How Can I Live a Spirit-Led Life?
How Can I Live a Spirit-Led Life?
Galatians 5:16–24; John 15:5–7
Every family has values. Values define who we are, what we believe, and most importantly, who we show ourselves to be. In our home, we have the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism framed above our table:
“What is the chief end of man?”
Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
That’s the heart of it, isn’t it? To live for God’s glory and to experience the joy of knowing Him.
In Galatians 5, Paul tells us what our lives should be known for—the fruit of the Spirit. But this raises the question:
How do I actually live a Spirit-led life?
The Spirit Dwells Within Us
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God would come upon people for a time, but He did not permanently dwell within them. The language used is that the Spirit “rushed upon” or “rested on” a person—and often departed because of sin.
But the prophets foresaw a day when this would change. Ezekiel 36:26–27 declares:
“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
This promise is fulfilled in Christ. By His death and resurrection, Jesus secures for us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit does not rest on us—He lives in us. That’s not just a religious phrase. It’s the very heart of the Christian life.
R.C. Sproul once wrote:
“The primary meaning of the leading of the Holy Spirit is not to lead us to who to marry, or what job we should take, or what city we should live in, but the primary leading of the Holy Spirit is the leading to holiness. This is the will of God the Scriptures say, even your sanctification.”
Walking by the Spirit is about being led into holiness.
Don’t Feed the Flesh (Galatians 5:16–18)
Paul puts it plainly:
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
There are two powers at war in us—the Spirit and the flesh. The flesh represents our sinful nature inherited from Adam, promising freedom but delivering bondage. The Spirit alone produces true freedom in Christ.
Desire always precedes direction. What you most long for will shape your walk. If your appetite is for the flesh, your life will reflect it. If your appetite is for the Spirit, you will bear fruit that endures.
Inspect the Fruit (Galatians 5:19–23)
Paul contrasts the “works of the flesh” with the “fruit of the Spirit.” Notice the difference: works are what we do; fruit is what the Spirit produces in us.
The works of the flesh—sexual immorality, jealousy, envy, divisions—tear down relationships and communities. But the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—builds them up.
Paul doesn’t say “fruits” but “fruit.” It’s one cluster of Christlike character. You don’t pick and choose which ones to grow. The Spirit produces them all in the believer’s life.
This means fruit isn’t optional; it’s essential. As Tim Keller reminds us: “You’re not saved by fruit, but you’re never saved without it.”
Put Sin to Death (Galatians 5:24)
Paul writes:
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
The Christian life isn’t about managing sin but killing it. To “crucify the flesh” is to put to death sinful desires and not allow them to linger. John Owen put it memorably: “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”
Too often we excuse sin with language like, “That’s just my personality,” or “That’s just my weakness.” But Paul doesn’t allow for that. The cross demands finality. The Spirit enables us to crucify what our flesh tries to excuse.
Walk in the Spirit and Lift Up Others (Galatians 5:25–26; John 15:5)
Finally, Paul says:
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
This isn’t about trying harder—it’s about abiding closer. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Fruitfulness comes not from striving but from abiding in Christ. And that fruit is not just for us—it’s for others. Just as half of the “works of the flesh” are relational, so too the fruit of the Spirit shows up in how we love, serve, and build one another up.
The Spirit doesn’t grow fruit for us to consume selfishly; He grows fruit for us to share. A Spirit-led church is one where outsiders look in and say, “Why are they different?”
Conclusion: The Spirit-Led Life
Living a Spirit-led life means daily inspecting your fruit, crucifying the flesh, and walking in the Spirit in a way that blesses others.
It’s not self-help. It’s not about managing appearances. It’s about being rooted in Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, and bearing fruit for God’s glory and others’ good.
As Paul says in Galatians 5:25:
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
So the question is this: Are you walking in step with the Spirit, or are you feeding the flesh?
Let’s be a people who walk by the Spirit, abide in Christ, and overflow with fruit that multiplies gospel-centered disciples in our city and beyond.
Galatians 5:16–24; John 15:5–7
Every family has values. Values define who we are, what we believe, and most importantly, who we show ourselves to be. In our home, we have the first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism framed above our table:
“What is the chief end of man?”
Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
That’s the heart of it, isn’t it? To live for God’s glory and to experience the joy of knowing Him.
In Galatians 5, Paul tells us what our lives should be known for—the fruit of the Spirit. But this raises the question:
How do I actually live a Spirit-led life?
The Spirit Dwells Within Us
In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God would come upon people for a time, but He did not permanently dwell within them. The language used is that the Spirit “rushed upon” or “rested on” a person—and often departed because of sin.
But the prophets foresaw a day when this would change. Ezekiel 36:26–27 declares:
“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”
This promise is fulfilled in Christ. By His death and resurrection, Jesus secures for us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now the Spirit does not rest on us—He lives in us. That’s not just a religious phrase. It’s the very heart of the Christian life.
R.C. Sproul once wrote:
“The primary meaning of the leading of the Holy Spirit is not to lead us to who to marry, or what job we should take, or what city we should live in, but the primary leading of the Holy Spirit is the leading to holiness. This is the will of God the Scriptures say, even your sanctification.”
Walking by the Spirit is about being led into holiness.
Don’t Feed the Flesh (Galatians 5:16–18)
Paul puts it plainly:
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
There are two powers at war in us—the Spirit and the flesh. The flesh represents our sinful nature inherited from Adam, promising freedom but delivering bondage. The Spirit alone produces true freedom in Christ.
Desire always precedes direction. What you most long for will shape your walk. If your appetite is for the flesh, your life will reflect it. If your appetite is for the Spirit, you will bear fruit that endures.
Inspect the Fruit (Galatians 5:19–23)
Paul contrasts the “works of the flesh” with the “fruit of the Spirit.” Notice the difference: works are what we do; fruit is what the Spirit produces in us.
The works of the flesh—sexual immorality, jealousy, envy, divisions—tear down relationships and communities. But the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—builds them up.
Paul doesn’t say “fruits” but “fruit.” It’s one cluster of Christlike character. You don’t pick and choose which ones to grow. The Spirit produces them all in the believer’s life.
This means fruit isn’t optional; it’s essential. As Tim Keller reminds us: “You’re not saved by fruit, but you’re never saved without it.”
Put Sin to Death (Galatians 5:24)
Paul writes:
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
The Christian life isn’t about managing sin but killing it. To “crucify the flesh” is to put to death sinful desires and not allow them to linger. John Owen put it memorably: “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”
Too often we excuse sin with language like, “That’s just my personality,” or “That’s just my weakness.” But Paul doesn’t allow for that. The cross demands finality. The Spirit enables us to crucify what our flesh tries to excuse.
Walk in the Spirit and Lift Up Others (Galatians 5:25–26; John 15:5)
Finally, Paul says:
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
This isn’t about trying harder—it’s about abiding closer. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Fruitfulness comes not from striving but from abiding in Christ. And that fruit is not just for us—it’s for others. Just as half of the “works of the flesh” are relational, so too the fruit of the Spirit shows up in how we love, serve, and build one another up.
The Spirit doesn’t grow fruit for us to consume selfishly; He grows fruit for us to share. A Spirit-led church is one where outsiders look in and say, “Why are they different?”
Conclusion: The Spirit-Led Life
Living a Spirit-led life means daily inspecting your fruit, crucifying the flesh, and walking in the Spirit in a way that blesses others.
It’s not self-help. It’s not about managing appearances. It’s about being rooted in Christ, indwelt by the Spirit, and bearing fruit for God’s glory and others’ good.
As Paul says in Galatians 5:25:
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
So the question is this: Are you walking in step with the Spirit, or are you feeding the flesh?
Let’s be a people who walk by the Spirit, abide in Christ, and overflow with fruit that multiplies gospel-centered disciples in our city and beyond.
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