Beware of Counterfeit Fruit

Have you ever walked up to a table with a bowl of beautiful looking fruit only to realize that they were fake. This has happened to me before and it is such a disappointment. Fake fruit can be so realistic. To tell the difference you might have to look really closely.  The same is true about recognizing the fruit of the spirit. 

We live in a time where everything is subjective. Even the gospel has been distorted and misused. Counterfeit fruit is just another tool of the enemy designed to feed the flesh and waste your time so that you live a life far from the true influence of God. Before you can recognize counterfeit fruit, you need to know what the real fruits of the spirit are.

What are the Fruits of the Spirit

Fruit is an analogy often used in the scriptures to describe the evidence of the Holy Spirit's work in ones life. Although human beings were made in the image of God, we fell prey to the lies of the enemy, and sin entered us. Without the intervention of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we now produce the actions of the flesh. 

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. This starts the process of sanctification that leads to transformation. Sanctification, simply put means to become more like Jesus. This change is not always easy, and it takes time, but it results in a better way of thinking, feeling, and being. 

As believers we must depend on the Holy Spirit to produce the fruit of the spirit in us as we grow in our faith and become more like Christ. As we go through life, we experience many things, good and bad, both refine us and produce the fruits of the spirit in us. When you you pray for patience you don't receive some Holy download of patience from heaven. You get a trial, a struggle, (sometimes its a difficult person) that requires patience; and when you keep you heart aligned wiht God's, He helps you to have patience. You then learn that you are capable of great patience with His help. The full list of the fruits of the spirit are found in Galatians 5:22-23; 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Against such things there is no law."

What are Counterfeit Fruits?

Counterfeit fruits are the fruits of the flesh disguised as the fruit of the spirit. Many believers are deceived, they often believe that they are serving and doing the work of God but in reality, they are feeding their flesh. These "fruits of the flesh" are not always obvious. The enemy is crafty and committed to deceiving God's people.

Love  

Lust and obsession are often mistaken for love. Today the word love is overused and diluted, applied to everything from food to fashion, until it carries little weight. But biblical love is far deeper. Scripture tells us exactly what it looks like: “Love is patient, love is kind… it never fails” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Real love reflects the heart of Christ and flows from Him. 

Joy  

So often we chase happiness or entertainment, but both are temporary. They fade, and we are left searching again. The joy of the Lord, however, is different. It springs from trusting our Heavenly Father. His Spirit fills us with a joy that endures beyond circumstances, a joy that overflows as we rely on Him (Romans 15:13). 

Peace  

Many confuse peace with simply suppressing problems or settling for complacency. Suppression ignores the real issues; complacency convinces us to stay still when God is calling us forward. True peace is not avoidance but the steady calm of Christ ruling in our hearts, even in the midst of storms (Philippians 4:6-7). 

Patience  

Avoidance and procrastination can sometimes disguise themselves as patience, but in reality, they’re more about protecting our own comfort. True, biblical patience is not passive—it’s active surrender to God’s timing. It means choosing obedience in the hard moments: asking for forgiveness, taking the next faithful step, and trusting Him even when our hearts would rather delay.

Kindness  

Kindness can be easily counterfeited by people-pleasing or masking. People-pleasing is rooted in fear, yet Scripture reminds us: “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Masking, meanwhile, hides our true selves behind a false smile. True kindness flows from God’s love—it is sincere, honest, and loving. 

Goodness  

Legalism and self-righteousness may masquerade as goodness, but Scripture warns they are only “a form of Godliness” without its power (2 Timothy 3:5). Genuine goodness reflects God’s heart, not our own attempts at moral performance. Goodness is not something we should bestow on ourselves, we should let God tell us we are good. 

Faithfulness  

Jesus told us that faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains. Yet too often we place our trust in other things—ourselves, our money, even other people. That is not faith, but pride and idolatry. True faithfulness rests in God’s power, God's timing, and God's will, not our own. 

Gentleness 

Passivity often stems from fear, this is not gentleness. God has not given us a spirit of fear. Gentleness is strength under control— it is the wisdom to be quiet, to be quick to listen and slow to speak, it is walking in humility. Gentleness is a tender heart that reflects the gentleness of Christ.  

Self-Control  

Discipline and willpower are useful, but on their own they do not produce the fruit of the Spirit. Self-control in the biblical sense comes from surrendering to God’s Spirit. It is not striving in our own strength but depending on Him to shape our desires and direct our steps. 

In Conclusion

The fruit of the Spirit is not something we can manufacture on our own, nor is it a checklist of virtues we try harder to achieve. It is the natural outflow of a life surrendered to Christ and shaped by His Spirit. Counterfeit fruit may look convincing, but it can never satisfy or bring lasting transformation. Real fruit grows slowly, through pruning, refining, and trusting God in both the joys and trials of life.

As daughters of God, our calling is not to settle for imitations but to stay rooted in Him, allowing His Spirit to do the work in us. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, the true Vine (John 15:5), He will produce in us the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that reflect His heart to the world. May we be women who bear genuine fruit—fruit that lasts and points others to Christ.