Romans 8:9 (ESV)
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
As Christians, the Spirit of God plays a significant role in our lives as He guides us in our daily living. The indwelling of the Spirit that Paul refers to is not miraculous, it is through the medium of the Word of God. The Word is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).
The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to shape our lives and give us direction, but He does not do it without our consent. We must allow the Spirit to work with us. Paul knew this to be true when he instructed the churches of Galatia.
Galatians 5:16 (ESV)
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
To walk by the Spirit is to follow the Word that He has revealed by the inspired writers of the New Testament. This began when we obeyed the gospel of Christ and was sanctified.
1 Peter 1:2 (KJV)
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
This walk continues when we live by the instructions the Spirit gives us in the Bible. This Spirit-led walk always results in the same kind of living—living that produces the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Do you have the Spirit? Paul said if you do not, you do not belong to Christ; however, if you do, you are bearing the fruit of the Spirit. Maybe you have not mastered any of the fruit (who among us has?), still you possess them. If such is the case, you are demonstrating this fruit in your daily dealings with others. That the fruit of the Spirit is demonstrative was evident when the apostles chose men to serve tables in the church at Jerusalem.
Acts 6:2-3 (ESV)
2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
How would the brothers know which men were full of the Spirit? It was not by a miraculous demonstration of the Spirit because the apostles had not yet laid hands on them, which was the only means of obtaining miraculous power (Acts 8:18). It was simply by the fruit of the Spirit which they bore.
Are you walking and being guided by the Spirit? What a blessing it is to have the Spirit to direct us on this journey of ours toward heaven; but, we have to allow Him to lead us. If we do, the proof will be in the fruit.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.