Walking in Patience: The Fruit of the Spirit 7-Day Bible-Reading Plan by Kenneth Copeland MinistriesEsimerkki

## The Most Potent Fruit Fruit is much more potent after it’s been developed. If you pick a peach too soon, for example, it isn’t useful for anything. It has to be left on the tree to fully ripen in order to fulfill its purpose. That’s how it is with patience. When we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, it’s present within us, but it’s like a green peach—it’s mostly in seed form. For patience to fulfill its purpose, it has to develop to the point where we can partake of it. It has to be cultivated and watered with the Word of God. How do we do this? By studying and meditating on the Word concerning patience. This will help you strengthen that fruit so that it’s operating powerfully in your life. Then, when something in life comes up (and it will come up!), you’ll stop and think before you allow yourself to become short-tempered or hasty in speaking. The fruit of patience is empowering. It keeps you from damaging your relationships and speaking out of emotion. It protects you from saying something foolish and harming your reputation. That’s a big deal because once words have been spoken, you can’t get them back. You can apologize for them, but they’ll still be out there in the minds of the people who heard them, and they can continue to cause damage. Patience can prevent that damage from ever taking place! It can save your marriage. It can save your friendships. It can prevent you from becoming exasperated at work and reacting in a way that may cost you your job. Don’t let the fruit of patience stay green on the tree of your life. Develop it and water it with the Word. Pray in the spirit and practice, practice, practice! You’ll love the results you see.