20th-26th April 2026
Is it just me that struggles to continuously bring to mind and to display (in the moment) the characteristics we should reflect as new creatures in Christ? Everyday situations - and people - sometimes have a habit of bringing out the worst qualities in me. Those emotions and character traits I try hard to suppress are far too close to the surface and far too reflexive and natural for me over the ones I should display in my renewed state. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control ... often not my default. Particularly at home with the people I love the most. If the fruits of the Spirit were grumpiness, eye rolling, tutting, moodiness, frustration and criticism ... I'm not sure too many people would be tempted to set foot in our churches. I jest ... I'm not like this all the time!!! But far too often.
It’s a daily battle against our inner thought life when we meet frustrations or clash with others ... one that we need to take to God in prayer hundreds of times a day, instead of defaulting to WhatsApp rants, family, staff at the office, or the sharing sized bag of sweet chilli Sensations (not me of course!).
So, I thought it might be challenging, useful and encouraging this week to pray through the fruits of the Spirit as we approach God each day. Character has such a huge part to play in our walk and witness. And it’s such a huge target for attack that we should pray daily for protection over ourselves, our church leadership and church family.
Colossians 3:12
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tender-hearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Galatians 5:22-23
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Overall, my prayer is this from Psalm 40:3
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.
So, you'll notice there are 9 characteristics mentioned and only 7 days! We'll schmooosh (I declare this a word) a few together on a few days to make sure we pray over them all. 🙏
Lord, as we meditate this week on the fruits of the Spirit and approach you each day in prayer, help us to become more and more like you. Please change our hearts so much that the people in our lives will see what you have done and be amazed … and put their trust in you!
Written by Mark & Ally Bennett
MONDAY = love 💜
John 3:16
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.
We have no excuse to fail to show love to everyone who crosses our path when we consider the love and sacrifice made for us. But it’s so soooo tough at times. We are all thrown together as one big church family, like dolly mixtures, all so different and unique … and then asked to love one another. So, you ask, you want me to show love to the loud, demanding person in my home group that I find draining to be around? I'm to show love to the opinionated outspoken guy I serve on a team with? And the oddly dressed weird little couple that God keeps putting across my path - people who are not like me! Maybe even people who don't like me! We are not expected to hold hands and skip through fields of daisies with everyone in our lives.
A silly analogy for the fact that we are not commanded to like everyone ... but we must show love - as we have been loved. And that becomes possible as we keep our eyes focused on Jesus and see others through his eyes. With the perspective of how we have been loved - despite our flaws and quirks - no other response is acceptable. Showing love is a choice! So much more so for God’s children who have been loved and forgiven, despite ourselves!
Perhaps this might make others around us take notice and be drawn to Christ as they see his love displayed in us.
Lord, help us to love like you. To put others before ourselves, that the world might see and know that we are your disciples. May we draw others to you by the love they see in our actions, reactions and choices every day. Today as I go about my business, whatever that looks like, remind me over and over of how you love me - through creation, the smile of a stranger, through your word as I meditate on it and as I take time to listen to your voice. Thank you, despite all the ways I have acted against your will, that you lavish your love on me anyway. Help me to extend that love to all those around me.
TUESDAY = joy and peace 🤗😃😇
Psalm 34:5
Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy.
Joy is contagious. Deep joy, the kind that comes from knowing God’s presence in your life, the kind that comes from having a hope and a future, a certainty of eternity with Jesus - that joy is felt despite our circumstances. That spark that can't be snuffed out. And people notice!
Psalm 40:8
"I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.”
It’s much easier to experience joy when we feel at peace. And that peace that passes understanding, even in the most brutal and overwhelming of situations, can only possibly come through complete reliance on Jesus. I am not saying that we need to show outward joy in all circumstances or put on a fake smile - a mask - when we are struggling!! We need to be authentic. But we can still feel a deep sense of calm and peace even in the midst of difficult circumstances when we spend time in God’s presence and allow others to serve us by sharing our burdens and help us through.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
God, I want the world to know the deep joy and peace of your forgiveness, grace and hope. I pray that people in our homes, workplaces, neighbourhoods, and anyone you bring across our path today, and every day, will see Your joy in our reactions, Your peace in our hearts. I pray this will be seen in our forgiving spirits, in the way we deal with setbacks, in the way we speak about others, in the mercy we show to those who don't deserve it. This should be our default! Change us from the inside out so our characters bring Your light and life into this dark and lonely world.
WEDNESDAY = patience 😶
Proverbs 16:32
Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.
Patience. What a short and seemingly easy word to understand - anything but! We hate to wait do we not? We have a “microwave mentality” at times - we want what we want within a few seconds. I have been guilty of impatient irritation at having to wait for a few extra seconds as my app-enabled pre-ordered takeaway latte got its finishing touches applied in Caffe Nero. I’m sure I could also add to that a list of all sorts of minor inconveniences, like traffic jams and lost keys, that seem to always try my patience! It’s usually a culmination of small things that lead us to get impatient when we normally might not. Think too of those in a season of significant uncertainty in their lives, or beside the hospital bed of someone they love … patience can require uncomfortable sacrifice and surrender.
Jesus understands what it’s like to have patience tested - in Mark 8 he expresses his desire to feed a group of four thousand people, and the disciples immediately question how he’ll do it, despite the fact that Jesus had previously performed the same miracle in the feeding of the five thousand! It should have been obvious what Jesus was planning, but he didn’t get impatient over his disciples’ lack of understanding and so proceeded to show them again. Do we ever doubt God at times, even though he’s proven himself to us time and time again? As we see from Jesus, patience is a choice. As we think of the fruits of the Spirit this week, we should practice not reacting out of impatience and reflect on how God demonstrates perfect patience in His dealings with our rebellious natures. The kind of patience that honours God is so hard that we cannot practice it without help from Him, so let’s pray …
Lord, when our patience is tried, grant us the grace to see these situations through your eyes. Help us to trust your timeline, and not ours, and to find peace in the waiting. Help us remember how our words and actions reflect you and help us grow in our ability to be patient with those surrounding us, and to show your kindness and understanding. Let your Spirit work in all of us so that our patience reflects your character as we learn daily to walk in step with you.
THURSDAY = kindness and goodness 🥰
Proverbs 3:3
Do not let kindness and truth leave you …
Here’s one of the days where we’ll combine a few of the fruits, remember we had to cheat a bit to fit them all into the week😊. But these two particular characteristics of kindness and goodness go hand in hand – we’re familiar with what they mean, and we’re conscious of how challenging they are!
When I hear “kind”, I think genuine. The wisdom in Proverbs 3:3 - “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” - reminds us that even the smallest acts of kindness can truly make a difference in the lives of strangers and loved ones alike. We want kindness from others, praise the Lord for His kindness towards us, and know the value in showing kindness to others. As for the word “good”, often the world tells us that it is fine to do something if it makes us feel good. But goodness comes from a place in our hearts and not from the activities of the world. It comes from a focus on God and not a focus on what the world tells us is good.
So, as we pray together today, I encourage you to remember that showing kindness really reflects who Jesus is and is an amazing way we can put His love into action. Let’s challenge ourselves to always be looking outward, paying attention to the needs and struggles of those around us - whether or not those people are our best friends! True kindness goes beyond simply feeling bad for someone but takes action to help them. God did this for us - saw our brokenness and had compassion for us. He chose to be kind. But He didn’t stop there. He took action by sending Jesus to die for us. What better way to lead us into prayer than that!
Heavenly Father, we’re in an age where the world is trying to prove itself to be ‘good’ by deeds - help us show your goodness in how we act with others as we face each day. In your grace, help us to reach out and help those who may seem undeserving, help us to be more like you, and help us to take opportunities to help others also become like you. Help us to see others like you see them, love others like you love them, and practice the care and action of kindness and goodness. May we love like Jesus! Amen.
FRIDAY = faithfulness 💯 (only Traitors fans will get this emoji)
Romans 4:21
… being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
As a fruit of the Spirit and as a character quality, faithfulness can often be in short supply! This is a world after all that values convenience over commitment, so displaying faithfulness is very much out of the ordinary. Faithfulness isn’t flashy. Sometimes it just means showing up, serving quietly, relentlessly praying. As Christians, we highly value God’s faithfulness, the fact that what He promises, He is able to perform. Isn’t it incredibly comforting to have the assurance that God is true to His word! God wants to grow that same faithfulness in us too, expects us to keep our word - to honour our commitments. It’s not just about reliability towards people, but loyalty towards God.
So how might we become more faithful disciples? I love how Psalm 37 puts it: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” It helps us think of two kinds of faithfulness - to God, and to one another. They both depend on our relationship with God. Basically, when we stay connected to God, we are more faithful, both to God and to each another. Our faithfulness is a testimony of our trust in God’s plan, affirming that even when we do not fully understand His way, we will follow Him, confidently believing His path.
The story of Abraham perfectly highlights the importance of faithfulness. Abraham and his wife Sarah learned the value of faithfulness when they submitted to Him - it is one thing to simply believe in Him, but quite another to be faithful to Him. When we are truly faithful to God, it shapes the way we live.
Lord, we might all want to think of ourselves as faithful, but we all fail at different times and in so many ways. Continue to grow this fruit of faithfulness in our lives so that we would be people that keep our word, people who stand firm in trials, and people who reflect, outwards, your unchanging faithfulness. Just as you are faithful in your promises, love, and mercy, help us to show this same faithfulness in our lives and to remove the things that are getting in the way. Father, make clear to each of us those areas of our lives that we have not given over to you. We are so grateful for your eternal faithfulness, despite how constantly we disappoint you. Help us remember this today and all week … and as I pray for those things on my own heart and mind, please make me aware when I am not fully trusting in you and your provision.
SATURDAY = gentleness 🐾
Philippians 4:5
Let your gentleness be evident to all …
What a start to a verse! Seven words. But sometimes I wonder, is this characteristic celebrated at all in our current world context? Examples of people being gentle - or meek as the KJV puts it - seem few and far between as we look around the world’s news bulletins, or even sports pitches! Gentleness gives such a stark contrast to our culture today as those around us at times seemingly take pride in getting offended, believing their way is right, being anything but gentle.
So, today, let’s focus on the best example of pure gentleness - Jesus! His life and ministry exemplified this fruit, and Jesus names it as one of his eight beatitudes in Matthew: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” and He describes himself as meek later in the same gospel: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle (meek) and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”.
What do we do to become this meek? As Paul reminds us in my verse at the start of this day’s devotion, we can “let our gentleness be known to everyone” because we trust that “the Lord is near.” When we truly believe this, and trust that God is in control of this world, we can be gentle and meek. So, trust in God and be gentle in heart.
Lord, as we approach the end of our week’s reflections on the fruits of your Spirit, may we stand out as gentle people producing loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good and faithful fruit. Our fruits and strength come from you Lord, and we want everything we do to point to you. I pray we will be mindful of that as a watching world sees us approach life in a way that honours you and with gentleness in full view. Amen.
SUNDAY = self-control 💪
This is a tough one. We often don't get to see how we're doing with it until an unexpected situation tempts or provokes a reaction ... depending on what we struggle with most. Anger, addiction, binge TV, controlling our tongues - or is it the self-discipline we so desperately need to intentionally spend time with God each day so that we can really change from the inside out and become more like Him and His character. Even the psalmist relates to these struggles.
Psalm 39:1-3
I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.” But as I stood there in silence - not even speaking of good things - the turmoil within me grew worse. The more I thought about it, the hotter I got, igniting a fire of words.
"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7) is a biblical principle stating that a person's inner thoughts, motivations and character define their true identity and actions.
It takes prayer and practice to conquer our emotions, our self-control, in the 0.25 seconds which science tells us is the typical time for a human to respond to a visual stimulus. Church family, let’s be different in the way we react, behave and treat others - even the challenging characters God asks us to love, pray for and be patient and gentle with! We have opportunities every day to bring light into someone’s life. How much more meaningful is this than retaliating with a sharp word or getting revenge for past hurts. Let’s intentionally be counter-culture!!
Father, forgive us for the times when we are too lazy, too self-centred, too conformed to the way our culture behaves, that we lack the self-control and self-discipline to be godly in our reactions, conversations and personal habits. Please give us a hunger and desire to spend time in your presence each day so we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds, keeping our character disciplined and pure as we strive to become more like you. Amen.