Galatians 5:22-23 – are two Scriptures that we have misunderstood as they pertain to living an empowered life through the Holy Spirit. These nine attributes that encapsulate the empowering work that the believer has to walk in obedience to God are priceless gifts to the believer. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. There is a very important verb that begins this Scripture that many believers seem to ignore; “seeing”. We must see, and become aware of, the empowering work of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The Holy Spirit is the divine power that has been granted to us so that we can understand everything that pertains to life and godliness. But why is the church so devoid of the Holy Spirit’s empowerment?

I find it mind-blowing how people have more confidence in the natural than in the supernatural. When a believer is sick, instead of calling on the elders of the church to pray in faith for healing, they stay home and overload their system with over-the-counter meds that provide only temporary relief from their symptoms, aches, and pains. Instead of praying God’s blessings over their meals, they run to washing their hands and Lysol to be a more powerful aid than God granting them protection. Today’s security industry is overflowing with profits from those who seek to live in planned communities and protect all of their material possessions, because, well, maybe God does not have enough angels at His disposal to protect them. Paul teaches us in Romans 14 about being sensitive to each other’s convictions so we must be careful not to judge one’s decisions, but at the same time consider the motives.

But how does the Holy Spirit play a role in how we walk this life of faith?  I used to believe that the fruit of the Spirit indicated the spiritual maturity of a believer.   The fruit of the Spirit dwells within us and as we yield our will to Him, He will manifest these beautiful qualities. I was taken by a comment my pastor made one Sunday, that changed my understanding of what the fruit of the Spirit reveals about our walk of faith.  He was speaking on patience and stated that the believer has all the patience that is needed already dwelling with them through the Holy Spirit. We must submit to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to manifest patience in us. We do not have to pray for what God has already given us. We don’t have to pray to be more loving, God is love and when we submit our will to the Holy Spirit, He will manifest loving responses on our behalf. The New Testament teaches us what supernatural love looks like. The Holy Spirit is a supernatural being that dwells within the soul of every believer.

The fruit of the Spirit are supernatural manifestations that can only be displayed by God, He is love, He is peace, He is joy, He is patience, He is faithfulness, He is kindness, He is gentleness, He is goodness and He is self-control. As humans, we put our confidence in our flesh and human abilities. We think we can think wiser than God, we can love, better than God and we can manipulate our way, better than God can give us long-lasting, Spirit-filled resolutions. The Holy Spirit is a gift to the believer that serves as a witness, testimony, and evidence that we have been born-again in Christ. We are empowered to be ministers of love, grace, forgiveness, and mercy to others just as God has given to us. We reflect a Christ-like mindset because the Holy Spirit will lead us to think like Him. If the church were filled with born-again believers, filled with the evidence of the Holy Spirit to conduct themselves in the love of Christ our homes, communities, and culture would be vastly different.

So many people have invited themselves into the community of faith, without going through Christ. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in their heart, there is no evidence of a transformed life, and no evidence of the spiritual fruit the Holy Spirit brings to the believer’s life. There is nothing new about their lives. The spirit has not been made alive, and their hearts reflect the wicked and self-centered evidence of the flesh. But at Inspiring Life Books our desire is to help those in the family of faith, live a victorious and empowered life through the Holy Spirit. He is in us and will lead us when we submit ourselves to His leadership. We have spiritual eyes to see how we are behaving, how we are reacting, and how we are speaking when the Holy Spirit is living within us. When faced with a difficult situation, we yield and allow the Holy Spirit to instruct us in a way that pleases God instead of acting out in the flesh: This is the Spirit-filled life. Philippians 3:3, “or we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” Where is your confidence? Think about it. Be blessed!