WALKING FAITHFULLY IN
THE SPIRIT
Gal.
5:25: “If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit.”
Apostle Paul is
giving us a very simple instruction. He’s telling us in plain terms, “If the
Holy Spirit is living in you, let him have full control of your life. We are
all to be led by the Spirit.”
The Holy Ghost was sent to be our
constant, infallible guide, and he abides in all who confess Christ as Lord and
Savior. In fact, our bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and that
is why we should keep it holy. Most of us have no problem believing that the
Spirit is continually at work in us, at every moment. Most of us have called on
him countless times for comfort in our times of crisis. We give honor to the
Spirit; we preach about him, we teach on his gifts and fruits and many
Christians have experienced genuine manifestations of the Spirit. But it seems
to me, looking at the way we live, that we know very little about what it means
to walk in the Spirit.
Understanding
the truth about walking in the Spirit could deliver many from confusion,
strife, distress, indecision, even the lusts of the flesh. Paul has summed up the
solution clearly: “Let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).
Walking Faithfully
To walk
faithfully with someone is to be loyal, have faith, be reliable or be worthy of
trust. What happens when we walk with someone? You talk, laugh, listen, and
share your hearts. Your attention is focused on this person to the exclusion of
almost everything else. You notice the beauty around you or an occasional
distraction, but only to point it out to your companion. You share it together.
You are in harmony, and you both enjoy the peaceful company. Walking faithfully in the spirit is not an
activity reserved for a selected few. God desires all of His children to walk
with Him in Spirit and truth.
But
What do we mean by walking in the Spirit? Why is it important to walk in the Spirit?
How do we walk in the Spirit? What is the evidence of walking in the Spirit?
What do we mean by
walking in the Spirit?
Looking at Galatians 5:16, we would not satisfy or fulfill
the desires of the flesh. If you are not born in the Spirit you cannot walk in
it. (Romans 8:9, Ephesians 5:18). There are only
two ways for a Christian to walk: “in the
flesh”, or “in the Spirit”.
( a) Walking in the flesh means: The flesh has its own stubborn will,
and it acts as it pleases. It does whatever it chooses, then asks God to bless
those choices. The flesh declares, “The
Lord gave me a sound mind, and I can make choices intelligently. I don’t have
to wait on him for direction. God
helps those who help themselves (see Gal.
5:19-21). But walking in the Spirit is
just the opposite.
( b) Walking in the spirit means:
1. Giving ourselves to Christ as our
saviour and Lord.
2. Being controlled in the Spirit. We surrender our will to the Holy Spirit, and trust his
still, small voice to direct us in all things.
The Bible tells us, “The steps of a
good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23), and the
Spirit does this ordering. He desires to lead and direct our every move and saying “yes” to
whatever the spirit tells you.
3.
Exhibiting fruits of love, patience etc. (Gal. 5:22-26).
4. It includes manifesting
the gifts of the Spirit. (1Corin. 12. v.7).
Simply put, we
are to walk in total submission to the Holy Spirit, just as Christ walked in
constant, absolute submission to the Father.
Importance
of walking in the Spirit
1.
By walking in the spirit you kill the things of the flesh. You
are changed in character. (eg. gossiping, cheating, quarrelsome, anger, etc.)
You will live Holy.
2. You
have power to witness. (Acts. 1:8)
3.
God controls your life. Neglecting
the spirit enables Satan to come in, take control of your life and you spin out
of control.
4.
We are rewarded
with light, direction, discernment, revelation—a certain "knowing"
that God gives us. e.g. Peter (a “layman”), Paul (learned Saul), etc.
5.
He
will open the Scriptures to us through wisdom and revelation and reveal to us
the glory of God that is to be found in Him. (Ps.73:17).
6.
You experience
comfort, guidance, counseling and true teaching (1Jn. 2:27)
How to walk in the
Spirit
1.
Don’t lust after the flesh. Cut off
all links to desire the flesh.(Gal. 5: 17)
2.
Desire the word of God and walk in
it (1Pet. 2:2)
3.
Fast and pray to kill the desires of
the flesh.
4.
Work in the vineyard and don’t be
idle.(eg. witnessing, preaching, bible reading, serving, etc.)
5.
Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit (esp.
sin- pride, adultery, fornication, idolatry, etc)
Finally
It is not difficult to identify people who walk in the
spirit. Their lives are at sharp contrast to the world around them (Philippians
2:15). They produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) rather than the
fruits of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). In Acts 4:13, Peter and John had been
arrested for preaching and were brought before the authorities. "The members of the council were amazed when
they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were
ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized
them as men who had been with Jesus." When we walk with God every day,
the world cannot help but recognize that, in spite of our imperfections and lack of knowledge in some areas, we have known the Lord Jesus Christ.
I want to ask you a question, “Are you walking
faithfully in the spirit”? Think about this question. Amen!
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