Walking Differently: The Supernatural Power of the Spirit's Fruit
- Pastor J. Bradford Johnson Jr.
- Jul 4
- 5 min read
There's a profound difference between knowing something and living it. You can know the weather forecast and still get caught in the rain, or you can dress for it and walk prepared. This distinction between information and embodiment lies at the heart of what it means to truly live as a believer, not just claim the title.
Beyond Human Effort
The fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control, are not achievements we manufacture through sheer willpower. They're not character traits we develop through discipline alone. These qualities emerge as supernatural byproducts of living in union with the Holy Spirit.
Consider the difference between works and fruit. Works denote something produced through personal effort and striving. Fruit, however, emerges naturally from being connected to the source of life. Just as an apple tree produces apples through its nature rather than deliberate effort, the Holy Spirit produces these qualities as part of His nature working through us.
Jesus illustrated this perfectly in John 15 with the parable of the vine and branches. A branch cannot bear fruit by its own efforts. When connected to the vine, however, it brings forth much fruit effortlessly. The key isn't trying harder, it's staying connected.
The Power of Sustained Connection
When we abide in Christ and His words abide in us, something remarkable happens: we can ask what we will, and it shall be done. This isn't presumption; it's the natural outcome of alignment. When you're connected to the vine, God hears and acts on your behalf.
This connection transforms how we experience life's challenges. Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. Those who go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. Why? Because God heard and God is acting.
Every time the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives, the Father is glorified. This fruit-bearing goes beyond improved behavior, it represents the manifestation of abundant life. The fruit isn't simply character development; it's the overflow of our union with Christ. It's the vine producing life.
Living the Difference
If we live in the Spirit, we must also walk in the Spirit. This isn't just spiritual language, it's practical application. A tree is known by the fruit it bears. You can identify an apple tree because it produces apples, a peach tree because it produces peaches. The problem arises when we claim to be one thing but produce something entirely different.
Walking in the Spirit means taking each step in line with the Leader. Not walking behind, not rushing ahead, but moving in perfect alignment with the Holy Spirit's guidance. When the Spirit of truth comes, He guides us into all truth.
The Final Three Fruits
Faithfulness governs our commitment. This isn't faith in God, it's the faithfulness that won't allow us to give up. God demonstrates faithfulness through His covenant with us, and we're called to reflect this quality. But here's the beautiful truth: this commitment doesn't depend on our human efforts.
How many times have we convinced ourselves to quit, to throw in the towel, to walk away? Yet just when we're ready to give up, a song plays, a text arrives, a sermon speaks directly to our situation. That's the fruit of faithfulness being produced by the Holy Spirit. Nothing about our circumstances may have changed, but suddenly we're recommitted, holding on with renewed strength.
Meekness governs our relationships. Often misunderstood as weakness, meekness actually describes a strong-willed person who has learned to bring that strength under control. It's power deliberately restrained. When the Holy Spirit produces meekness, it functions like soothing medication. A meek person responds so gently that their mere presence becomes calming to angry and troubled situations.
Remember when Jesus stepped to the top of the boat and calmed the boisterous, angry sea? That's the power of meekness. When this fruit is produced in your life, your presence alone can cause every troublesome situation to settle. Chaos ceases when you enter the room, not because of your strength, but because of His presence in you.
Temperance (self-control) is perhaps the most challenging to understand. This isn't human willpower or self-discipline. If we could control ourselves, we wouldn't need Jesus. True temperance is God-control, allowing the Holy Spirit to control us.
Sometimes we need the Holy Spirit to sit down on us. When we see something we want, something we desire, and we know our own weakness in that area, we need divine restraint. True victory isn't victory over circumstances; it's victory over ourselves.
The Lord Over Everything
Temperance means allowing God to be Lord over your life. And when God is Lord over your life, He automatically becomes Lord over everything connected to you. He's Lord over your house, your flesh, your desires, your wants, your vision, your business, your gifts, your talents—everything.
This is why the disciples were asked, "Where is your faith?" If He's Lord over the situation, He's also Lord over the storm. You can't go down when He's Lord over everything.
Led Into Anointing
The Holy Spirit doesn't just keep us from trouble. He leads us through it into our anointing. Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit, then immediately led into the wilderness to be tempted. He showed us that hell will show up, but the Holy Spirit will lead us through it.
When hell shows up, it won't prevail against those who have the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn't claim His anointing until after His wilderness season. The Holy Spirit leads us into our anointing through what we're calling storms and trials.
Yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we walk, we don't run in fear. We walk through it, demonstrating that the Holy Spirit is with us, leading us, guiding us.
Built Different
We've been designed and built to walk through valleys, not be destroyed by them. This is the life of a visible demonstration of who God is. When we produce the fruit of the Spirit, we're no longer just reading about God's past victories—we become present-tense evidence of His power.
This year isn't about surviving, it's about living. Because every time the fruit of the Spirit produces in your life, it's an indicator that you're connected to the vine and the vine is producing life. You have peace even when everything is going wrong. You have joy independent of circumstances. You have faithfulness when logic says to quit.
You're built different because Jesus built you. And you're not apologizing for that fact. That's why you don't give up. That's why you don't throw in the towel. That's why, against all odds, you're still standing, still praising, still believing.
The Holy Spirit walks with you, talks with you, and tells you that you are His own. Walk differently. You've been built for it.
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