The Evidence of Being Full of the Spirit

When we hear that someone is “full of the Holy Spirit,” what immediately comes to mind?

For many Christians, we think about the supernatural.

We think about prophecy. We think about speaking in tongues. We think about laying hands on the sick and seeing them healed. We think about casting out demons, receiving words of knowledge, or witnessing powerful manifestations of God.

And Scripture certainly teaches that the Holy Spirit gives supernatural gifts.

But there is an important distinction we cannot afford to miss:

The presence of a spiritual gift is not necessarily evidence of spiritual maturity.

If we want to know what a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit begins to look like, Scripture tells us to look not only at the gifts, but also at the fruit.

What Is the Fruit of the Spirit?

Paul writes:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”— Galatians 5:22–23 KJV

Notice what Paul calls these things.

Fruit.

Fruit is evidence of what is growing within.

An apple tree doesn't have to hang a sign around its trunk announcing that it's an apple tree.

Eventually, what is inside the tree becomes visible through what grows from its branches.

In the same way, someone walking closely with the Holy Spirit should increasingly produce something that can be seen in their life.

Love begins to grow.

Joy begins to grow.

Peace begins to grow.

Patience begins to grow.

Gentleness begins to grow.

Self-control begins to grow.

That doesn't mean the person becomes perfect overnight. Spiritual fruit grows as we continue walking with God and surrendering areas of our lives to Him.

But there should be fruit.

Miracles Alone Don't Prove Someone Knows Jesus

Jesus gives us one of the most sobering warnings in the New Testament:

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”— Matthew 7:22–23 KJV

Think about what these people claimed.

Prophecy.

Casting out demons.

Wonderful works.

If supernatural activity alone proved someone's relationship with Jesus, this passage would be difficult to explain.

But Jesus doesn't challenge their claim by saying, “No, you didn't perform enough miracles.”

He brings everything back to something deeper:

“I never knew you.”

Their argument was based upon what they had done.

Jesus' response was based upon whether they knew Him.

That should make every believer stop and examine how we measure spiritual maturity.

We can become so fascinated by what happens through someone's ministry that we forget to look at what is happening within their life.

Paul Gives an Even Stronger Warning

Paul makes essentially the same point in 1 Corinthians 13.

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”— 1 Corinthians 13:2 KJV

Imagine that.

Someone could have tremendous knowledge.

Someone could prophesy.

Someone could possess extraordinary faith.

Yet Paul says that without love, “I am nothing.”

Why?

Because God's goal isn't simply to make us powerful.

His desire is to make us like Christ.

The Holy Spirit doesn't only want to work through us.

He wants to transform us.

The Fruit Isn't About Human Willpower

There is another side to this that is equally important.

Talking about the fruit of the Spirit can accidentally sound like another list of Christian works:

“Be more loving.”

“Try harder to have patience.”

“Control yourself.”

“Stop worrying.”

But that's not really Paul's point.

He doesn't call these things the fruit of human determination.

He calls them the:

Fruit of the Spirit.

There will be moments when your flesh wants to respond in anger, but the Spirit gives you the strength to remain gentle.

There will be circumstances where everything around you says you should be overwhelmed, yet somehow you discover peace in Christ.

There will be people who are incredibly difficult to love, but the Spirit begins teaching you how to love them anyway.

There will be temptations that you don't feel strong enough to overcome on your own, yet through surrender to Christ you begin discovering strength that isn't coming merely from yourself.

That's why self-control is such an important fruit.

Self-control isn't standing proudly and declaring:

“Look how strong I am.”

It's recognizing:

“I don't have to be controlled by every desire of my flesh because the Spirit of God is working within me.”

There is a tremendous difference.

Gifts and Fruit Aren't Enemies

None of this means we should reject spiritual gifts.

Paul certainly didn't.

He taught about prophecy, tongues, healing, miracles, discernment, words of knowledge, and other manifestations of the Spirit.

Scripture tells us:

“Quench not the Spirit.Despise not prophesyings.Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”— 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21 KJV

The answer to spiritual abuse isn't rejecting everything supernatural.

The answer is biblical discernment.

We shouldn't have to choose between the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit.

We should desire both.

But we must understand the difference between them.

A gift demonstrates what God is capable of doing through someone.

Fruit reveals what God is producing within someone.

And when evaluating spiritual maturity, fruit matters deeply.

Look Beyond the Platform

This becomes especially important in a time when ministries can become platforms and spiritual experiences can become content.

It is easy to be impressed by what happens publicly.

But what happens when nobody is watching?

Is there gentleness?

Is there humility?

Is there patience?

Is there self-control?

Is there love?

How does someone treat people who cannot benefit them?

How do they respond when corrected?

How do they respond when someone disagrees with them?

How do they respond when someone else succeeds?

How do they behave when they don't get their way?

Sometimes those moments tell us far more about spiritual maturity than what happens behind a microphone.

Jesus said:

“Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”— Matthew 7:20 KJV

Fruit matters.

Don't Just Examine Everyone Else

But there is a danger here too.

We can read something like this and immediately start examining everybody else's fruit.

“That pastor doesn't have enough patience.”

“That person doesn't have enough gentleness.”

“That ministry doesn't have enough love.”

And suddenly we've turned a message about surrender into another tool for accusation.

Before examining everyone else's fruit, look at your own tree.

Am I becoming more loving?

Am I becoming more patient?

Am I learning gentleness?

Am I growing in self-control?

Do I have greater peace in Christ than I did before?

Am I becoming more like Jesus?

Those questions aren't meant to condemn us.

They're meant to lead us deeper.

Because when we discover an area where the fruit isn't growing, the answer isn't pretending everything is fine.

The answer is returning to the One who produces the fruit.

The Greatest Evidence Is a Changed Life

There is something incredibly powerful about watching God transform a person.

The angry person becomes gentle.

The fearful person discovers peace.

The selfish person learns generosity.

The bitter person learns forgiveness.

The impulsive person develops self-control.

The hopeless person discovers joy.

Those changes may never receive the attention that a dramatic miracle receives.

But they are supernatural too.

Sometimes the miracle isn't only what happens when someone lays hands on another person.

Sometimes the miracle is what happens when a person who couldn't control their anger becomes gentle because Christ has transformed their heart.

Sometimes the miracle is finding peace in circumstances that once would have destroyed you.

Sometimes the miracle is loving someone you once hated.

Sometimes the miracle is discovering that the sin which once controlled you no longer has the same grip because you're learning to walk by the Spirit.

That is the power of God at work within a human life.

Seek the Spirit, Not the Appearance of Spirituality

We should desire everything God desires to give His Church.

If He gives gifts, use them for His glory.

If He calls you to pray for someone, pray.

If He gives you a word, obey Him.

If He uses you in someone's healing, give Him the glory.

But never allow what God does through you to become more important than what God is doing in you.

Don't become so fascinated with appearing powerful that you stop becoming Christlike.

Don't chase manifestations while neglecting transformation.

Don't measure your relationship with God by how impressive your ministry appears.

Keep coming back to Jesus.

Keep surrendering.

Keep walking by the Spirit.

And let Him produce His fruit in you.

Because ultimately, being full of the Spirit isn't about showing everyone how spiritual we are.

It's about becoming more like the One the Spirit continually points us toward:

Jesus Christ.

The gifts can show what God is doing through us.

But the fruit reveals what God is doing within us.

May we desire both—but above all, may we desire to know Him.

Pastor Scott