The Bible teaches us to “walk in the spirit” by following the example of Jesus.

This means that we should strive to live a life that is guided by the Holy Spirit and not by our own selfish desires

The following are some ways to walk in the spirit according to Galatians 5:

• Live by faith: We should trust in God and have faith in His promises. This means that we should believe that God is always with us and that He will guide us through difficult times
• Pray: We should pray regularly and ask God for guidance and strength. This helps us to stay connected with God and to seek His will for our lives
• Read the Bible: We should read the Bible regularly and try to understand its teachings. This helps us to learn more about God’s character and His plan for our lives
• Obey God’s commands: We should strive to obey God’s commands and live a life that is pleasing to Him. This means that we should avoid sin and try to live a life that is characterized by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control

Walking in the spirit is not always easy, but it is essential for living a life that is pleasing to God.  By following the above steps, we can learn to live a life that is guided by the Holy Spirit and not by our own selfish desires.

QUESTION 1:

Can I walk in the Holy Spirit on my own initiative?

Answer:   No, you must be born again first.

It doesn’t matter how good your intentions are; it’s impossible to come into the life the Scriptures speak about on your own efforts.  You can have good wholesome desires.  You can have the best desire in the world, but you are limited, really.  There are limits to what you truly can manage on your own. 

In our human nature we are 'in the flesh'. The flesh is the expression the Bible uses for the dwelling place of everything in a person that opposes God and His will.   You can acquire a sense of what is right and wrong, according to your upbringing or surroundings.  Your conscience can help you to a certain point.  And you can manage a bit of self-control over what people see, or that which is outward.  But there’s one commandment that has to do with the inner life, and nobody can see if you’re transgressing it or not: “You shall not covet.”  Covetousness is an inward desire, and since nobody can see what happens in your thoughts, not even the law can “arrest” you for that. 

Your sinful thought is sin and separates you from your God.

Our ego is like a command center, sending out countless signals, impulses and actions.  The signals and actions from this command center all revolve around taking care of yourself, preserving your ego, getting honor and favor, and exalting yourself at others’ expense.  This is the desire of the flesh, which has endless desire, demands and expectations.  

We can usually control our flesh to a limited degree – at least when the impulses of flesh do not benefit our ego or self-interests.  For the most part, however, our human nature is subject to the powers of the flesh.  Therefore when the negative characteristics we inherited through generations present themselves, we often hear, “We are only human.”

However, Paul wrote that by walking in the Spirit you no longer need to fulfill these lusts.  When you walk in the Spirit you think and act differently than other people in the various situations of life.

When you walk, you go forward.  You go from point A to point B.  To walk in the Spirit you first need to receive the Spirit, be 'born again' (or 'born from above').   Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  John 3:3; and then:  "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again."  John 3:6-7

The Spirit we are talking about here is the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is a real force — just as real as when a crane lifts a shipping container from the boat onto the pier.  When you receive God's power in your life, a new day begins; it is the start of a new and immensely interesting chapter of your life. 

Most people who receive the Holy Spirit would be excited, but then may become 'spiritually lazy' preferring to bask in it and enjoy themselves like a child who just wants to play.  But the Holy Spirit is not a plaything.  He is a helper for believers who want results in their Christian walk, and bear fruit to God's glory.  The Holy Spirit has every conceivable good quality.  He gives us power to bear the greatest burdens and adversities.  He is also our guide.  He knows the way —Jesus lived a perfect 'Spirit-filled' life when He was on earth — the way which leads you away from everything harmful and negative, and toward what blesses and benefits your neighbor, filling you with joy and peace.  You become thoroughly happy and those around you notice this.

That being said, we all meet adversity.  Who has not felt that what is happening now is “tragic and pointless?”  You lost your mobile phone or your money, or perhaps a good friend.   Maybe a best friend has deeply hurt you.  You applied for a good job, for which you are very qualified, but did not get it.  There are so many examples.  What happens if you walk in the Spirit?  Jesus says that the Spirit will bring to remembrance all the things He said to us. (John 14:26)  Read for example in Matthew 6:34, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.”  Worry is very different from planning your day; worry is what oppresses and causes anxiety; it steals your energy and joy.

The Spirit also brings to remembrance what Peter wrote, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7.  When you walk in the Spirit, these words go straight from your brain into your heart and mind and become a pillar of strength by which you say “no” to all the other thoughts that arise and want to cause anxiety.  The Spirit gives you power for that in the same way as a crane that lifts many tons of goods from a ship to the pier.

OBEDIENCE

Walking in the Spirit means being obedient to the Spirit — to the laws and commandments which the Spirit brings to your remembrance when temptations come.  Being tempted is not the same as sinning, but in a temptation you come to a point of decision.  An older, wiser brother once told me "There is a big difference between a bird landing on your head, and one building a nest in your hair."  When someone says something spiteful or rude to you, everyone knows what sorts of temptations arise: to retaliate or get even in one way or another.  If you do that you break God’s commandments.  That is sinning.  But what does the Holy Spirit say?  "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21.  If you walk in this Spirit, you overcome temptations.  You resolve the situation in a positive way, by demonstrating grace' which gives you joy and peace instead of releasing a destructive domino effect. 

FRUITFULNESS

By walking in the Spirit, something incredible happens.  What the Bible calls “fruits of the Spirit” begin to grow in your life — love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, among other things. (Galatians 5:22)  You who were so restless, anxious, and often unhappy, will get a new balance and healthier outlook on life.  You become stable and develop the ability to create peace around you.  You become happy, and it becomes a natural part of your life.  You are no longer envious of others.  Love frees your thoughts from the endless demands of your ego so you instead think about others and what might be good for them.  You have  learned that you no longer need to prove you are right.  Faithfulness becomes a part of your personality.  You become trustworthy in everything you say and do.  You become a new person.  It is no longer accurate to say, “We are only human.” Something completely new is born into your life so that you think and act differently than before, because you now possess two natures. The human and the Spiritual natures.

VICTORIOUS

This makes you victorious.  All these qualities grow when you walk in the Spirit.

This is the life that Jesus lived on earth and which He can live in you as His disciple.  Walking in the Spirit takes practice.  Occasionally we all will stumble and take a misstep, particularly at the start of our Christian walk, but you must not lose courage or think it is useless.  Always turn to God and His Spirit, also called the “Comforter” in one translation.  He comforts us and gives us more boldness and new courage in our Godly walk when in time of need.  The Spirit is with us on our walk and gives us the right nourishment when we need it, when we love the truth.

In 2 Timothy 1:7 it is written, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  Walk in this Spirit.  Then you will have a fulfilling life.  This is not philosophy or theory.

There are many people alive today who have experienced this, and the people around them can confirm that it is true.  Just being a so-called believer, and being a member of a church, a religion, or religious group will not solve your problems; but walking in the Spirit solves your inner conflicts as well as conflicts with other people.  A better life — a better offer cannot be found anywhere else.

DEPENDANCE

When you face the desires that arise from inside and the thoughts that come in the time of temptation, your own human abilities, your character traits and your best intentions can only help so much, regardless of how “good” they are.

Just consider someone like King David.  He was described as a man after God’s own heart, and even he couldn’t manage a life of complete victory over sin.  When it came to his own desires, covetousness and lust of the eyes, he simply couldn’t overcome.  These lusts and desires led him into physical transgression. (2 Samuel 11-12)  And David was a good, good man; we’re not talking about just anybody.  In Psalm 51 we read that he sorrowed over his sin and repented from it, but he didn’t on his own have the power necessary to overcome it.

The fact of the matter is that we all have a corrupt human nature, full of lusts and desires that strive against God’s will.  In the Bible we can read that these lusts must not only be denied, but “crucified,” or “put to death.” (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:5)  But we are simply not capable of completely overcoming these destructive lusts and desires in our own strength.  We need help!

When Jesus was on earth, He promised that after His departure, He would send the Helper, The Holy Spirit.  He also said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you …” Acts 1:8.  And that is the primary purpose of the Holy Spirit: to give us power and help to totally overcome sin, something that is impossible by human nature! (Romans 8:1-17)

No human being knows everything - right from the start.  However, the Holy Spirit does know, because He was together with Jesus throughout His entire life.  He knows Jesus’ footsteps, who, when He was a man like us, never sinned, despite being tempted in all things. (Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:21-22)   He always did all things to please His Father in heaven.

So, the Holy Spirit can be a guide for you, showing you your own sin and giving you power to overcome the sin you are conscious of.  He can also show you things that you need to be cleansed from, unconscious sin: things that you weren’t necessarily aware of.  He is called the Spirit of Truth, The Helper and the Teacher, and He can train you in righteousness and give you all the power you need to live a victorious life!

If you have the Holy Spirit, He can actually make things very clear to you.  It’s not something mystical, where you sit and meditate and hear this “mystical voice” telling you what to do.  But, true discernment comes from the Spirit of God, so the Spirit will guide you in the right direction.  And you can learn to hear His voice.  By being obedient to God’s Word and what He works in your heart, you can tune your ear, so that you can hear more and more clearly. The Spirit can guide you through all things, which is a tremendous comfort, and a good reason why He is also called the Comforter.

Jesus described the Spirit that would come after He left.  He said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26.

The Holy Spirit has many things to tell you.  He can give you strength, help, comfort and guidance.  By obeying Him, you can live the faithful life that you have longed for.  You can have communion with God, and always be in tune with His voice.  You can become an heir with Christ, an overcomer, someone with a future, not only here on earth, but in all eternity!  

QUESTION 2:

Have you asked to receive the Holy Spirit?

"But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right (authority) to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:  who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."  John 1:12-13 ; "Marvel not that I say onto you 'You must be born again'."  John 3:7

CONCLUSION

The Lord Jesus after paying the penalty for our sins, by dying on a cross, just before ascending back to His Father in heaven, promised His Apostles that He would send them the Holy Spirit, to enable them to fulfill their mission in this life.  "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”  Luke 24:49   

So ten days later on the day of Pentecost, they did receive the Holy Spirit and for the first time in human history, believers were indwelt by God's Holy Spirit, and thus empowered to live a spiritual life, in spite of our fallible human nature.

Since that day all who consciously surrender their will and receive Christ as Savior and Lord are immediately 'baptized in the Holy Spirit' and thereby enabled by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to begin to follow Jesus, for they have become the children of God by adoption, and having a new nature are now capable of pleasing God in living this life according to their creator's design and purpose, resulting in a truly more productive and fulfilling life here, and eternal everlasting life in the world to come.

 DECISION:

If you seriously and truly desire a new life, real life, you must acknowledge your own sinful human nature, and decide to choose to believe God at His Word.

"Receive - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." Acts 16:31

God will never coerce you or force you.  The choice is yours to accept the gift He provided at such great cost - the life of His perfect Son as full payment of all your sins - so you can receive a full and free pardon the very moment you personally accept and submit to His Son's Lordship.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, unless otherwise specified. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Some content borrowed from: activechristianity.org and biblegateway.com

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This page created by Peter and Annie Brenner on Sunday, October 29, 2023