Fruits of the Spirit: PEACE

Lesson 3

  Let's start off by praying... Father we praise You for all things and know that You are the only reason that we can do all things. Lord bless each one of us as we soak up in more and more of You. Lord lead and guide me as I read and study this lesson. Lord I think You for the wisdom and knowledge that You give me as I move closer and closer to You. In Jesus name amen and amen.

Our text will be coming from:

 Galatians 5:22:“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

In this lesson we will be talking about:  PEACE

Philippians 4:7

King James Version (KJV)

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

So how can we obtain this kind of peace in our own lives? The peace that passeth all understaing? How can we recieve this type of peace?

First off, we need to get our minds off of ourselves and completely submerge our selves with the Lord. Soaking and basking in Him and NOT ourselve. In the first place it is not about us, nor will it ever be about us--but it is ALL ABOUT HIM!!! When we keep our focus and our minds on the Lord, He sends us peace in our storms in this life. Just look at the disciples when they were on the water...

Luke 8: 22-25.

22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

The disciples seen Jesus "calm" or made the "peace" come upon the waters they were in. They knew God could do it!!!

This can happen for us today. What was it that Jesus told them? Look at verse 25.. Where is your faith? 

So what is Faith ?

Hebrews 11:1

King James Version (KJV)

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This is a huge with the Lord. Our faith in Him. We have to believe and have faith in the Lord before He can move. He looks at our faith in Him. But guess whattt? We don't have to have much to move a mountain or even have the "calm" or the "peace" in our lives..Check this out...

Matthew 17:20

King James Version (KJV)

20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Just the size of a mustard seed.Just that much faith to make the winds calm down in our lives... But, getting back to peace... When we have the faith PEACE will come to us. God will saturate us with His peace. It is nothing that this world can give--the only things the world can give is heartache and pains. But when we trust in the Lord, He will give each one of us HIS Peace!!!

Isaiah 53:5

New King James Version (NKJV)

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,He was bruised for our iniquities;The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,And by His stripes we are healed.

Jesus took it ALL for our peace. He wants for us to have this peace and for us to keep our focus upon Him at all times. When we call upon the name of the Lord, He will come to us and bring us HIS peace. His peace brings healing and it brings hope. When we are at the end of our ropes, hold on to the Lord's peace and His hope. He will NEVER steer you wrong!!!

This concludes this lesson on:  PEACE

Questions...

1.  Do you think the Lord can bring peace to what your facing? If so how?

2.  What can you do to change things in your life to get your focus back on the Lord?

Fruits of the Spirit: JOY

     

LESSON 2:


Let's start off praying....


Father, I thank You for the many blessings that You have given to me. Thank You Lord for Your love and Your joy that You have blessed each one with. Lord You are LOVE and JOY. Father open my ears, heart and mind to the things of You. Help me to understand what You are showing me. Help me to accept the LOVE and JOY that You have given to me. In Jesus name amen and amen.


Our main text will be coming from:

Galatians 5:22:

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

This week we are going to be talking about : JOY.

Nehemiah 8:9-12

King James Version (KJV)
9 And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
11 So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.
12 And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.



Ezra was telling the people “the joy of the Lord if your strength.” They were going through things and were upset with what they were facing. Ezra was just reminding them that they have JOY unspeakable.
The power of these words are stand out, as they should. God wants for each one of us to be happy and to have the JOY that Ezra was talking about. We go though day to day life sometimes feeling like we only exist. We can not let this life get to us and take over what the Lord has already ordained in our lives.



God tells each one of us to let go of what happened in the past- regardless of what it might be. He wants for us to move forward into HIS JOY. In doing this you will see and know that the Lord will be your strength and HE will bear all the same and scars in your life.

Strength:

Psalm 118:14

King James Version (KJV)
14 The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.



By His stripes we are healed

Isaiah 53:5

New King James Version (NKJV)
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.



Here in Nehemiah we see God as a God that wants for His people to be full of JOY and not look at what is going on around them. It is when we enter into the joy of the Lord that gives us this strength to come through what we face in this life.



By now your probably wondering how can I obtain this JOY? How can I have JOY in what I am facing? No matter what it might be the Lord wants you to have the JOY!!!
Psalms 51:10-12 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (NIV)
Ask God to restore your JOY that the devil had taken. It is just as easy as that!!!
Sometimes we think that the Lord has taken His hand from our lives and that He has forgotten about us. It is like we are facing things alone. But guess what???

Hebrews 13:5

New King James Version (NKJV)
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
We have the promise that HE will never leave nor forsake us.
So we have this promise that the Lord will never leave us no matter what we face in this life. Things come up and do arise that we don't know the reason why it happens. All we can do is just trust in what the Lord is doing and know that He will take care of it ALL. It does rain on the just and unjust. BUT we can have that JOY in the Lord.
Questions to think about:

1. What are you facing today that has taken your JOY?
   
2. How can you get back your JOY?
   
3. Can you stand up the promises of the Lord no matter what your facing?
   

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT: LOVE

 LESSON 1

by: Norita Williams 

      We are going to start off this lesson with prayer and  get right into things!!

   Father I just want to thank You for this day and this time I have with you right now. You have blessed me with another day to be able to get together with you. I pray Lord that You would open my eyes and heart to the things of You and what You have in store for me.  Lord lead and guide me in this Bible study. Show me what YOU want for me to learn and gain wisdom from. Bless my ears and eyes to be able to see and hear You perfectly as You direct me through this lesson..Thank You Lord for showing me YOUR love and being able to show it to others.. In Jesus name amen and amen..

READY???

   Our text will be coming from:

Galatians 5:22:

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindess,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

   The first one we are going to look at is   “LOVE”

John 13:35

King James Version (KJV)

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

  So, we are called to love one another. The world sees this when they see us. If we don’t show love one to another then there is no hope.

John 13:34-35

New International Version (NIV)

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

   This one of the greatest commandments for us to do!!! To love one another, as yourself.

( Galatians 5:14:   14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

   I am not saying (through worldly ways and eyes) to go and have an affair with your neighbors wife or “spread” the love.. The way I am talking about is loving each other the way God loves us! You treat your neighbor as you want to be treated regaurdless of what they have done or said to you over the years. We are to show others God’s AGAPE love.

  So this brings us to the next thing:

 WHAT EXACTLY IS AGAPE LOVE???

   Agape love is God’s “unconditional” love for each one of us!!!

  He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for each one of us so that we can have that advocate with the Father. So that we would not have to die lost and go to a firey hell.

JOHN 3:16-17:

King James Version (KJV)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

   This is so powerful right here!!! This should make you really think about just how the Love of God works. God sent His ONLY son into this world to die for each one of us..   SHEW GLORY!!! That should have made you shout right there!!!  I am at work and I know they heard me in the back !!!

   Could you imagine Jesus upon the cross looking through the bans of time to where you are right now..in this moment.. HE seen you and knew this was what He had to do to SAVE you!!!

Isaiah 53:5

King James Version (KJV)

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

   This is why  “LOVE” is so important to the Lord!!! And as His creation we are called to do so as well… We are to love one another just like HE loves us!!!  This such a vital part of being called a child of the living God!!!

1 Corinthians 13

New International Version (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 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. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

   The greatest of all is LOVE !!! 

This concludes the first lesson….Here are questions to make you think…

1.     How can you show someone the LOVE of God? Explain.

2.     Can you show someone that does NOT like you LOVE? Explain.

3.     The situations that are affecting you right this very second, should they take your focus off of God? If they are how can you change that???

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT: INTRODUCTION...

  I was given this study because I was losing my focus on my daily walk with the Lord. It is such a trying time when you are a single parent and moving forward. But I am a blessed person in the Lord and I pray that this bible study blesses you just like it did me.

SO BEFORE STARTING THIS STUDY, AS IN ALL THINGS: PRAY BEFORE STARTING!!!

The Holy Spirit will guide you in this and will show you things that will open up your eyes to Him. SO lets get started!!!

The text we will be getting this from is:

Galatians 5:22:

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindess,goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”

     Notice one thing when reading this passage..”Spirit” is capitalized-So the “S” tells us that each one of the fruits comes from the Spirit and nowhere else. This is His job!

    The 9 fruits are God’s-It is Gods love, Gods joy, Gods peace, Gods longsuffering, Gods kindness, Gods goodness, Gods faithfulness, Gods gentleness and Gods self control that HE is pouring into each one of us. So this tells us a lot of the way God not only sees us but how much HE truly cares for us, no matter what we are going through in this life!!! Now, lets break each one of these down to get a better look at just what the God of the universe sees each one of us as….

      FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT:

1.     LOVE  

2.     JOY      

3.     PEACE

4.     LONGSUFFERING

5.     KINDNESS

6.     GOODNESS

7.     FAITHFULNESS

8.     GENTLENESS

9.     SELF-CONTROL

      To being with what exactly does ‘The Fruit of the Spirit “ mean?

   To begin with the Holy Spirit has “works” to do. The Lord did not just send His Presence down here to hang out with us or to not do anything. He was sent to be guide us and show us the way. After all He is our “comforter” as it says in John.

John 15:26

King James Version (KJV)

26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

     The Spirit is here to cause things to happen in the lives of each one of us. When we pray for someone and change starts to take place and the person is no longer the way they use to be. This is a sign of “The Fruits of the Spirit”. No longer are they to be the same again.

We are changed once we accept the Lord as our personal Savior. I am not saying we will be perfect- in no means anyone of us are. I am saying we have forgiveness in our lives and will be forgiven of our sins. We will mess up in this life and from day to day. But, when we call upon the Lord, He will run to us and pick us up and clean us off again. How awesome is that ?

 This concludes the introduction…..