Understanding the Fruits of the Spirit - Goodness - By Donna L Young
Perhaps it is easy to be faithful to God in times of happiness and comfort. But what does it mean to be faithful to God during trials and tribulation? During these tempting times, can Christians call upon the work of the Holy Spirit to intervene and help them remain faithful to Christ?
Not only can Christians call upon the work of the Holy Spirit, but we are mandated by scripture to not give into our desires of the flesh. Galatians, chapter five, helps us understand the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Here, Christians are taught to, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1 NKJV).
How does a Christian call upon the Holy Spirit?
This is how it works for me.
One day, I heard the phone ring. I answered the phone thinking perhaps my husband was calling. Excited, I said "Hello." On the other end, I heard a female voice speaking through broken words. It sounded as if a cell phone had a bad connection. I could hear someone moaning and instantly knew that it was an obscene call.
What did I do?
In the past, I would have been angry and upset. I would say, "I am a Social Worker, I know all the judges and your call is being traced." Of course, the only truth was my position as a Social Worker. I didn't know the judges and could not trace a call. But it was an effective method and usually stopped crank callers from calling back. However, this time, I called upon the Holy Spirit to aid me with my words. When she paused, I said, "It sounds like you need prayer right now. Do you want me to pray with you?" The caller immediately hung up.
I returned to my desk to resume writing when the phone rang a second time. I checked caller ID and it read "private caller." Incredibly, I remained calm. I could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit working within me. I even noticed that my normal reaction of getting heat rash on my neck during uncomfortable situations was not occurring. Amazing!
I answered the phone and the same voice asked, "So are you interested?" The call was much clearer now; I even heard background noises. Out loud, so that she could hear me, I started to pray, "Please Lord Jesus, help this girl who feels that she needs to do this right now. Please Lord Jesus! I ask this in your precious name, Amen."
What was the Outcome?
It sounded like she was crying before she hung up for the second time. I hadn't fought evil with evil. I was compassionate and I remained faithful to God. I had sought God to help me fight against the ugliness and He sent His Holy Spirit to assist me.
Later the same day, I looked at a picture of Jesus on my wall and said, "Lord, please work on her heart today. Convict her Jesus, so much, that she cannot make another call, even if she doesn't know why. Let her tell this story when she receives Your grace. Thank you for allowing me to glorify you. Thank you for working through me and directing her to call me today. What a blessing! Forever, I will call You Lord. Amen."
Donna L. Young graduated from Liberty Baptist University with a Masters Degree in Theological Studies and is the Author of the book "Apologies from a Repentant Christian." To learn more about this author, please visit: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donna_L_Young Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6222821
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