Praying The Fruit Of The Spirit For Our Kids

Fruits of the Spirit Lessons for Kids

Praying The Fruit Of The Spirit For Our Kids

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23

I had extensive Bible training growing up. My family memorized all sorts of scriptures and Bible text.

I can even remember playing games and challenges with scriptures. One of the most talked about sections of the Bible for a Christian is the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. And one of the scriptures I can still recite from memory is:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to Him both now and forever, Amen! – 2 Peter 3:18

As parents, we usually start our children off with this text as it helps reinforce the behaviors we desire then to display as they are growing up. We want to do our best to help them grow in their knowledge of Christ. However, kids are kids, and they often spend more time doing the opposite of the fruit they should be displaying.

If the Fruits of the Spirit really were fruit, my boys would be throwing them instead of using them!

So I have a confession. I don’t dogs! After having one bad experience of being chased by a St. Bernard, that pretty much ruined any chances of my kids ever getting a dog as a pet. But my resistance to dogs hasn’t stopped my children from loving them or asking to get one. So when I came across the new book, Pups of the Spirit, I knew my kids would love it.

Let me start by saying it is now one of our favorite books! In this picture book, nine lovable canines romp through the pages displaying the important Fruit of the Spirit traits. It is so cute. My kids (even the older ones) really got into it and started selecting the pups that were most them.

My youngest even took it to share with her preschool class, which just happened to be studying the fruits of the spirit at the same time.

We always want to make sure that we use materials that will reinforce our faith to our children. Having things that meet them where they are and capture their attention is always most effective. This book is definitely one that does. So what are some ways we can help our children practice the Fruits of the Spirit?

The main message to get across to kids is that when we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit makes His home in our hearts. As we grow in the Spirit, we are a tree that keeps growing and producing fruit.

These outward signs of the Holy Spirit are called “fruit” because fruit is only produced in a healthy, living plant. As you grow in the Spirit, others should see the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

These are all the good qualities that God wants us to have!

Ways to Teach Children about the Fruits of the Spirit

  1. Apply the Fruits of the Spirit in real-life situations. For instance, when my oldest daughter, who is 12, has an issue with a friend at school I often ask her how she can pursue peace in the situation or practice patience.

  2. Create a Fruits of the Spirit praise jar in your kitchen for a month and write down whenever you catch your child in action showing one of the fruits. Set a goal and at the end of the month go out for banana splits or FroYo with fruit toppings!
  3. Use age-appropriate material to reinforce this Bible lesson, the book Pups of the Spirit.

    Try anything that is easy for a child to understand and easy for them to remember!

  4. Make some Fruits of the Spirit crafts. There are so many great ideas on Pinterest! Many of them also incorporate easy Bible lessons.
  5. Don’t forget to have fun! We to play Fruits of the Spirit Jeopardy.

    Sample: The restaurant was taking a long time with my food. Instead of getting mad, I continued to wait. Answer: What is Patience?

There are so many ways to help our children learn the Fruits of the Spirit. Even as adults we need reminders ourselves as we go about our daily lives.

The traffic at my local DMV alone is a constant battle against my faith and my need to walk in the fruits of patience and self-control! (Perhaps I should just keep this book with me in the car.)

Your Turn

How do you practice the Fruits of the Spirit? What creative ways do you use to teach your kids to walk in the Fruits of the Spirit?

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Источник: //www.faithgateway.com/fruits-spirit-lessons-kids/

How can you display more of the fruit of the Holy Spirit? | Biblword.net

Praying The Fruit Of The Spirit For Our Kids

The Fruit of the Spirit is actually a term that the apostle Paul uses to sum up nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

Note too that these are not individual ‘fruits’ that we pick and choose but one ninefold fruit that is ‘a physical manifestation of a Christian’s transformed life’. It is Christ living in us and transforming us.

 We can display this fruit only when we have Christ living in us. To have Christ living in us we need to have a close relationship with Him.

This is possible only if we spend time with Him through prayer, reading His word and reflecting on it.

Are you really serious about wanting to display more of the Fruit of the Spirit in your life? If you are, then this is what you must do. Get a notebook ready. For the next 9 days, set aside an hour a day to reflect on an attribute of the Fruit of the Spirit.

Note down your reflections and end with a prayer asking God to transform you so that you display that attribute in your life. On the 10th day, read through all your reflections and pray that in your day-to-day life you will be a living testimony for Christ.

Below are some notes you could use from Day 1 to Day 9.

Day 1 – Love

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to love He does.

Love: “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 him” (1 John 4:16). Through Jesus Christ, our greatest goal is to do all things in love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, 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” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

Try and read the whole of 1 Corinthians 13.

Day 2 – Joy

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the joy of the Lord.

Joy: “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

Day 3 – Peace

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the peace that passes all understanding.

Peace: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). “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” (Romans 15:13).

Day 4 – Patience

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will give you patience in all your dealings.

Patience: We are “strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that we may have great endurance and patience…” (Colossians 1:11). “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love“ (Ephesians 4:2).

Day 5 – Kindness

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will give you a heart of kindness.

Kindness: We should live “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” (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).

Day 6 – Goodness

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the enabling to do what is good in the sight of the Lord.

Goodness: “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth” (Ephesians 5:9).

Day 7 – Faithfulness

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the gift of faith and the assurance that God Himself is faithful to all His promises.

Faithfulness: “O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name; for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things; things planned long ago” (Isaiah 25:1). “I pray that 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” (Ephesians 3:16-17).

Day 8 – Gentleness

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that the Holy Spirit will give you the desire to be gentle.

Gentleness: “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.” (Galatians 6:1). “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2).

Day 9 – Self-control

Read and reflect on the Scriptures below and pray that through the Holy Spirit you may learn self-control.

Self-control: “But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).

May God help you as you journey towards becoming a Christian who has the mind of Christ.

How does this Bible passage speak to you? Please share your thoughts below!

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Источник: //www.biblword.net/fruit-of-the-spirit/

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