WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

Recently, I became concerned about grasping what walking in the Spirit means. As much as I understand how the concept of hearing God comes into play, I still wanted to understand the idea of walking in the spirit as not being spooky. Does it have to be hearing a voice on the inside or a strong nudge that makes me know I am walking in the Spirit? 

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Gal 5:16

This was Paul addressing the Galatians who had received the Gospel by faith but were beginning to drift towards living by the law. And the law produces the things that are fleshly because the law gives strength to the flesh. So, he was saying, when you become a Christian, you are in the Spirit and have to also walk by the same Spirit, no longer by law. 

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Gal 5:25

 

 

Let me break it down…Salvation gets you the Car (Living in the Spirit), but driving the car earns you movement (Walking in the Spirit). But then, you could get the car and still choose not to drive the car but push it. In the course of the pushing, so much energy will be dispensed that you feel entitled to the success of the movement but also get tired so easily and transfer aggression.

 

Paul now went ahead to explain the things that show that you are either walking in the spirit or not. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Gal 5: 23-24

This means to walk in the Spirit is to walk in the fruits that the spirit produces. The Spirit is the proof of the Godhead as a fruit is the proof of a tree. 

So, you know you are walking in the spirit when what you are about to do breeds love, joy, peace forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control within and around me. 

When you are tempted to respond with the same measure of hurt someone dishes out to you, but you let love prevent you from revenging; when you get so pissed that it feels like giving it back the same way, but you let forbearance and kindness take over; when the other party cheats you so badly but you allow goodness overtake you; when you have that last money that is not yours that could be used without the owner finding out, but give room for faithfulness; when you are accused wrongly and attacked for righteousness sake but you allow gentleness take its course; when it’s as though you have to compromise your purity but then allow self-control take the lead: This is when you have walked and walking in the spirit. 

It is not exactly when you hear a voice but when you have become the voice.

When you do anything that produces the opposites of these, you have walked in the flesh even though you are in the spirit. So, you always have the power to walk in the Spirit as a believer because you are in the spirit always.

Can you do more walking in the spirit this week? 

Be Innovated,

Olufemi Ibitoye