So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
Galatians 5:16-26 NLT
Life with Jesus is an ongoing process of growth. If you have accepted Jesus, His Spirit is living inside of you and challenging your will to become closer to His will. God always wants what is best for you, but that is often not what is easiest or what will bring instant gratification. The Holy Spirit is working to change your broken will and bring true life. When you choose your own desires over God’s way, the results are disastrous. Paul listed some of the disastrous results. Take some time to honestly evaluate your life to see if any of these results are in your life.
The fruits of the Spirit are character qualities – they are the result of being rooted in the Holy Spirit. They are not about our hard work, but we do need to cooperate with the Spirit’s work. Like a tree, you are made to bear this fruit; you only have to be what God made you to be and let the Spirit do the work in you. This list is the result of letting the Holy Spirit—not your own desires—guide your life. The Christian life is best understood not as work but as surrender. Take some time to evaluate how much of the Savior’s fruit is in your life.
How can you focus less on your work and more on surrendering to Christ’s love and way? How can you allow the Spirit to bring more fruit into your character?
