Galatians 5:22

In Bible study one day a very interesting statement was made to the effect that we have to activate the Holy Spirit in order to see His fruit in our lives. True or false? How might one go about activating the Holy Spirit?

A thought occurred to me that we cannot earn our salvation by anything we do. Neither do we earn the fruit of the Spirit. Paul under inspiration of that very same Spirit, the Divine third person of the Godhead, tells us the fruit of the Spirit is. It is there for us; once we surrender to the leading of the Holy Spirit the seed planted by the Holy Spirit germinates, eventually producing fruit.

Yielding doesn’t come naturally to human beings. So many life situations trigger a natural urge to control; it may be subtle. To give up striving for sanctification, for perfection, even for righteousness puts us exactly where God wants us to be. Then, and only then, can we see His mighty hands at work, reshaping us into the image of Christ, demonstrating His power to make us loving, joyful, peaceable and so forth (Galatians 5:22-23). Have you ever marvelled to find you are a more patient, gentler type of person since you became a child of God? What brought about that change?

When we reject the forgiveness, the freedom, and the faith offered to us by the Holy Spirit we grieve God. He “quickens” those who are dead in trespasses and in sins, with a Holy jolt that activates you and me to a conscious awareness of our need for Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1 & 5). There is no eternal hope outside of accepting these promptings by the Holy Spirit! It is also a very dangerous thing to suppose we, the created ones, might in any way manipulate God the Creator into a fast fix.

You see, the fruit of the Spirit developing from the flower of your salvation, is exactly that – something derived from the power of the root, from the essence of all that is essentially Godly. Paul has just contrasted the acts of our sinful nature (Ephesians 5:19-21) with the pure realities of being controlled, directed, empowered by the Holy Spirit, living in us. He knows our needs better than we know ourselves. His perfect nature covers our filthy rags with the righteousness of Christ! (Isaiah 64:6).

Facing His crucifixion, Jesus comforted His disciples with a very important promise. He would not be a visible presence in their lives, but He would send the Holy Spirit, not just for them, but for all of His followers down through centuries of time. The characteristics of God would flow into our lives as we turn our thoughts towards the Lord Jesus Christ. “Fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). It is Christ alone who saves and sanctifies and fills us with the capacity to be what God wants us to be! Hallelujah!

Reflection:

It is Satan’s ploy to make us think we have any part to play as we live the Christian life. It is terribly humbling to understand I am nothing, but God is everything. Yet we know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). The thrill comes when we recognize that God has been working in and through us to accomplish His eternal purpose and that we see this without any anxious striving on our part! That of course does not mean we throw out living according to Biblical principles, but God gets the glory for enabling us to do so!