Holy Spirit: From Creation to Companion Paraugs

As a young Christian reading about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, I wanted more than anything to have a gentle spirit. At different times I prayed, Lord, what does a gentle spirit look like in me in this situation? I studied people who seemed to have a gentle spirit because they embodied what I wanted.

When we are living by the Holy Spirit, the inner spiritual work of being led by the Spirit of God will be visible on the outside in at least these three ways:

Purpose: The Spirit gives us gifts to fulfill our God-given purpose to impact others. They are not for us to hold on to and use only for ourselves. The longer we abide in Jesus and live by the Spirit, the more apparent that purpose will be and the more we will walk in it.

Increasing Integrity: As the Spirit of Truth, He convicts us to ensure that, increasingly, we are living transparent lives full of integrity.

When He shows us something that needs to change, we have the choice of whether or not to obey Him in that area. Choosing to obey the Lord in one challenging area and sticking to it makes us hesitate less to be obedient in the future.

Spiritual Growth: The longer we walk by the Spirit, the more evidence of this fruit we will bear. Not only did God provide us with a way to save us, but He also continues to provide a way for us to stay on the path of righteousness, to continue to change and grow into the people He wants us to be, and to help each other along as we mature.

Prayer:

Lord, I understand that I need Your Holy Spirit to grow spiritually in the areas of purpose and integrity. Please help me to keep growing and maturing in the faith and to be obedient to whatever You ask me to do, even when it is difficult. I know that You are working all things out for my good, so I choose to trust You even when it is hard for me to be obedient, be full of integrity, or even grow. Your plans for me are better than I can even imagine, so my hand is in Yours, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.