Scripture: "Having the same spirit of faith, we also believe."—2 COR. iv. 13.
Do you begin to realize why it is so important to commit to memory the text, Gal. v. 22 ? It will strengthen the desire in our hearts to have and to hold the fruits of the Spirit within us. Our expectation of the blessing God will give will be enlarged. Let us pause a while on the two last fruits of the Spirit—Faith and Temperance.
When the disciples asked the Lord: "Why could we not cast out the evil spirit?"—His reply was: "This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Their faith was not powerful enough, and even if they had prayed, they had not the zeal and self-sacrifice needed for prevailing prayer. Here we see the union of faith and temperance.
Faith is a fruit of the Spirit—and leads the seeking soul to depend on God alone. Faith believes God's Word, and clings to Him, and waits in perfect trust that His power will work within us all that He has promised. The whole life of the Christian each day is a faith life.
Let us now think of Temperance. This refers in the first place to eating and drinking, and leads us to restraint, carefulness, and unselfishness in our conversation, our desires, in all our intercourse with one another. Our motto should be: "Forsaking all worldly desires, to live righteously and godly and temperately in all things." Temperate in all our dealings with the world and its temptations. Righteous in the doing of God's will. Devout in the close communion with God Himself.
Faith and temperance are both fruits of the Spirit. When we ask the Spirit to teach us to pray, we open our hearts towards Him that He may grant us the fruits of the Spirit, faith and tem¬perance, to influence our daily lives in our intercourse with God and man.
Learn this text by heart, and let the promptings of the Spirit in your heart each day lead you to the Father, that He may grant the fruits of the Spirit in your inner life, which will be seen in all your actions.
