Walking in the Spirit!
1. One day, I had a craving to know what it means to "walk in the Spirit." That phrase appears twice in the New Testament. But what does it mean? I had to know. So I asked a group of friends whom I respected greatly. We were all sitting around a table. But there was only silence. No one knew what it meant to "walk in the Spirit."
2. We had to ask the Holy Spirit to shed some light on His Word. You have to study God's Word in context. Here's the context...
I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburst of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past; that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such as these there is no law.
And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16-25
3. Remember that, in Jesus' day, they did a lot more walking than we do now. In fact, nearly everything they did involved walking. So "walking" became a word that was used to mean "everything you do."
4. From the context it seems quite plain that to walk in the Spirit is to walk in God's kind of agape love, towards everybody. all the time, in everything you do. For the fruit of the Spirit is love. We need a good understanding of this. It is not our love that accomplishes anything. Human love fails. But God's love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." And God's love never fails. The fruit of the Spirit is agape. The result of letting the Holy Spirit of God have His way in your life is agape. That is the mark of being a Christian.
5. Have you ever tried to live that way? I mean really. After I had the understanding that to "walk in the Spirit" means to agape everyone at all times, I tried to live that way. But after only two days I failed. There is nothing more miserable than an abject failure, and I was an abject failure. I could not live in agape love towards everyone at all times. I simply could not. "Well, back to the old drawing board," I thought. "I just can't do this. Something in my life must change."
6. But then something did change. I was set free by the power of God. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. Psalm 145:18 God intervened in my life to set me free from the stronghold of rejection. (see the lesson "Demolishing Strongholds") Once free from the stronghold of rejection, I was able to enter into God's presence more fully. There is where the victory is.
7. Remember this key. Walking in the Spirit is walking in love. But it is not our love. It is God's love. God is love. He is the source of unconditional agape love. We don't have it. He does. In order to walk in His love we need to walk with Him. There is no other way. That's why the Bible calls it walking in the Spirit.
8. I am sure that I am far within the mark when I say that the fruit of the Spirit is love. And that joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are aspects of that love. I am convinced of this because the Bible does not say the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, etc. The Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc. And when you read 1 Corinthians 13 you find out that love is longsuffering, kind, etc. In other words love would be kind. Love would be gentle. Love would be faithful. Love would be longsuffering, i.e. not easily provoked. This is the love that come from God.
9. There is good news. I have this love in me. And, if you are a Christian God has put that love in you too.
Now hope does not disappoint us because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5
All I have to do is walk in that love:: Walk in the Holy Spirit that God has already given me. Let Him take control. If I have trouble being patient, or kind, or gentle, all I have to do is ask God to take over.
10. There is more good news. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. What I mean is this. One draft horse can pull a ton. Two draft horses can pull ten tons. What is going on? Just this: When I am walking in the Spirit I am not alone. God is there. All the aspects of God's love: joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness, self-control are aspects of His character because God is love. And it all adds up to something that I can only call sweetness. When I am walking in God's love, His love is expressed towards people - and they know it! They can almost feel His presence, and they will say so. They know that something is different. This is the witness that gives us the victory. People listen to our words because they see Jesus in us.
11. If we walk in the Spirit we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:16 and 25
note: There's that little word "let" again.
12. I don't think that you can be led of the Spirit unless you are walking in the Spirit. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. Galatians 5:18 How could God lead someone who does not want to love others? On the other hand, having experienced God's love ourselves, the first thing we want to do is share it. That's the kind of person God can lead. Read Romans chapter eight verses one thru sixteen in this light.