Walk in the Spirit
"But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the (Holy) Spirit (responsive to
and controlled and guided by the Spirit); then you will certainly not gratify
the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)."
(Galatians 5:16 AMP)
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious; sexual immorality, impurity and
debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage,
selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the
like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit
the Kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the
sinful nature with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:19-24 NIV)
"If we live by the (Holy)
Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (If by the Holy Spirit we have our life
in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the
Spirit." (Galatians 5:25 AMP)
The Holy Spirit dwells in every born again child of God. He empowers us to do
the will of our heavenly Father. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can
say yes to God and no to our flesh. As we yield ourselves to God, the Holy
Spirit will constantly teach, enlighten and guide us. To walk in the Spirit, we
must follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As we give Him control of our
lives, He will reveal to us the will of God, step by step. He knows how to bring
us to maturity. All He requires is our attention and obedience.
We must seek God on a daily basis, which is to crave, pursue and go after, by
spending time in communion with Him and feeding on His word. When we choose to
walk in the Spirit daily, we die to self-centeredness and gain freedom to serve
God. We will experience righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The flesh or carnal mind is the enemy of God. We are born earthly minded, but
through Christ we can become heavenly minded. In Romans 12:2, this process of
replacing the thoughts of natural, carnal man with the thoughts of God is called
"the renewing of the mind." Our minds are renewed by the word of God.
As we are diligent about spending time in God's word, our thinking will change.
His thoughts will become our thoughts. We must know God's word to be led by the
Spirit. He tells us to meditate day and night on His word.
God is love and we must walk in love to be led by His Spirit. We should reach
out to those around us with His love, acceptance and forgiveness. God's word
tells us that above all things, we should have an intense and unfailing love for
one another. Jesus commanded us to love one another as He loves us.
Pray without ceasing. Prayer keeps us connected to God. We should pray about
everything. Prayer is communicating with God, talking to Him and listening to
Him. If we want God's will to be done in our lives, we must pray and obey. God
has given us the power to do both.
God's greatest desire for His children is that we experience His best in our
lives. He wants to have close fellowship with us and be invited into every area
of our lives. He wants to speak to us and lead us in all of our decisions by His
Spirit. Our part is to listen to Him and follow Him daily. He will direct our
paths one step at a time. He wants us to live the victorious, abundant life that
Jesus came to give us. He wants to meet our needs and do more than we could ever
ask or imagine in order to bless us abundantly.
Pray this:
"Heavenly Father, I want Your perfect plan to be fulfilled in my life. I
yield myself to You and ask You to constantly teach, enlighten and guide me by
Your Spirit. Thank You for giving me the power to do Your will. Thank You for
opening my ears to hear from You. I choose to listen to You and follow You.
Thank You for guiding me by Your Spirit all the days of my life."
"In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Pat Gray
129 Ball Drive, Calhoun City, MS
38916
patclaygray@yahoo.com