At the moment of conversion the fruit is its early formative stage. If you have ever observed a grapevine early in the growing season after it has begun to put on fruit, you will notice tiny clusters of grapes. They are very small, but each grape is there in miniature size. But as the fruit matures it grows until one day it is ripe and sweet to the taste. This is an accurate illustration of the new believer. The fruit of the Spirit is in you. It’s there, but it may be very small compared to one day what it will be—mature and ripe, giving nourishment to those who come in contact with you.

 

   2. God grants the power of self-control.

Another fruit of the Spirit is self-control. If you are a true Christian, you will begin to discipline yourself in areas where previously you had been lax. You will look at food or drink more carefully. You will lose your desire for drugs or stimulants. God begins to give you different attitudes about entertainment and clothing. Modesty begins to appear; vocabularies change.

The Bible says that we have been given a spirit of discipline. “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NASB). That doesn’t mean if you were Mr. Unorganized before you were saved that you will become a drill sergeant for Jesus. It simply means the Holy Spirit is making available to you the self-control needed to make the changes necessary. It doesn’t mean there will not be a struggle to let certain things go. Again, it means that the power is given to you by God to overcome.