The Gift: Unwrap the Gift

You've Already Got Everything You Need—Are You Using It?

You know that feeling when you receive a gift card, tuck it in your wallet, and then completely forget about it? Months later, you discover it buried under receipts and realize you've been struggling to afford something you already had the means to purchase. That's frustrating, right? But here's something even more heartbreaking: many of us are living the Christian life the same way. We've received an extraordinary gift from God—the Holy Spirit—but we're living like we never opened it. We're exhausted, striving, failing, and wondering why this whole "abundant life" thing Jesus promised feels so out of reach. The truth? It's not that the gift isn't powerful enough. It's that we haven't fully unwrapped it.

The Gift That Changes Everything

When you first believed in Jesus, something profound happened that you might not have fully understood in the moment. God didn't just forgive your sins and hand you a ticket to heaven someday. He gave you His Holy Spirit—the very presence of God living inside you. Paul writes in Galatians 5:25, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." Notice that? If we live by the Spirit. Not "if we try really hard" or "if we make enough New Year's resolutions" or "if we white-knuckle our way through temptation." The Christian life isn't about summoning more willpower. It's about unwrapping and accessing the power you already possess.

But here's where most of us get stuck: we know the Spirit lives in us, but we don't know how to actually walk in step with Him. We're like someone with a smartphone who only uses it to make calls—completely missing the GPS, camera, and thousands of other capabilities built right in. Today, we're going to look at what Paul teaches in Galatians 5:16-25 about unwrapping this gift and letting it transform everything about how you live.

The Battle You Didn't Ask For (But Can't Avoid)

Let's be honest about something uncomfortable: there's a war happening inside you. Paul doesn't sugarcoat it: "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh; they are opposed to each other, so that you don't do what you want" (Galatians 5:17).

You've felt this, haven't you? You want to be patient with your kids, but you snap at them over spilled juice. You want to stop worrying about money, but anxiety keeps you awake at 3 AM. You want to forgive that person who hurt you, but bitterness keeps replaying the offense in your mind. This isn't because you're a terrible Christian or because God's Spirit isn't really in you. It's because your old nature—what Paul calls "the flesh"—is still very much alive and fighting for control.

The flesh isn't just about obvious sins like sexual immorality or drunkenness (though Paul lists those in verses 19-21). It's also about the respectable sins we hide better: jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, envy. It's the part of you that wants to do life your own way, on your own terms, trusting your own strength. And here's the kicker: you can't defeat the flesh by trying harder. Paul's solution isn't "make better choices" or "try to sin less." His solution is radical: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16).

Notice the promise there. When you walk by the Spirit, you will not gratify the flesh's desires. Not "you might not" or "you'll struggle less." You will not. The Spirit's power isn't just slightly helpful—it's completely sufficient. But that power only works when you actually unwrap the gift and use it.

What Happens When the Gift Stays Wrapped

Paul gives us a sobering list in Galatians 5:19-21 of what life looks like when we ignore the Spirit and live by our flesh: "sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar to these."

Before you mentally check off which ones don't apply to you, pause. Because some of the most destructive items on that list are the ones we've normalized. Jealousy? We call it ambition. Selfish ambition? We call it hustling. Outbursts of anger? We call it being passionate. Dissensions and factions? We call it having strong opinions. We've gotten really good at repackaging the works of the flesh so they don't look so ugly.

But here's Paul's warning: "I am warning you, as I warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God" (Galatians 5:21). This isn't about one-time failures or occasional struggles. The word "practice" means these things characterize your life, define your patterns, shape your identity. And Paul's point is clear: if your life looks just like everyone else's who doesn't have the Spirit, you need to question whether you've actually unwrapped the gift at all.

This is where so many Christians live—exhausted from trying to appear spiritual while the flesh runs the show behind the scenes. We pray before meals but harbor unforgiveness for years. We attend church on Sunday but manipulate people on Monday. We quote Scripture but can't control our tongues. And we wonder why we're so tired, so defeated, so unable to experience the joy and peace we see other believers walking in.

The gift is available. But unwrapped gifts don't do anyone any good.

What's Actually Inside the Gift

Now for the beautiful part. When you unwrap the gift of the Spirit and start walking in step with Him, here's what grows in your life: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Read that list again slowly. These aren't personality traits you're born with or disciplines you achieve through effort. They're fruit - the natural result of the Spirit's life flowing through you. You don't manufacture fruit; you grow it. An apple tree doesn't strain and stress to produce apples. It just stays connected to its roots, receives nutrients, and fruit appears. That's how the Spirit works in you.

Think about what your life would look like if these qualities increasingly defined you:

Love that chooses others' good even when it costs you something. Not just warm feelings, but the determined commitment to value people the way God values them.

Joy that doesn't depend on circumstances going your way. The deep-down gladness that comes from knowing God is in control and His purposes can't be thwarted.

Peace that guards your heart even when everything feels chaotic. The settled confidence that God is who He says He is and will do what He's promised to do.

Patience that gives people room to grow and situations time to resolve. The ability to wait without anxiety, trusting God's timing instead of forcing your own.

Kindness that looks for ways to help, encourage, and serve. The compassionate awareness of others' needs and the willingness to meet them.

Goodness that does the right thing even when no one's watching. Moral integrity that flows from who you are, not what you're trying to project.

Faithfulness that keeps your commitments and shows up consistently. Reliability that makes you someone people can count on because you're anchored in the One who never fails.

Gentleness that's strong enough to be tender. The secure power that doesn't need to prove itself through harshness or dominance.

Self-control that can say no to immediate gratification for long-term good. The Spirit-empowered ability to choose what honors God over what feels good in the moment.

This is what's available to you—not someday after you've been a Christian for forty years, but now. Today. The fruit doesn't grow because you're perfect. It grows because you're connected to the Spirit who is.

How to Actually Unwrap the Gift

Here's the question that matters: How do you actually walk by the Spirit instead of just knowing you should? Paul gives us the key in verse 24: "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

This is past tense. It's already done. When you came to Christ, you made a decisive break with the flesh's rule over your life. You said, "I'm done living for myself. I'm done trying to save myself. I'm done trusting my own way." That was your crucifixion moment—the day you unwrapped salvation by grace through faith.

But here's what happens to many Christians: we unwrap salvation but never fully unwrap sanctification. We let Jesus save us but then try to improve ourselves. We add the Spirit to our lives like a helpful supplement instead of surrendering control to Him completely.

Walking by the Spirit means moment-by-moment dependence. It's waking up and saying, "Holy Spirit, I need You today. I can't be patient with my coworkers without You. I can't love my difficult family member without You. I can't resist that temptation without You." It's acknowledging in real-time, "I don't have this. But You do."

It's also paying attention to the Spirit's prompting. When you sense conviction about something—that nudge to apologize, that check in your spirit about a decision, that gentle redirection away from temptation—that's the Spirit actively working in you. Don't ignore Him. Don't talk yourself out of what you know He's saying. Keep in step with Him means following where He leads, even when it's uncomfortable.

And it means staying connected through the practices that open you up to His work: reading Scripture so you recognize His voice, praying so you maintain constant communication, worshiping so you remember who He is, fellowshipping with other believers so you don't try to do this alone. These aren't religious boxes to check. They're the ways you keep the gift unwrapped and accessible.

The Gift Is for Using

Here's what I want you to hear today: you don't have to keep living in defeat. You don't have to keep cycling through the same sins, the same patterns, the same exhausting efforts to be better. God has given you everything you need for life and godliness through the Holy Spirit. The gift is real. The power is real. The fruit is real.

But unwrapped gifts don't change anyone's life.

Paul's final word in this passage is both a reality check and an invitation: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). You live by the Spirit—that's settled when you trusted Christ. Now keep in step with Him. Stop trying to manufacture spiritual fruit through self-effort. Stop excusing the works of the flesh as personality quirks or understandable reactions. Stop leaving the most powerful gift God could give you sitting unopened in the corner of your heart.

Unwrap it. Depend on it. Walk in step with the One who lives inside you. And watch what He grows in your life that you could never produce on your own.

Your Action Plan: Unwrapping the Gift This Week

1. Take a Flesh Inventory (15 minutes today)

Set aside time alone with God and Galatians 5:19-21 open in front of you. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you which works of the flesh are most active in your life right now. Be specific. Don't just say "anger"—write down when and with whom you struggle with anger. Don't rush this. The Spirit will be gentle but honest with you. Write down what He reveals.

2. Confess and Crucify (ongoing)

For each work of the flesh the Spirit reveals, practice 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Confess specifically, receive His forgiveness fully, and make a decisive break—tell God, "I'm done trying to manage this on my own. I crucify this with Christ. Spirit, this is Yours to deal with now."

3. Choose One Fruit to Focus On (this week)

Look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. Which one do you most need right now? Maybe patience because you're constantly frustrated. Maybe peace because anxiety is eating you alive. Maybe self-control because you keep going back to that thing you know you shouldn't do. Pick one and pray specifically each morning: "Holy Spirit, I need Your [patience/peace/self-control] today. I can't produce this. Would You grow it in me?"

4. Set Up a Spirit Check-In (three times daily)

Set three reminders on your phone—morning, midday, and evening. Label them "Spirit Check." When they go off, pause and ask yourself: "Right now, am I walking by the Spirit or the flesh? Am I depending on Him or striving in my own strength?" If you realize you've drifted into flesh-mode, simply say, "Holy Spirit, I'm back. Lead me." This isn't condemnation—it's recalibration.

5. Find Your Spirit-Walking Community (this week)

You can't do this alone. Text one trusted Christian friend today and say, "I'm learning to walk by the Spirit instead of the flesh. Can we check in with each other about this?" Set up a weekly call or coffee where you both share honestly about where you're depending on the Spirit and where you're slipping back into self-effort. Galatians 6:2 says, "Carry one another's burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Let someone carry this with you.

6. Create a Fruit Journal (daily for 30 days)

Buy a small notebook or open a note on your phone. Each evening, write down one way you saw the Spirit produce fruit in you that day—even tiny evidence. "I felt angry but didn't lash out." "I had joy even though work was stressful." "I was kind to that cashier when I usually zone out." Celebrate the fruit. Thank the Spirit for it. Watch how this practice trains you to notice His work and increases your faith that the gift really is unwrapped and active in you.

The Christian life isn't about trying harder. It's about trusting deeper. The Spirit is already in you, ready to produce everything you've been straining to manufacture. Stop striving. Start surrendering. The gift is yours—now unwrap it and let it change everything.