A study of fruitages of the holy spirit (pt. 1)

To study something, it is wise to know what one wishes to learn. Not in the way of a scientist on company pay, where one sets oneself up to find the result desired; but, in the way of a vigilant reporter, whom actively goes out seeking both the questions and the answers to them. The questions are always some version of "who, what, how, when, where and why".

Such as:  What are the fruitages of the holy spirit? How are they fruitages of the holy spirit? When does one receive them? Where does one find them? Why would one want to?  This is what I have found along the way, as I studied to find the answers to these questions.

What are the fruitages of the holy spirit?"
Galatians 5:22-23  mentions the fruitages of the holy spirit, which are  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, mildness, faith, modesty, self-control and chastity. In different translations, different words may be used to express what the fruitages are, but, the words mean the same thing as the ones I have used.

They are the nine attributes of a Christian person whom is living in accord with the will of Jehovah God. This does not mean that no one else can have some measure of one, a few, or even all of them. What it really means is that if you do not have them in some measure, and, are not trying to attain them, then, you are definitely not seeking (at least, not often enough) to follow in the footsteps of the Christ. It is a point for self-examination, then.

But, it is also an explanation of real benefits of service to Jehovah God and a promise of a better present, followed b y an unbelievably better future.

Too, by observation, one finds within the description of the fruitages of the holy spirit, a method by which to recognize good association and if oneself is good association for others.

How are they fruitages of the holy spirit?
This is a two-fold question. One part is, "If anyone can have some measure of these attributes, how can they be called something which is grown by holy spirit?"  The other is, "How does holy spirit grow them?"

First of all, we are all, in potential, by creation, children of God. We were all created, as a species, by Jehovah God through his Master Worker, whom later became known to us as Jesus the Christ. We were all made, then, through the power of Jehovah God, which is his holy spirit, and, we are living on a planet with ;plants, animals, dirt and rocks of which the same can be said about.

We have the life force he gave to our original ancestors and we eat from that which has life force from when their ancestors were created and which was passed on in somewhat the same manner. So, until dead and decayed to nothingness, there is nothing that is devoid of some measure of holy spirit.

This much, this energy to keep one moving is a gift, freely given without expectation, for a time; like the rain, wind, light of sun and moon and stars, green vegetation for food and all the other things that none of us deserve, but, all of us have as we accept it and are not forced away from it by people who are not Jehovah God.

We have free will and can choose to follow the spirit or the flesh. If we follow the spirit, we seek it through the will of Jehovah God and receive more of it. If we seek flesh, we have less of the energy we were given freely as a gift. So, you have the seed by which the fruit may be grown, but, you do not necessarily have the fruitage. Or, perhaps you have small, unripe fruit. Or, fruit that keeps growing ripe and ready, then rots where it was grown, from neglect. We are all born with the possibility of serving Jehovah God in spirit and truth.

The second part of this two-fold question must wait for another time. Simply because this is getting longish.

..

It's been a while ....

I went off and learned more, experimented and studied. Came right back to the basics, straight from the Bible.

Fruit is food. Next comes leafy greens.
Meat is edible, but, if you need it at all that need is seldom.
Grains can be good, but, not strictly necessary, if you have other things to eat.

The worse off you are, the more you need vegetables and fruit to be the main foods.

I have been listening to Loren Lockman and some other guy whose name I can never remember correctly.  Still listening to A Healthy Alternative and Dr. Berg, some.

The upshot is that I am now in a much more stable mindset and stage of health than I was in, the last time I was here and writing about it. 

Today is my 13th day of intermittent dry fasting. I've been doing it very simply, by stopping eating and drinking (not necessarily at the same point) at whatever time of day or night I am done and then continuing to not do so for at least 12 hours. Which means, if I stop eating earlier than I stop drinking, then I will be fasting from food longer than from drink, because, it is pretty hard to eat without water getting involved in some capacity and I don't want to eat anything that is 100 percent dry!

I am not measuring myself all the time. I do know, though, that I had lost 3" on my waist and then had a bad episode of allergic reaction and bloating, a few days later, which resulted in my waist only being 2" smaller than it was before I started. Last I checked, it was 4" smaller. Also, I have definitely gained muscle.

It is my intention to start block fasting on Feb. 5. Part of this is on the advice of that guy whose name I can never remember, who was talking about block fasting. He said that 5 days is optimal for healing, because, on the 4th day you get a surge of growth hormone, on the fifth day you get a surge of new stem cells, and, on the 6th day you eat healthy foods and feed your new stem cells. He did not say how long to wait in-between jumping back into another fast.  Enter two other sources.

Back when I was working on getting baptized, praying about both my health and serving Jehovah (which hasn't changed, except, now I am baptized) I was talking to a brother who said something about fasting for five days and eating for two.  Quite a bit later on, I talked to him about it again and he, apparently, had meant to say the exact opposite (fast for 2 days, eat for five). But, I have reason to believe he said it right the first time, because, you know, that's when I was praying for guidance from Jehovah about it and he actually repeated it more than once.

Plus, A Healthy Alternative has vids wherein people say they did block fasting, of varying sorts, where they would refeed for a short duration and then jump back into the fast. One guy said he used to do 5/2 and then he changed it up to longer and longer stretches and went, if I remember correctly, about a year of mostly fasting.

Anyway, one of the things the guy I can't remember the name of said, which made sense to me (especially as I tested it out and paid attention) was that when the moon is waxing, you have more control than the parasites in your body do. When the moon is full, though, the parasites have more control and that's why people tend to act crazier. Well, I know a few things about the affect of the moon on plants and on hair growth, too; so, it may sound magical, but, it's no more magical than knowing that putting on a sweater helps you stay warm when seasons change and it gets colder.

I started my intermittent dry fasting when the moon was waxing, but, near full. The first day or two was so easy and it was the first time, in a long time, that I was ready and able to get going again. I didn't hesitate. I just prayed and jumped right in. It got much harder for a while and now it is back to being easier, but, not super easy like it was at the start. So, I believe the moon cycles are relevant to the process of making it easier to get started.

Feb. 5th is when the moon is waxing again and that's the beginning. My plan is to use that period of time, when the moon is waxing, to jump into an extended water fast (possibly still with intermittent dry fasting) and ride that wave for all it's worth. At least the 5 days of fasting and refeeding on the 6th day. But, I am not limiting myself to only 5 days, if I feel like I can go longer.

For now, my new rule is that I am going to be eating one good sized meal -if I am inclined to - sometime between noon and 2 p.m. It will start with fruit. If I want to eat at any other part of the day, it will be fruit. There are no other limitations, outside of maintaining at least 12 hours of intermittent dry fasting.

Oh! I just looked him up. It's Dr. Cassar. He's the one who remains nameless. There is also a Dr. Pompas. I get them confused with each other and I am not sure why.

This is the video about block fasting that I have seen and listened to the most.  Pretty sure he says things that I do not agree with, maybe in this video, definitely somewhere. Most people who are into fasting and running clinics, etc. do. We are not of the same religious beliefs is why. Nevertheless, they also tend to say some very good and helpful things. Just don't you be watching the videos I share and thinking I am off on some breatharian, we are our own gods, miracle jaunt. I'm not.

But, I am off on some I want to be more useful to Jehovah and gee, it would be nice to get other things done, too, hike.