Pillar 7: Fruit-Yielding

After all the obstacles between you and God are removed, and you learn to flush them out daily, you can expect to experience what Jesus called the abundant life (John 10:10), which consists of the fruit of the Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (see Galatians 5:22,23). Notice that the first fruits of the Holy Spirit mentioned in are emotions: love, joy, and peace. Notice further that these first-fruits of the Spirit are the exact opposite of anger, depression, and anxiety, the three toxic emotions that plague so many people today. Although inner transformation is a spiritual, and hence, invisible process, the fruit of the Spirit should be evident to all: your spouse, friends, family members, coworkers, etc. Therefore, I do not personally consider our counseling experience as successful and completed until the fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, and peace -- is personally experienced by you and observed by others over time. During your counseling, we will scientifically track your progress with the Quick Psychoaffective Symptoms Scan (QPASS), a psychological instrument I developed for quickly and accurately measuring depression, anxiety, anger, and other important psychological conditions. We will also keep track of how often you use your old "escape routes" as they are replaced with new habits and disciplines to respond to triggers and adversity in your life.