This is a simple but weighty question worth asking: What fruit is my life producing?
Does it look like this? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? (Galatians 5:22–23)
What the Bible Says About Bearing Fruit
Notice what Paul says in Galatians 5. It’s not about trying harder. It’s about bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Paul contrasts the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit and makes it clear that only those who walk by the Spirit will produce godly fruit. It’s not something we manufacture or force, it’s the natural result of walking with Him.
So how do we get more of the Spirit in our lives to bear His fruit?
Walk by the Spirit to Bear the Right Kind of Fruit
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…”
— Galatians 5:16
“Live by the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit…”
— Galatians 5:25
What Does It Mean to Walk by the Spirit?
Maybe you’ve found yourself wondering:
- How do we hear His voice?
- Know His will?
- Feel conviction?
- Be transformed?
- Bear more of the good kind of fruit?
- Walk in the Spirit?
If those questions are stirring in your heart, take comfort: they’re a sign He’s already at work in you. That desire itself is evidence of the Spirit moving and drawing your heart toward Him.
Get in the Word to Hear God’s Voice
If you want to know Him and hear His voice and be transformed into His image, we must be in the Word. That is how He speaks to us. That is how our minds are renewed. Romans 12 tells us that we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Obey What You Hear
And then, when we hear His voice, we must respond in obedience. As we say “yes” to Him and no to the flesh, our eyes will be opened—by the Holy Spirit—to His work all around us. He gives us more and more opportunities to be obedient. Commit now to responding to everything He says. And we will begin to recognize His voice more and more.
Ask the Holy Spirit for Help
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you as you read the Word. He will. And ask Him to help you be obedient. You are equipped, through Scripture, for every good work He has created you for. Walk with Him. Hear His voice through His Word. Be obedient to what He shows you as you read, and your good fruit—the fruit of the Spirit—will grow.
A Final Reminder to Encourage Your Heart
“It’s not what you can do for Him, it’s what you can do with Him.” — Henry Blackaby