🌱 Start Here: Power to Grow

Galatians 5:16–25

✍️ by Pastor Gary Boyd, Collinsville Baptist Tabernacle

💪 We All Want to Grow

Every January, gyms fill up with people determined to change their lives. They start strong with new goals, new energy, and new resolve. But within a few weeks, the excitement fades, and most slip back into old habits.

That same pattern shows up in the Christian life. We start out with passion and promises, but before long we find ourselves running out of strength. We try harder to fix our habits and to feel closer to God, but we end up tired, frustrated, and wondering, “Why am I not growing?”

The Apostle Paul gives us the answer in Galatians 5. The Christian life isn’t powered by sheer effort; it’s powered by the Holy Spirit. That’s where the power to grow really comes from. ⚡

📖 The Backstory: Why Paul Wrote This

The churches in Galatia had started well but were slipping backward. False teachers convinced them that spiritual maturity came through rule-keeping and that growth was achieved by trying harder.

Paul writes to remind them, and us, that growth doesn’t come from law but from life—the life of the Spirit within. These verses show us what it looks like to live free, grow strong, and bear lasting fruit through God’s power. 🌿

1️⃣ Walk by the Spirit to Overcome the Pull of the Flesh (vv.16–18)

Paul contrasts two ways of living: one directed by the Spirit and one dominated by the flesh.

To walk by the Spirit means to depend on Him moment by moment. It’s a lifestyle, not a one-time decision.

When we walk by the Spirit, we’re no longer trapped by the old nature or crushed by guilt. The Spirit empowers what our strength never could.

“Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” — Galatians 5:16

👣 Reflect: Who’s really leading your decisions—your impulses, or the Holy Spirit?

✅ Try this:

• Begin each morning with a 2-minute prayer: “Holy Spirit, guide my words, reactions, and choices today.”
• Pause before a big decision and ask, “What would it look like to follow the Spirit here?”
• End the day asking, “Where did I follow His leading? Where did I resist?”

2️⃣ Recognize the Works of the Flesh That Hinder Growth (vv.19–21)

Paul doesn’t leave this contrast vague; he names what the flesh produces: impurity, jealousy, anger, division, envy, and more. These aren’t random; they’re signs of a heart running on self-effort instead of Spirit power.

The point isn’t to shame but to expose what’s holding us back. 🌫️

“The works of the flesh are manifest… they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” — Galatians 5:19, 21

🔍 Reflect: What attitudes or habits reveal that the flesh is still steering your life?

✅ Try this:

• Identify two “works of the flesh” you see most often and confess them specifically in prayer.
• Ask a trusted friend to pray with you and check in midweek.
• When irritation rises, pause and pray for the person instead of reacting.

3️⃣ Cultivate the Fruit the Spirit Produces in a Surrendered Life (vv.22–23)

After showing what the flesh produces, Paul shows what the Spirit grows. The word fruit is singular, a unified harvest of Christlike character: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 🍎

You can’t tape apples on a dead tree and call it fruitful. Real fruit grows from a living root. The Spirit doesn’t decorate our lives; He transforms them from within.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” — Galatians 5:22

🌼 Reflect: Which fruit of the Spirit is least visible in your life right now?

✅ Try this:

• Focus on one fruit this week, like patience or kindness.
• Memorize a verse about it and pray, “Spirit, produce this in me today.”
• Write down one moment when you saw Him help you respond differently.

4️⃣ Crucify the Flesh and Keep in Step with the Spirit (vv.24–25)

Those who belong to Christ have already crucified the flesh; its rule is broken.

Now we’re called to keep in step with the Spirit, like soldiers marching in rhythm. Growth continues as we match His direction, pace, and purpose.

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” — Galatians 5:25

🔥 Reflect: What part of your old self are you still keeping alive that Christ already crucified?

✅ Try this:

• Identify one habit or reaction that belongs to the “old you” and reckon it dead in prayer each morning.
• Journal one decision each day where you intentionally followed the Spirit’s prompting.
• End the day with gratitude: “Thank You, Lord, for helping me walk in step with You.”

🌅 When the Spirit Leads

There comes a day when the struggle doesn’t vanish, but the balance shifts.

The person who used to react in anger now responds with peace. The one who lived by fear starts resting in faith. Homes change. Relationships heal. Churches become more joyful, not because people got stronger, but because the Spirit began to lead. 💖

That’s what happens when believers stop trying to grow by effort and start walking in dependence. The fruit of the Spirit starts showing up in ordinary moments—patience under pressure, joy in trial, love where it used to be hardest.

That’s the power to grow, and it’s available to every believer who will walk in step with the Spirit.

🕊️ So What Now?

This week, stop trying to grow by your own strength.

Start each day by surrendering to the Spirit’s leadership. Talk to Him before you talk to anyone else. Obey His prompting the first time you sense it. Let Him produce in you what you could never produce on your own.

That’s where the power to grow begins. 🌟

❤️ A Word to Those Who Haven’t Yet Received That Power

Maybe you’re reading this and realize you don’t yet have that power because you don’t yet have the Spirit. The Bible says the Spirit lives in those who belong to Jesus, and you can belong to Him today.

Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again to give you new life.

If you’ll turn from your sin and trust Him as your Savior, He’ll forgive you completely and place His Spirit within you. Then you won’t just try to live a better life; you’ll receive new life from within. 🙌

If you’d like to talk to someone about receiving Jesus, reach out to us at Collinsville Baptist Tabernacle. We’d love to help you take your next step in finding the Power to Grow.

✝️ “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” — Galatians 5:25

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