"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Have you ever doubted if you're a true Christian or not because you feel like you don't have the fruits of the Spirit in you?

Is it because you feel like you're not joyful enough, kind enough, faithful enough, or gentle enough? Or perhaps because you find it hard to control yourself and stop yourself from sinning?

If you said "yes," then you're like the many Christians who, at some point in their Christian lives, realized that the fruit of the Spirit is something more than just a sign of being a Christian.

It's evidence of the new life that God has given us in Christ.

Wait -- what does that mean?

The Bible clearly tells us that when we are saved, we are given a new life in Christ.

We repent of our sins and stop trying to save ourselves. We put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 confirms this:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

When we believe in Christ and He saves us, He does away with our sin and ultimately gives us a new life. Ephesians 2:4-7 tells us this:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

2 Corinthians 5:17 also assures us of this totally new life in Christ:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

What does this got to do with the Spirit's fruits and being a Christian?

Perhaps by now you're wondering what's the connection between the new life and the fruits of the Spirit. Here are some:

• First, we have to realize that at the time we are given a new life, our old life has just been taken away. We are given a fresh new start, with our old sins and iniquities erased from God's records (see Isaiah 1:18).

• Second, since we are now living a new life in Christ, we're born again; and like babies, we need to grow up in the Lord Jesus Christ (see John 3:3-7; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18).

• Third, as we continually grow in Christ and in obedience to His word and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit yields His fruit in our lives (see Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8; John 15:1-8; Ephesians 5:8-10).

Keep going

Friends, don't be discouraged from following Christ if you feel like you're not bearing any of the Spirit's fruits.

Truth is, like any tree, it will take time before we see all the Spirit's fruits borne in us. No Christian ever attained perfection after just being born again.

It's a process.

The great thing here is that if we are truly born again, we are assured that God will work in us until the day of Christ (see Philippians 1:6). And because the fruits of the Spirit come from the Spirit, He will be the one bearing His fruit in us -- if we yield to Him.