From the book, The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith..."We cannot grit our teeth and become patient. We cannot muster our willpower and become kind. We cannot stress and strain our way to generosity. This "fruit" is the work of the Holy Spirit. Like the fruit on a tree, it is developed naturally from the inside to the outside.
When the Spirit has changed our narratives sufficiently, we begin to think differently. As a result we begin to believe in and trust a good and loving God who is strong and powerful. We begin to see how Jesus lived a perfect life that we cannot live and offered that life to the Father on our behalf, setting us free from having to earn God's love and favor. And as we engage in soul training exercises - especially in the context of community - our confidence that God is at work in and among us increases. This creates an inward change that manifests itself in outward behavior."
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