 3:12

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience

9. Self-control

Colossians 1:11
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

Romans 8:27

And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

John 3:6

Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

Galatians 5:16

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Romans 8:5

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

Matthew 26:41

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.

1 Timothy 6:11
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

1 Peter 3:4
Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

10. Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

John 4:24

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

John 15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

1 John 4:2-3

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

Leviticus 26:3-4

If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.

1 Corinthians 2:10

These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

1 John 3:24

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”


Acts 2:38
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.