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Written by Gaby Medrano, Iron Rose Sister Ministries volunteer from Nicaragua in Colombia

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Eph 5:11 NIV)

Imagine a beautiful orange tree planted in land where the soil is filled with weeds, thorns, parasites, and invasive plants. The tree will be completely barren and fruitless. The weeds don't work to bear fruit; they only consume nutrients from the soil, choke out life, and destroy everything around them.

The apostle Paul calls sins "unfruitful works" because they are exactly like that weed that takes up space, absorbs your energy, but at the end of the day produces nothing of real value for your spiritual life, your family, or your inner peace. It is empty productivity—a barrenness disguised as life.

We live in a world of constant change, where we are expected to adapt to different scenarios, situations, fashions, places, or cultures. If you don't, you simply "don't fit in" or "don't adapt"; that's how you will be judged. However, God has called us to make a difference—to be light in the midst of darkness—and for that we have to make a difference by being the light, the salt. Many times, we will not fit in, or we will not allow ourselves to adapt, because the most important thing is not expectations or appearances, but the truth—the Word of God that never changes, that was, that is, and that will be.

The apostle Paul explains that through the power of the Spirit, believers should get rid of their old fleshly nature and live according to their new spiritual nature. This path of change leads to a holy way of life, for as Christians we are to be imitators of God. That is what the filling of the Spirit is all about. "Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet 1:16), and do not imitate the world, because if we do what the world does, we clothe ourselves like the world; we resemble the world.

Christians are not to be accomplices or companions in sinful practices. Unmasking these acts does not necessarily involve speaking evil or attacking those who do, but rather making God's truth shine through righteous, upright conduct, blameless testimony, and a lifestyle that contrasts with evil. You can rebuke an evil deed as long as you confront it with meekness, love, respect, seeking its restoration, not its humiliation, considering yourself, lest you too be tempted, as His word says.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)

The acts of the flesh are very evident and clear—they cannot be hidden. As mature Christians in the faith, we must flourish in the Spirit and let ourselves be guided by Him, knowing that by our own strength we cannot do much, but we have the responsibility to fight daily against sin and depend totally on God. We recognize that as humans, fallen from Eden, our nature is inclined towards evil, towards selfishness and pleasures of this world. But the apostle Paul reminds us in his letter that we have spiritual weapons with which we can fight: "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes" (Eph 6:11).

We must search the Scriptures daily, just as we check our cell phones daily. Observe very carefully what we are feeding ourselves with: what we are watching, the music we are listening to, who we are spending time with, what we are reading, what testimony we are projecting. Are we being influenced, or are we influencing others? Are we differentiating ourselves from the world, or are we like chameleons camouflaging ourselves according to our environment? If so, we will not produce fruit.

Paul taught the Christians of Galatia how to enjoy freedom in Christ and not be enslaved by the effort to gain God's favor through religious observance or good works. True goodness does not come from personal effort, but from submitting to the Holy Spirit so that He can produce the fruit of righteousness in our daily lives.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2:20)

Let us long to be fertile ground and to be able to lead others to be fertile. Let us pray to God that we may sharpen iron with iron up close or at a distance.

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Written by Monique Shelley Bernardo, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil

Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are filled with poison, and their clusters with bitterness. (Deut 32:32 NIV)

The Song of Moses is a prophetic poem that summarizes the history of the covenant between Yahweh and Israel, highlighting God's faithfulness and the people's ingratitude. It calls on the heavens to bear witness to Israel's future, the consequences resulting from their abandonment of God, and their breaking of the covenant. At the same time, it praises God both for who He is and for what He does; for all His ways are ways of justice. One would expect Israel to exalt such a magnificent God and consider it a privilege to know and serve Him; yet that is not what happened. Instead, they became corrupt.

The final song concerns the negative fruit. Israel was meant to be portrayed as God’s “chosen vineyard,” yet it became like the vineyard of Sodom and Gomorrah, cities that are symbols of sin.

The “fruits” of this people (worship, conduct, covenant) are bitter and poisonous, morally and spiritually destructive.

In Hosea 9:10, Israel, once “grapes in the desert”, becomes vile like the idol god Baal Peor.

This text is an applied prophetic reading of Deuteronomy 32. The prophet employs the same covenant theology, the same imagery (wilderness, grapes, fruit, land, dispersion), and the same logic (blessing → unfaithfulness → curse) to show that Israel is experiencing the very scenario Moses foretold in his final song.

"Fruit that is good and pleasing to the Lord" is the visible result of a life guided by the Spirit, expressed through a transformed character and good works that bless people and glorify God.

Developing the fruit of the Spirit as “practices of the wise woman” means uniting character (Gal 5:22–23) and routine (Prov 31): allowing the Spirit to shape who you are and translating that into concrete actions in the home, at work, in relationships, and in the church.

Here is a practical way to cultivate these fruits:

To turn this into a routine, you can use a simple four-step cycle, repeated throughout the week.

• Abide: Spend daily time with God (short prayer, reading a Bible passage, silence).
• Receive: Ask the Spirit to highlight a fruit for the day. (e.g., “Today, Lord, work patience in me.”)
• Practice: Choose a specific situation where this fruit will be exercised. (e.g., “During the discussion with my son, I will listen before correcting.”)
• Evaluate: Reflect briefly at night, “Where did I see this fruit? Where did I fail? What did I learn?”

Therefore, the fruit of the Spirit detoxifies the soul, exchanging “poisonous grapes” for works that heal, build up, and glorify God. The fruit of the Spirit does not merely improve behavior, but transforms the source of life, replacing the vine of Sodom and the corruption of Hosea 9 with an existence rooted in Christ that produces fruit of life, justice, and blessing.

I invite you to try this four-step cycle for a week to see how it might help you cultivate fruit rooted in Christ.