Life by the Spirit—Formed & Filled
Galatians 5:25
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
As followers of Jesus, we are called to live life by the Spirit. It is an astounding reality that the same Spirit “who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.” As we live life daily in step with the Spirit, He forms us and fills us.
The beauty of life by the Spirit is that He produces something we cannot manufacture on our own—the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are not the result of human effort alone, but the evidence of transformation only the Spirit can bring about. This fruit is the visible expression of an inwardly Spirit-led life. It reflects the character of Christ being formed within us.
However, life by the Spirit is not only about inner transformation—it is also about the filling of His presence and outward empowerment. The same Spirit who forms Christlike character within us also gives gifts. 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 says,
“For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.”
These gifts are expressions of God’s grace.
Life by the Spirit includes a life that is formed and filled. The challenge is that we often drift toward imbalance. We may pursue spiritual gifts without cultivating fruit, leading to immaturity and misuse. Or we may focus on character while neglecting the Spirit’s empowering presence, resulting in a passive faith. But life by the Spirit calls us to wholeness—to be both formed and filled. The Spirit does not divide these realities—He unites them.
This series will explore what it means to truly live by the Spirit—how we learn to walk in step with Him, how His fruit is formed in us, and how His gifts are expressed through us.