Many times, I hear believers say that they’re unsure whether the Spirit of God lives in them. I’ve wondered about this myself, because I don’t hear the Spirit speaking. Then I think: maybe I did something wrong … maybe I chased the Spirit away. 

Fortunately, the Word of the Lord says that the day we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, His Spirit came to live in us. What I do or don’t do cannot chase Him away. He is inside us forever.  

13This is how we know we’re living steadily and deeply in Him, and He in us: He’s given us life from his life, from His very own Spirit. 

We abide in God and God in us. Each of us is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We provide housing for the Holy Spirit. He lives under our roof, and He will never pack up His things and leave. 

The Holy Spirit shines His light wherever He is. He brings His power with Him. There is joy and peace where He stays. The net effect of the Holy Spirit is life, changing fruit born by the trees in the backyard of our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

My wife and I had a disagreement. Now it’s as if we have a kind of ceasefire. Neither of us is saying anything. We live like strangers under the same roof and don’t even look at each other.  

The fruit of the Spirit is nowhere to be seen. No love. No joy. No laughter. A feeling of discontent lingers in the house. Our fuses are short, and we don’t feel like being good to each other. The rest of the fruit is fairly rotten. 

Now I wonder: if there is no fruit, are there even trees? Or in Biblical language, if the fruit of the Spirit is not visible, does it mean that the Holy Spirit has packed up and left? 

Remember, nothing I do or don’t do can cause the Holy Spirit to pack His things and leave us. What does happen is that our choices, our rotten choices, prevent the Holy Spirit’s fruit from being fresh. 

It’s clear that we actively influence the fruit we bear. Choosing things that aren’t really in line with what the Holy Spirit wants makes it a lot harder to produce the kind of good, vibrant fruit we’re hoping for. 

Our choices can grieve the Holy Spirit. But the same choices, the way we act, the way we speak, the way we live, can also begin to bear fruit. Beautiful fruit. It’s up to us. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit within us is precisely to bear beautiful fruit. This is why developing a posture of inner quiet is vital, enabling us to hear and receive His voice. As we intentionally step back and diminish the influence of our ego, the Holy Spirit will more fully come forward, empowering us to bear increasingly abundant good fruit. 

Scripture
1 John 4:7-21 

Reflection
Do others see the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life?
What part of the fruit of the Spirit is visible in my life, and what part is not?
How can I make more room for the Spirit to lead me? 

Prayer
Holy Spirit, help me to be still and hear Your voice. Guide me to bear good fruit, even where it is difficult. Amen.