There is an all-out spiritual war between our old sinful nature and the Spirit. As my pastor continued his series in Galatians, the list in vs 19-21 is the opposite of a "beauty contest" - it contains the ugliness of sin categorized in the following areas: sexual, religious, social, and excess. The social sins focus on the "unholy trinity of me, myself, and I" and cause problems with "emotional bomb throwing".
In contrast, the fruits of the Spirit are "one fruit in nine delicious flavors". The difference is in how they are produced. We cannot produce fruits of the Spirit, we just bear them; but, deeds of the flesh are produced from the sinful nature. The fruits relate to God, those around us, and our inner character. The first one, Love, is the most recognizable characteristic of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And, the ability to remain faithfulful is a work of the Holy Spirit where self-control can be defined as "my desires under God's control."
We should do our best not to quench or grieve the Holy Spirit; and instead, to live our lives filled with the Holy Spirit. It is not enough just to be taught this; but, we must live it out in our lives.
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