faith that GROWS stronger | when god is forming what you cannot force
galatians 5:22-25
Faith does not always grow in ways we can see right away. Sometimes God is forming strength beneath the surface, cultivating spiritual fruit through patience, pressure, surrender, and grace.
In Galatians 5:22–25, we are reminded that the fruit of the Spirit is not produced by pressure, performance, or human effort alone. This reflection invites us to abide in Christ, surrender what weakens our faith, and allow the Holy Spirit to grow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control within us.
In Galatians 5:22–25, we are reminded that the fruit of the Spirit is not produced by pressure, performance, or human effort alone. This reflection invites us to abide in Christ, surrender what weakens our faith, and allow the Holy Spirit to grow love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control within us.
Galatians 5:22-25
June 14, 2026
This reflection flows from Sunday’s message at Prospect Park United Methodist Church. You are invited to worship with us for the full experience of Word, prayer, and community.
June 14, 2026
This reflection flows from Sunday’s message at Prospect Park United Methodist Church. You are invited to worship with us for the full experience of Word, prayer, and community.
Rev. Dr. Sterling L. Eaton, Senior Pastor of Prospect Park United Methodist Church, shares sermons and weekly messages that encourage faith, discipleship, and spiritual growth. Learn more on his pastor page or visit his official profile and media page.
Sometimes growth happens so slowly that we almost miss it. A child grows taller, but those who see that child every day may not notice until one morning the shoes no longer fit or the sleeves are too short. A tree grows stronger, but most of that strength develops beneath the surface, where roots quietly deepen in soil unseen.
Spiritual growth often happens the same way. It may not always be dramatic, loud, or visible in one emotional moment. Sometimes faith grows stronger quietly, slowly, faithfully, and deeply as the Spirit of God continues to form Christ within us.
That is good news for those who have been growing even when they did not recognize it. It is good news for those who have been changing even while they still felt weak. It is good news for those who have been maturing through trials, grief, pressure, disappointment, and uncertainty.
In Galatians 5, Paul reminds us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These qualities are not simply the fruit of personality, education, achievement, or religious appearance. They are the fruit of the Spirit. That means this kind of character is not something we manufacture by human effort alone. It is something God grows within us.
Many people are tired from trying to become better by their own strength. They are trying to be more loving, more patient, more peaceful, more disciplined, and more faithful, but they are doing it while running on empty. Yet Jesus reminds us, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” He says, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” Fruit comes from abiding. Spiritual growth is not first about striving harder. It is about remaining more deeply connected to Christ.
There is a difference between appearing spiritual and becoming Christlike. A person can attend worship, serve faithfully, speak kindly, and look strong on the outside, yet still struggle with impatience, bitterness, anxiety, resentment, or fear on the inside. The evidence of the Spirit is not merely religious activity. The evidence of the Spirit is Christlike character.
This matters deeply in the world we live in today. We live in a time when outrage spreads quickly, kindness can feel rare, anxiety feels normal, and people are often quick to judge but slow to listen. Families are under pressure. Communities are divided. Many hearts are tired. In such a world, the fruit of the Spirit becomes a powerful witness.
Love becomes powerful in a culture growing cold. Joy becomes a witness in a world weighed down by despair. Peace becomes visible when anxiety feels normal. Patience becomes holy resistance in a society addicted to speed. Kindness becomes prophetic when cruelty is common. Goodness becomes light when compromise seems easier. Faithfulness becomes beautiful when many give up too soon. Gentleness becomes strength under control. Self-control becomes freedom in a world ruled by impulse.
But we also need to hear this with grace: fruit reflects maturity, not perfection.
Some people hear Galatians 5 and immediately feel discouraged because they know where they still struggle. They hear love and remember the people they struggle to love. They hear joy and remember how tired they feel. They hear peace and remember the anxiety they carry. They hear patience and remember how quickly they become irritated.
But fruit does not ripen overnight. No farmer plants a seed on Monday and expects a full harvest on Tuesday. Growth takes time. Fruit begins small. It needs good soil, water, sunlight, pruning, protection, and patience. In the same way, spiritual fruit often grows through seasons we would not have chosen.
Sometimes patience grows when life does not move at our preferred pace. Peace grows when circumstances do not change immediately. Faithfulness grows when obedience costs something. Self-control grows when we surrender our impulses to God. Compassion grows when we allow the Spirit to soften what life has hardened.
That is how spiritual fruit often grows. It grows in the middle of real life: raising children, paying bills, grieving losses, caring for loved ones, serving others, forgiving others, fighting discouragement, and learning to trust God even when we do not understand everything or see the full outcome.
You may feel that you have prayed, waited, tried, and cried, yet still do not see the fruit you hoped for. But do not dismiss what God is forming in you simply because it is not finished yet. If you are becoming more patient, more prayerful, more forgiving, less fearful, more gentle, more faithful, and more self-controlled, the Spirit is at work.
Paul says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Life in the Spirit requires surrender. Faith that grows stronger cannot keep feeding what weakens it. Some things must be surrendered. Patterns must be broken. Old ways of thinking, speaking, reacting, and living must be placed at the feet of Jesus.
This is not because God is trying to take life from us. It is because God is cultivating life within us.
The good news is that we are not stuck. The Spirit can still nurture what feels weak, strengthen what feels fragile, and form Christlike character in us. God does not begin a good work and then abandon it halfway. God keeps working, shaping, pruning, and growing His people.
Galatians 5:25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” That phrase matters: keep in step. It suggests movement, rhythm, surrender, and attentiveness. To live by the Spirit is to learn to walk at God’s pace, respond to God’s prompting, and surrender to God’s formation.
So today, the question is not simply whether we can name the fruit of the Spirit. The deeper question is whether we are allowing the Spirit to cultivate that fruit in us.
Are we abiding in Christ?
Are we surrendering what weakens our faith?
Are we keeping in step with the Spirit?
The good news is that God is still growing His people. So walk by faith, trust beyond what you see, and follow where God is leading, because He is already at work in your life.
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. Teach us to abide in Christ and keep in step with You. When our faith feels weak, strengthen us. When our hearts feel weary, renew us. When old habits hinder us, help us surrender. Grow in us a faith rooted in grace, shaped by Christ, and guided by the Spirit, so our lives may bear fruit that brings You glory and hope to the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Walk by faith, trust beyond what you see, and follow where God is leading—because He is already at work in your life.”
Spiritual growth often happens the same way. It may not always be dramatic, loud, or visible in one emotional moment. Sometimes faith grows stronger quietly, slowly, faithfully, and deeply as the Spirit of God continues to form Christ within us.
That is good news for those who have been growing even when they did not recognize it. It is good news for those who have been changing even while they still felt weak. It is good news for those who have been maturing through trials, grief, pressure, disappointment, and uncertainty.
In Galatians 5, Paul reminds us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These qualities are not simply the fruit of personality, education, achievement, or religious appearance. They are the fruit of the Spirit. That means this kind of character is not something we manufacture by human effort alone. It is something God grows within us.
Many people are tired from trying to become better by their own strength. They are trying to be more loving, more patient, more peaceful, more disciplined, and more faithful, but they are doing it while running on empty. Yet Jesus reminds us, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” He says, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.” Fruit comes from abiding. Spiritual growth is not first about striving harder. It is about remaining more deeply connected to Christ.
There is a difference between appearing spiritual and becoming Christlike. A person can attend worship, serve faithfully, speak kindly, and look strong on the outside, yet still struggle with impatience, bitterness, anxiety, resentment, or fear on the inside. The evidence of the Spirit is not merely religious activity. The evidence of the Spirit is Christlike character.
This matters deeply in the world we live in today. We live in a time when outrage spreads quickly, kindness can feel rare, anxiety feels normal, and people are often quick to judge but slow to listen. Families are under pressure. Communities are divided. Many hearts are tired. In such a world, the fruit of the Spirit becomes a powerful witness.
Love becomes powerful in a culture growing cold. Joy becomes a witness in a world weighed down by despair. Peace becomes visible when anxiety feels normal. Patience becomes holy resistance in a society addicted to speed. Kindness becomes prophetic when cruelty is common. Goodness becomes light when compromise seems easier. Faithfulness becomes beautiful when many give up too soon. Gentleness becomes strength under control. Self-control becomes freedom in a world ruled by impulse.
But we also need to hear this with grace: fruit reflects maturity, not perfection.
Some people hear Galatians 5 and immediately feel discouraged because they know where they still struggle. They hear love and remember the people they struggle to love. They hear joy and remember how tired they feel. They hear peace and remember the anxiety they carry. They hear patience and remember how quickly they become irritated.
But fruit does not ripen overnight. No farmer plants a seed on Monday and expects a full harvest on Tuesday. Growth takes time. Fruit begins small. It needs good soil, water, sunlight, pruning, protection, and patience. In the same way, spiritual fruit often grows through seasons we would not have chosen.
Sometimes patience grows when life does not move at our preferred pace. Peace grows when circumstances do not change immediately. Faithfulness grows when obedience costs something. Self-control grows when we surrender our impulses to God. Compassion grows when we allow the Spirit to soften what life has hardened.
That is how spiritual fruit often grows. It grows in the middle of real life: raising children, paying bills, grieving losses, caring for loved ones, serving others, forgiving others, fighting discouragement, and learning to trust God even when we do not understand everything or see the full outcome.
You may feel that you have prayed, waited, tried, and cried, yet still do not see the fruit you hoped for. But do not dismiss what God is forming in you simply because it is not finished yet. If you are becoming more patient, more prayerful, more forgiving, less fearful, more gentle, more faithful, and more self-controlled, the Spirit is at work.
Paul says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Life in the Spirit requires surrender. Faith that grows stronger cannot keep feeding what weakens it. Some things must be surrendered. Patterns must be broken. Old ways of thinking, speaking, reacting, and living must be placed at the feet of Jesus.
This is not because God is trying to take life from us. It is because God is cultivating life within us.
The good news is that we are not stuck. The Spirit can still nurture what feels weak, strengthen what feels fragile, and form Christlike character in us. God does not begin a good work and then abandon it halfway. God keeps working, shaping, pruning, and growing His people.
Galatians 5:25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” That phrase matters: keep in step. It suggests movement, rhythm, surrender, and attentiveness. To live by the Spirit is to learn to walk at God’s pace, respond to God’s prompting, and surrender to God’s formation.
So today, the question is not simply whether we can name the fruit of the Spirit. The deeper question is whether we are allowing the Spirit to cultivate that fruit in us.
Are we abiding in Christ?
Are we surrendering what weakens our faith?
Are we keeping in step with the Spirit?
The good news is that God is still growing His people. So walk by faith, trust beyond what you see, and follow where God is leading, because He is already at work in your life.
Prayer:
Gracious God, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. Teach us to abide in Christ and keep in step with You. When our faith feels weak, strengthen us. When our hearts feel weary, renew us. When old habits hinder us, help us surrender. Grow in us a faith rooted in grace, shaped by Christ, and guided by the Spirit, so our lives may bear fruit that brings You glory and hope to the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“Walk by faith, trust beyond what you see, and follow where God is leading—because He is already at work in your life.”
Written by Rev. Dr. Sterling L. Eaton
Learn more about the ministry, leadership, sermons, and community outreach of Rev. Dr. Sterling L. Eaton , Senior Pastor of Prospect Park United Methodist Church .
Continue Growing in Faith – Sermons on Trust, Waiting, and Hope
Part of the “Faith That Sees Beyond” series by Rev. Dr. Sterling L. Eaton.
These messages continue the journey of faith, trust, and discipleship as we walk together with Christ. Each reflection invites you to explore how faith grows through seasons of waiting, deepens through trust, and is sustained by hope.
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Shared for personal encouragement and spiritual growth. Please do not reproduce or preach without permission or proper attribution.
If this reflection spoke to you, you’re invited to share a brief reflection or reach out as we continue to walk by faith together.
Shared for personal encouragement and spiritual growth. Please do not reproduce or preach without permission or proper attribution.
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Reflections are thoughtfully reviewed before appearing publicly to help maintain a respectful and prayerful space.
Reflections are thoughtfully reviewed before appearing publicly to help maintain a respectful and prayerful space.
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