← All studies
Catholic ArmoryFree Catholic Bible Studies
The Holy Spirit

Walk by the Spirit

The Fruits, the Gifts, and the Works of Darkness
“…walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.” · Galatians 5:16

An inductive study of life in the Holy Spirit, in twelve sessions of 75 to 90 minutes. It opens with the Spirit promised and poured out, sets flesh and Spirit against each other as Galatians does, names the works of the flesh and the unfruitful works of darkness plainly, then walks the twelve fruits in three groups: the first fruits of love, joy, and peace; the fruits that build, patience, kindness, goodness, and generosity; and the guarded fruits, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity. From there it turns to the seven gifts, beginning with fear of the Lord and piety, then knowledge and fortitude, then the summit gifts of counsel, understanding, and wisdom, and closes with the group equipped and sent. Three threads run the length of the study: the Vine, the Shoot of Jesse, and darkness to light. In Session 1 every participant writes and seals a guess, and the envelopes open in Session 8. Steelman boxes state the strongest form of a real objection before answering it, and Live Discovery moments send the group hunting in the text with no references given aloud. A standalone Gifts Inventory Guide, covering docility to the seven Gifts and the discernment of charisms, is handed out and walked through in Session 12. Each session carries a Leader Preparation Guide, a Discussion Guide, and a Leader Reference Card listing every passage used. Scripture follows the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. Leader guides and take-home sheets for every session.

Walk by the Spirit runs 12 sessions. Every session comes with a complete leader's preparation guide and a printable take-home sheet for the people in the room, and the full text of each night can be read on a phone from the list below. All of it is free to download, print, and share, with no sign up and no cost, and the Gifts Inventory Guide is a separate booklet you can print on its own for the last night.

What is included

Download Walk by the Spirit

The sessions

Every title below opens the full leader's guide for that night, set to read on a phone. Nothing is held back and nothing asks for an email address.

If this one fits, these might too

Hosting this study

You do not need to be a theologian to lead Walk by the Spirit. The leader's guide carries the questions, the answers, and the background, so the group can discover the text together. There is a short guide to hosting a Bible study if this is your first one, and a set of six questions that will help you choose a study if you are still deciding.

Catholic Armory · Offered freely for the good of the Church.
All Bible studies · How to host a study · Which Bible study should I choose?