22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:22-26
The Holy Spirit is vital to the Christian life. Read about the fruit of the Spirit in today's passage, and ask this question, Can I be such a good person on my own? We need divine intervention to live as God expects. That's why He gives each believer a Helper, whose job is to produce Christ-like character in us.
The heavenly Father knows that his children need assistance to comply with His commands. Even Jesus Christ's most faithful followers were, on their own, helpless to obey – for instance, Peter, who pledged to be loyal until death, denied even knowing Christ (Matthew 26:69-75).
Before returning to heaven, Jesus ordered the disciples to put their missionary work on hold until the Holy Spirit arrived (Luke 24:29). Only with the Spirit's aid could Peter the coward become Peter the rock and preach a challenging sermon that convicted many (Acts 2; see also Matthew 16:18).
The Holy Spirit enters a believer's life at the moment of salvation and immediately sets about the work of producing spiritual fruit. This is the outward expression of the transformed heart. When we yield to God's nurturing hand, our actions and attitudes become more loving, more joyful, more kind, more gentle. He reaps a harvest of service from our life – good works that grow our own faith and expand His kingdom.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to bring forth Christ-like character is not passive. Our part is to meditate upon God's word so we can learn about His character and apply His principles. Then, instead of satisfying our flesh, we must make wise decisions each day that allow the Spirit to develop godliness in our lives.