When I was younger, I remember working with this former vet, a young guy, in his late 20's, married with very young kids. Was in great shape, played hockey, all-around great guy. He left the company we met, and moved to New York to begin a new chapter with his family. Not too long after he had moved, he had a heart attack and passed away. Everyone was surprised to hear this - I mean, the kid could've ran thru a wall, and still be fine! But a heart attack? It didn't make any sense.

Although I never asked, I can only assume that his last physical went well. He never mentioned any illness or medical issue, ate whatever he wanted and was still thin & solid. Maybe there was a known issue, or maybe the doctor missed something that they should've caught - I don't know.

But the same can be said about our spiritual lives, right? As creatures of habit, we tend to go on "auto-pilot" throughout life. But in doing this, we can easily miss the clues that would indicate that our health (physical/mental/spiritual/financial...) is nowhere near as good, when compared to where God would want us to be.

Just as a physical doctor subjects us to a battery of tests, God gives is a way to see how we measure up with spiritually.

Let's use the fruits of the Spirit:

Love: I'm not talking about what we feel for our spouse, or our kids\parents - I'm talking about our deliberate attitude of good will & devotion towards others. When you love others, is it freely? Or does it depend on the person? Do you expect something back when you 'love'?

Joy: This is not 'happiness' - This is gladness that is completely independent of the good or bad things that happen in the course of a day. In fact, joy is that gladness that seems to show up during the tough times. Joy happens when our focus is on God's purposes for the events in our lives, rather than on the circumstance.

Peace: Where 'bad' is the opposite of 'good', peace isn't the absence of struggle. In actuality, it's the presence of tranquility even in the midst of chaos. It's that sense of completeness when we know that God's in total control.

Patience: synonyms are: lenience, long-suffering, forbearance, perseverance, & steadfastness. Patience is our ability to endure 'the garbage from life or from others' without lashing our or paying back.

Kindness: When a person is kind, they look for ways to adapt to meet the needs of others. One would call it "an overflow of moral goodness". An antonym of 'kindness' is 'malice'.

Goodness: Unlike 'kindness,' goodness the the reflection of God's character. When we have goodness, we also desire to see the goodness in others. It's so important that we're not afraid to confront or rebuke for this to happen with others.

Faithfulness: A person with faith is a person with real integrity. They can be looked upon as an example, through their devotion to not only God, but to others as well. Left to our own devices, we want to be in charge. But a person with Spirit-controlled faithfulness shows that their life matters because they seek for the good in others, and for the glory of God.

Gentleness: Being 'meek' is not weak, and being gentle is not without power - it just chooses to defer to others. When we are gentle, we forgive others, we correct with kindness, and live in tranquility.

Self-Control: Our fleshly desires are always in battle against God's Spirit. It always wants to be 'the primary'. 'Self-control' is literally releasing our grip on the fleshly desires, choosing instead to be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Walking By the Spirit: So this isn't an actual 'fruit of the Spirit,' but it is produced from the nine qualities listed above. When we actually 'walk by the Spirit', we aren't led by our selfish desires. And when we don't, God convicts us so we end up 'knowing' that our lives are out of of order.

God promises that if we are willing to admit that we have been walking our own way and ask for His forgiveness and cleansing, He will empower us through His Spirit to live above ourselves and live the abundant life for which He has created us.