Living By The Spirit

                                          (Photograph by Michael Rairdon)

When we think about fruit we usually think of oranges, berries, bananas, and many other kinds, but today I would like to talk about the fruit of the Spirit.  When we become believers in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit comes to indwell within us.  It is the Spirit's work to produce fruit in our lives.  We can't produce this fruit in our own power or our own self effort no matter how hard we try.  

We must submit to the Holy Spirit's leading and listen to His promptings.  We must read and study the Bible so we will be able to discern with the help of the Holy Spirit the will of God for our lives.  Sometimes we try to do things in our own power and we try to accomplish things on our own, but we must make sure we are listening to the Lord for His direction for our lives.  

We are called to live by the Spirit and no longer are we to walk in step with the sinful nature.  That can be hard for us at times because our fleshly sinful nature likes to rise up within us and we end up doing what we ought not to do.  We want to do what is right because we want to honor God, but sometimes we stumble and fall because we chose to listen to the sinful nature instead of being lead by the Spirit and allowing Him to produce fruit in our lives.

Galatians 5:16-26 says,

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

 

17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.  They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 

                                                                              

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 

                                                                              

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 

                                                                              

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 

                                                                              

21 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. 

                                                                              

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

                                                                              

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 

                                                                              

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

                                                                              

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

                                                                              

26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. 

We can easily tell what the acts of the flesh are as the Apostle Paul lists them here in this passage.  These things are seen in our world today and even within our very selves whether we want to admit it or not.  Those who live according to the fleshly nature will not enter into the kingdom of God because they haven't repented of their sins and they have not been born again by receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

When we come to know Christ as Savior we obtain a new nature by the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within us.  Our sinful nature is still within us, but now we can walk in the Spirit.  This can be difficult at times because there is a war inside of us taking place and in order to walk in the Holy Spirit we must take one step at a time.  There will be days when we stumble, but the Lord is there to pick us back up and help us continue on the race that has been placed before us.  When we confess our sins to the Lord He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).

The Holy Spirit is constantly at work in our lives to produce the fruit even when we don't even realize it, but other people will notice.  We can't take any credit for the work that the Lord is doing in and through our lives.  All the credit and glory must go to the Lord for without Him we are nothing.  We are saved by grace through placing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross where He shed His blood for my sins, yours, and the whole worlds.  We come to Him by faith and we must walk in the Holy Spirit the same way, by faith.

Let's keep step with the Spirit and submit to His lead.  I am still learning to walk in the Spirit and sometimes I stumble and feel like I crawling, but we must not get discouraged, but we must continue to fix our eyes upon Jesus and keep moving towards Him.

Lord, Heavenly Father,

We praise Your Name.

Thank You for producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Help us to walk in the Spirit and give no foothold to the fleshly nature.

Lead us and guide us by the Holy Spirit as we focus on You Lord Jesus

In Jesus Name we pray,

Amen.