Growing Into His Image: How God Forms the Fruit of the Spirit in Us

The Christian life is not built on fear or hesitation. Scripture invites us to come boldly before God, to ask freely, and to trust completely in His goodness. Jesus said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” Matthew 7:7. But the gifts Jesus was pointing us toward were never material rewards or earthly comforts. They were the gifts of the Spirit, the inner qualities of Christ Himself, and the transforming work of God within us.

When Jesus explained the generosity of the Father, He said, “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13. The Holy Spirit is the greatest gift, and everything He produces in us is part of the “good things” the Father delights to give. Psalm 37:4. Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” Luke 12:32. The kingdom is God's Holy Spirit in every man, and the Spirit's guidance into its fruit (fruit of the Spirit), and ultimately, eternal life through Christ Jesus.

Paul described the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance Galatians 5:22–23. These are not random virtues. They are the very character of Christ. When we ask God for the fruit of the Spirit, we are asking Him to form the life of His Son within us. Jesus reinforced this when He said, “How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Matthew 7:11. The good things are the things of the Spirit. They are the qualities that reflect God’s nature and reveal His work in our hearts.

This truth becomes clearer when we look at our own lives. Recently, I prayed for patience, sincerely asking God to help me grow in that area. I expected to feel calmer, more settled, more composed. Instead, life seemed to become more frustrating. Delays increased. Interruptions multiplied. Situations that tested my limits appeared one after another. At first, it felt like the opposite of an answered prayer. Then, I realized something deeper was happening. Those moments were not obstacles; they were opportunities. They were the very places where patience was being formed. What felt like resistance was actually refinement. God was answering my prayer, not by dropping patience into my heart instantly, but by shaping it within me through real experience. We are still working through it together, but I can see that patience is growing in me precisely because God allowed me to walk through situations where patience was required.

This is how spiritual growth works. God forms character through process, for His purpose. He shapes us through the steady work of the Spirit and through the moments where we must choose to walk in what He is producing. Paul explained this when he wrote, “Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope” Romans 5:3–4. Patience is not learned in comfort. It is learned in the places where we must wait, trust, and endure. Wisdom is not gained in a moment. Proverbs says, “If thou seekest her [wisdom] as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” Proverbs 2:4–5. Strength is not built through ease. The Lord told Paul, “My strength is made perfect in weakness," in the Thorn in the Flesh 2 Corinthians 12:9. Faith is not strengthened by certainty. Peter wrote that the trial of our faith is “much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire” 1 Peter 1:7. Every fruit of the Spirit is cultivated through the Spirit’s work in real life.

Jesus described this process with the image of the vine and the branches. “Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit” John 15:2. Pruning is the meaning here, and it is not punishment. Pruning is preparation. It is the Father removing what hinders growth so that the life of Christ can flourish within us. It is the Spirit shaping us, refining us, and clearing away what does not reflect the image of the Son.

All of this fulfills the great transformation Paul described in his letter to the Corinthians. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” 2 Corinthians 3:18. This is the heart of spiritual formation. The Spirit is the gift. The fruit is the evidence. Christlikeness is the result. When we ask God for the fruit of the Spirit, we are asking for the very heart of Christ to be formed in us. Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” Luke 12:32. God delights to answer our prayers, because His purpose has always been to conform us to the image of His Son. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Romans 8:29

Spiritual growth is not about striving or forcing ourselves to be better. It is about surrendering to the work of the Spirit, trusting that the Father gives the best gifts, and allowing Him to transform us from glory to glory. When we ask for the fruit of the Spirit, we are asking for the life of Christ to take root in us. And the Father, who delights to give the Holy Spirit and good gifts to those who ask, will faithfully complete the work He has begun in us: “He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6

Come boldly unto the throne of grace..." Pray for refinement. "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Hebrews 10:36

May He guide our steps and light our way until we meet Him in the clouds. Amen.