Journey: A New Believer's Guide to Spiritual GrowthSample

Lost and Found

Have you ever been lost? Like physically lost? It’s not fun. It doesn’t happen as much anymore because our phones will tell us where we are pretty much anywhere in the world. It serves as our modern-day compass. 

Being lost physically is one thing, but being spiritually lost is another. This is where each of us was before putting our faith in Jesus. We were lost--we did not know where God was or even how to find a way to Him. It was like our spiritual world was in complete darkness.

Some people have felt as though they had a hole so big, so dark and so deep in their heart, that nothing could fill it, no matter what they tried. Until they met Jesus. Sound familiar?  Jesus turned the light on in our spiritual lives, BUT He didn’t stop there. He put a spiritual compass in our hands to guide us. He gave us the Holy Spirit. 

Now the Holy Spirit is God, just like God is God and Jesus is God. You might be saying, wait, isn’t that three gods? Think of it like this. Let’s say there’s a person named Amanda. She’s one person, right? But she might be a mom, a nurse, and a wife. Those are three specific, unique roles, but she’s still just one person, so it is with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

Now the Holy Spirit has several roles:     

• He empowers us to share Jesus with others    
• He leads us away from sin to righteousness    
• He comforts us in times of difficulty

Here’s what’s amazing--the Holy Spirit lives inside of every follower of Jesus! What a gift! 

One of the things the Holy Spirit does is help us make the right choices. There is this really cool illustration in the Bible that Jesus used to describe our relationship with Him. It’s one that those living in that day would have been familiar with. Jesus says He’s like a grapevine and we are the branches coming off that vine. When we’re connected to the vine, that is when we produce “fruit” -- meaning good works or deeds for God and others. Jesus is saying to produce the fruit that God desires, we have to be connected to Him. 

So, how do we do that? We stay close to God through worship, prayer, Bible reading, connecting with another Christian, going to church, and thinking about God and his goodness. But, let’s be honest: this is a continual challenge in a world of distractions and temptation. To use the hiking illustration, it’s like there are all kinds of side paths to take us off the one path that God has for us. But when we remain connected in our relationship with God, something powerful happens. We start to produce fruit. 

Obviously, not physical fruit, but spiritual fruit. In fact, this is what the Holy Spirit helps us produce. All of a sudden our hearts, minds, and lives start to look, think and act differently. They start to more closely resemble Jesus. 

As you stay connected to God and as you let the Holy Spirit guide your life, you start to produce the fruits of the Spirit. This will help you start to see the transformation that has taken place on the inside come out. 

The Holy Spirit is a gift from God, who now lives in you. He guides you, encourages you, and strengthens you on this faith journey. As we stay connected to God, we start producing the fruit of the Holy Spirit and our hearts and lives are transformed.   

CHALLENGE

This week, ask God to help you produce the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Do this first by listening to God’s voice and then by living that list. The goal isn’t perfection, but the direction of your journey. 

You got this!