Where the Spirit Lives, Fruit Grows
The Spirit doesn’t just stir your emotions. He transforms your life. Where the Spirit lives, fruit grows!
And what if spiritual maturity isn’t about trying harder… but growing deeper?
Most of us want to grow in our faith. We want to love better, forgive quicker, have more joy, show more patience—but the truth is, we often try to force that growth ourselves. And when we fail, we get discouraged.
But the Bible tells a different story.
It tells us that the key to a fruitful life isn’t self-effort—it’s surrender.
Not more striving. More abiding.
Not more willpower. More Spirit.
Where the Spirit Lives, Fruit Grows
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
—Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT)
Fruit isn’t forced. It’s grown.
Just like a tree produces fruit because it’s rooted in good soil and nourished by sunlight and rain, a believer produces spiritual fruit when they’re rooted in the Holy Spirit—nourished by the Word, and pruned by the Gardener.
Where the Spirit lives, fruit grows. It’s not about trying harder. It’s about living connected.
Trying Without the Spirit? It Doesn’t Work.
Trying to grow spiritually without the Spirit is like trying to grow apples on a dead tree.
You can staple fruit to the branches, but it won’t last. It will rot. And eventually, you’ll feel like a failure.
Without the Spirit, your life may be busy—but never fruitful.
The Holy Spirit was given not just to comfort us, but to cultivate us—to work in our lives so deeply that the transformation becomes undeniable.
Love where there was once bitterness.
Peace where there was once anxiety.
Self-control where there was once addiction.
The Holy Spirit Does the Work You Can’t
- He convicts you when sin needs to be addressed
- He guides you when truth feels confusing
- He comforts you when life feels too heavy
- He empowers you when obedience feels impossible
- He transforms you into the likeness of Jesus
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom… And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him…”
—2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (NLT)
He doesn’t just fix you. He forms you.
A Personal Story: The Move That Changed My Fruitfulness
Wendy and I had a home in Forney, Texas, and one in Smethport, Pennsylvania. The plan had always been to retire in Pennsylvania—but I was eager to move before that day came.
Now, Wendy was from Pennsylvania. All three of her brothers lived there. You’d think that would make the decision easy, but she resisted. What she didn’t know was that I had a reason—one I didn’t really say out loud.
I thought I would pass before her and I wanted her to be near family when that day came.
I didn’t have much family left in Texas, and her family had become mine. So I gently pushed for the move.
Finally, in 2020—right as the pandemic began—we made the decision to move permanently to Pennsylvania.
Then… Wendy passed before I did.
So what does that have to do with this blog?
In Texas, Wendy was deeply connected at our church. I wasn’t. But here in Pennsylvania, I’ve found my place. God placed me at Hilltop Baptist, where I now serve and grow and disciple others.
It was as if the Holy Spirit knew the support I would need… before I did. I would have the church family and community that would surround me in grief, support me in ministry, and give me new ground to bear fruit I never could in Texas.
I wasn’t producing much fruit in Texas—but in Pennsylvania, the Spirit is working through me like never before.
Only God—through the guidance of the Holy Spirit—could write a story like that.
You Don’t Have to Try Harder. You Just Have to Stay Connected.
Jesus said:
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
—John 15:5 (NLT)
That’s the secret.
Not more effort. More abiding.
If you want to grow—really grow—lean into the Spirit. Open your heart. Surrender the pressure to perform. Invite Him to prune what’s dead and nourish what’s alive.
You won’t just feel better. You’ll be different.
Because…
Where the Spirit lives, fruit grows.
📢 Call to Action
Have you ever experienced the Spirit growing something in you that you couldn’t grow on your own?
💬 Please comment below to share your story or thoughts—we’d love to hear from you.
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📖 You can also read the other posts in our Holy Spirit series here:
👉 https://discipleblueprint.com/category/holyspirit/
Let the Spirit do what only He can do—grow something eternal in you.
