Welcome to Authorized Sword Ministries. This is Lesson 4 in our series, The Holy Spirit and Spiritual Gifts. Today's lesson is called The Fruit of the Spirit and Walking in the Spirit.

We're so glad you're here.

Last time we looked at spiritual gifts. Gifts are about what we do. Today we look at fruit, which is about who we are. A person can have a gift and still live a careless life. But fruit cannot be faked for long. Jesus said, "by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20). So today we'll see what the fruit of the Spirit is, what fights against it, and how to walk in the Spirit day by day.

Our Key Verse

Today's key verse is Galatians 5:22-23.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." — Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

Notice that Paul says "fruit," not "fruits." It is one fruit with nine flavors. The Spirit does not give one believer love and another one patience. He grows all of it in every believer who walks with Him. And notice, it is the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of our effort. A branch does not strain to make grapes. It stays connected to the vine, and the fruit comes.

The War Inside

Before Paul lists the fruit, he describes a war going on inside every believer:

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." — Galatians 5:16-17 (KJV)

When you got saved, you got a new nature, but the old nature, the flesh, did not leave. The two pull in opposite directions. That's why a Christian can love God and still struggle with sin. The answer is not to try harder in our own strength. The answer is in verse 16: "Walk in the Spirit." Feed the new nature, and you will not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

The Works of the Flesh

Paul does not leave us guessing what the flesh produces:

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." — Galatians 5:19-21 (KJV)

Some of these words are old, so let's explain a few. Lasciviousness means shameless lust. Variance means quarreling. Emulations means jealous rivalry. Seditions means stirring up division. Revellings means wild, drunken partying. Look at that list. It isn't just the big, ugly sins. Right next to adultery and murder are hatred, strife, and envy. The flesh is just as busy in a church fight as in a bar fight.

The Fruit Explained

Now look at what the Spirit grows instead.

Love is first. It is the love of God, the kind that gives itself for others. Joy is a deep gladness in the Lord that does not depend on how things are going. Peace is a calm heart that trusts God, and peace with others.

Longsuffering means patience with people, putting up with them for a long time without blowing up. Gentleness means kindness. Goodness is doing what is right and doing good to others.

Faith here means faithfulness, being someone others can count on. Meekness is strength under control, not weakness. Moses was called very meek (Numbers 12:3), and he was no pushover. Temperance means self-control.

Paul ends by saying, "against such there is no law." No law in the world forbids love, joy, or kindness. You can never have too much of this fruit.

Love Comes First

It is no accident that love heads the list. Paul describes what that love looks like:

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;" — 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (KJV)

Read that list slowly. Love suffers long. It is kind. It does not envy, brag, or puff itself up. It does not act rudely, insist on its own way, get easily angered, or keep a record of wrongs. Now read it as if it described you: "I suffer long, and I am kind." Most of us stop pretty quickly. That shows how much we need the Spirit. Only He can grow that kind of love in a human heart. And when love grows, the rest of the fruit follows, because joy, peace, patience, and kindness are really love in action.

Crucified and Walking

Then Paul tells us how this happens:

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." — Galatians 5:24-25 (KJV)

At salvation, our old self was dealt with at the cross. Paul says elsewhere, "I am crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20). Now we are to live out what is already true. "If we live in the Spirit," and every believer does, "let us also walk in the Spirit."

Walking is a picture of daily, step-by-step living. You don't walk by taking one giant leap once a year. You take one step, then another. Walking in the Spirit means taking each step of the day in dependence on Him: what you say, what you watch, how you treat people, how you respond when you're wronged.

How to Walk in the Spirit

How do we do that in real life? The Bible gives several practical helps.

First, stay in the Word. The Spirit uses what He wrote. Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." Notice that the results Paul lists there are the same as being filled with the Spirit in Ephesians 5: singing, thanksgiving, and a heart toward God.

Second, stay connected to Christ. Jesus said:

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." — John 15:5 (KJV)

"Without me ye can do nothing." That's not a slogan. It's the secret of fruit.

Third, keep short accounts with God. When you sin, confess it right away.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." — 1 John 1:9 (KJV)

Fourth, don't feed the flesh. Paul says, "make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Romans 13:14). If something keeps tripping you up, cut off its supply.

Fifth, be patient with the growing season. Fruit doesn't ripen overnight. Paul says, "let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" (Galatians 6:9).

Why This Matters

The world will not be won by Christians who argue the loudest. It will be won by Christians who look like Jesus. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control are the Holy Spirit's portrait of Christ, painted in the lives of His people. When the Spirit has His way, people see Jesus in you.

This also brings our whole series together. The Holy Spirit is a Person and God. He saved us, lives in us, and seals us. He gifts us to serve. And He grows the fruit that makes us like Christ.

A Simple Step for This Week

Here's our challenge for this week. Write the nine parts of the fruit of the Spirit on a card. Each night, look at the list and ask, "Where did the flesh win today, and where did the Spirit win?" Confess what needs confessing, thank God for His help, and ask Him to grow one part of the fruit in you tomorrow.

A Prayer

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who lives in us and fights against the flesh. We confess that we cannot produce this fruit on our own. Without You we can do nothing.

Lord, help us to walk in the Spirit, one step at a time. Grow in us love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance, so that others will see Jesus in us.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Thank you for spending this time with us.

This is Authorized Sword Ministries. God bless you.

Study Questions

1. Read Galatians 5:22-23. Why is it important that Paul says "fruit" and not "fruits"?
2. According to Galatians 5:16-17, what war goes on inside every believer?
3. What does Paul say is the answer to the lust of the flesh in Galatians 5:16?
4. Read the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21. Which ones surprise you, and why?
5. What do longsuffering, meekness, and temperance mean?
6. What does it mean that "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh" (Galatians 5:24)?
7. What does walking in the Spirit look like in an ordinary day?
8. According to John 15:5, what is the secret to bearing much fruit?
9. How do 1 John 1:9 and Romans 13:14 help us walk in the Spirit?
10. Which part of the fruit of the Spirit do you most want God to grow in you this week?

Verified Scripture References (KJV)

All quotations were checked word for word against the King James Version (bible-api.com, translation=kjv) on October 26, 2026.

1. Galatians 5:22-23 — "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."
2. Galatians 5:16-17 — "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."
3. Galatians 5:19-21 — "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
4. 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 — "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;"
5. Galatians 5:24-25 — "And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
6. John 15:5 — "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
7. 1 John 1:9 — "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
8. Matthew 7:20 (phrase quoted inline) — "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
9. Galatians 2:20 (phrase quoted inline) — "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
10. Romans 13:14 (phrase quoted inline) — "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."
11. Galatians 6:9 (phrase quoted inline) — "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Word Study Sources

All sources were opened and checked on October 26, 2026. Word meanings are from Strong's and Thayer's lexicons on Blue Letter Bible.

1. "lasciviousness" (Greek aselgeia), shameless lust, licentiousness: Strong's G766. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g766/kjv/tr/0-1/
2. "variance" (Greek eris), a quarrel, strife: Strong's G2054. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2054/kjv/tr/0-1/
3. "emulations" (Greek zelos), jealousy, envious rivalry: Strong's G2205. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2205/kjv/tr/0-1/
4. "seditions" (Greek dichostasia), disunion, division: Strong's G1370. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1370/kjv/tr/0-1/
5. "revellings" (Greek komos), a carousal, revelling, rioting: Strong's G2970. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2970/kjv/tr/0-1/
6. "longsuffering" (Greek makrothumia), forbearance, patience: Strong's G3115. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3115/kjv/tr/0-1/
7. "meekness" (Greek praotes), gentleness, humility: Strong's G4236. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4236/kjv/tr/0-1/
8. "temperance" (Greek enkrateia), self-control: Strong's G1466. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1466/kjv/tr/0-1/