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⁣“… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬ ‭ESV‬‬⁣
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⁣I am so thankful that I am not expected to display the fruit of the Spirit in my life through my own strength and ability! When I try to “live right” many times I come up short. But, as I draw closer to the Lord and seek the Holy Spirit to manifest HIS fruit in and through me – I discover that the fruit of the Spirit becomes more evident in my life. ⁣

⁣I know that most of you have heard the saying “Bloom where you are planted.” I was thinking about this today. Brothers and Sisters, we are planted in a very unique place right now. We are planted in the “garden of quarantine.” We are being instructed to restrict ourselves to a stay-at-home environment. ⁣
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⁣I would say to you, Brothers and Sisters, that we have been placed in a very special kind of home/house. I believe that many of us find ourselves in a “hothouse.”⁣
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⁣I was thinking about what a hothouse is in gardening. But, as I began looking up definitions – I saw meanings that went beyond a greenhouse definition and really related to the times we find ourselves in. ⁣
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⁣A couple of definitions I discovered were:⁣
⁣1). an environment that encourages rapid development 2). an environment where there is great pressure⁣
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⁣I would definitely say we are living in a “hothouse” type of environment! Are you feeling “great pressure” as we continue to live in this time of isolation? ⁣
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⁣I believe the Lord is using this time to “encourage rapid development” in our spiritual lives. It is a time of diving in deeper into the things of the LORD! We need to ramp up our prayer lives; immerse ourselves in our Bible study; and let worship infiltrate into all areas. ⁣
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⁣I am reminded of Acts 17:28⁣
⁣“For in him we live and move and have our being…”⁣
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⁣Dearest LORD, as we continue to make this journey with each other and more importantly – with YOU – I pray that You will use these times of great pressure to develop in us a deeper capacity to bear greater fruit in the world. We desire to bloom during this time and not wither. We thank You for all that You are doing in us and through us for Your glory! Our deepest desire is to truly LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING IN YOU!! Amen and Amen!⁣
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⁣~Tina K. Roach⁣

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