Yielding to Yield

​I’ve just come back from an amazing women’s retreat where I’ve seen Jesus do the miraculous. For three days, our team seemed to live in the book of Acts. We went where we felt the Holy Spirit prompted us. We said what we felt He wanted us to say and when we felt Him pause, we stopped in our tracks. 
 
The entire experience was invigorating. My heart was full and I’ve spent the past week trying to savor every last moment of standing on Holy Ground where the Spirit of Jesus seems to flow so freely. 
 
“This must be it,” I’ve said to myself. “This is living by the Spirit. And I have to [insert checklist here] in order to maintain this sacred space.” As soon as I started to place pressure on myself to do “the things,” the harder it became to stick to all the guidelines I set for myself. Can you relate? 

​Don’t get me wrong! I believe spiritual disciplines help us connect with God and grow in maturity. Oddly enough as I read our passages for this week, I find living in a sacred space and walking by The Spirit is so much deeper and yet, much simpler than I could ever maintain on my own. 
 
In Galatians, Paul cautions Gentile believers about getting bogged down by Jewish law. They had been saved by their faith in Jesus as Messiah. Now, they were allowing themselves to be confused and trapped by others’ ideas of what it would take to maintain their salvation and grow. Paul reminds his readers to stand firm in the freedom that comes from God’s grace (Gal. 5:1).
 
In a nutshell, Paul teaches us: In order to yield the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we must yield to the Holy Spirit! 
 
The Holy Spirit - not rule-following or checklist-checking - maintains the ground of hearts in order to produce good fruit. That fruit may or may not include miracles, signs and wonders on a daily basis. (This feels like a bummer for me).
 
The fruit the Spirit produces is seen in the daily grind and grit of toilet scrubbing. Where childrearing gets rough and where preteen attitudes abound, patience and kindness can be found in a life yielded to the Holy Spirit. Our roots can go down deep into the sacred ground and we can soak up water from the Living well. The Spirit of Jesus within us makes this possible. When we walk close enough to step in rhythm with His heartbeat, near enough to hear His whisper, we can’t help but produce His fruit. 
 
Oh, how my heart longs to truly live this way - free from the rules and checklists, simply saying, “Yes!” to the Holy Spirit. If you feel the same way, consider doing a heart check today. What is one area you are yielding fruit? What is one area you can yield more fully to the work of the Holy Spirit? 

Memory Verse: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

About the Author

Howdy! My name is Lonette Baity. My favorite things are Sunday donuts and adventures with my four children, reading historical fiction, board games, and all things coffee. I especially enjoy warm South Carolina springtimes, before the bugs come out to bug me. I am passionate about creating safe spaces where women can rediscover their purpose, reconnect with their hearts and find God's healing in their own stories. I'd love to connect with you at www.LonetteBaity.com.