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Tammy Dunahoo

Since my childhood, I have been intrigued with the fruit of the Spirit Paul shares in Galatians 5:22.

My earliest memory of this concept is of a Sunday school teacher giving me a drawing of a bowl filled with apples, bananas and oranges, which I was to color—inside the lines, of course!—while she taught us about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

What was missing in that lesson was the understanding that these characteristics are the product of a deep and abiding friendship with God. These are not attributes we work to acquire through our willpower; they are the result of the transformative presence of the Holy Spirit.

When darkness, pain and despair are prevalent all around, the fruit of joy may seem displaced. Yet, this beautiful fruit is neither produced by nor dependent upon external circumstances. Rather, it flourishes in the midst of such environments because of its internal source, Holy Spirit power.

Video: Complete Joy

Jesus said that His joy in us makes our joy complete. Much of what He said about the relationships between the Father, Himself and the Holy Spirit points to the outcome of discovering this joy, which is totally dependent upon our relationship with Him.


Watch Tammy Dunahoo’s video.

Prayer Points

  • Pray that the NextGen (individuals from cradle to college age) around the world would be filled with the Holy Spirit, and mature in friendship and intimacy with the Spirit.
  • Pray that the church would become known for its infectious joy.
  • Pray for the persecuted church around the world to have a song of joy in the midst of the darkness.
  • Pray that every local church would encounter a new level of joy every time they gather to worship.

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is the former general supervisor of The Foursquare Church. She now serves as the dean at Portland Seminary.
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