Walk in the Spirit
Today’s Verse:
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. ~Galatians 5:16
Liberty refers to being set free from bondage. Christian liberty is the freedom that we have from the bondage of the law. The law in itself is not bad since it is our schoolmaster, pointing us to Christ. However, once we are in Christ, we are not bound by traditions of men, but we walk in the liberty that we have in Jesus. Paul reminds us that we are not to use our liberty for an occasion to the flesh. By this, he is cautioning us from the misuse of our liberty to gratify the desires of the flesh. The means by which we can live in the liberty that Christ has given us is through walking in the Spirit.
We see the concept.
When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit lives within us. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and He is the earnest of our future inheritance. He is our Comforter and Teacher, guides us into all truth, and permanently indwells us. The Spirit life is where we are surrendered to His will and allow Him to control every aspect of our life. The goal of daily, victorious living is walking in the Spirit. It is a Spirit-controlled, Spirit-directed, and Spirit-filled life.
We see the conflict.
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” There is a constant, raging battle between our flesh and the Spirit. We have fleshly lusts that war against our soul every day. The flesh is at enmity with God. If we live in the flesh, we cannot please God. The one we feed the most determines who is in control. If I am feeding the flesh, the flesh will win. If I am feeding the Spirit, the Spirit wins. We have a real, daily conflict.
We see the command.
Paul command us to walk in the Spirit. First, we must put to death the flesh. The flesh, with its lusts, must be crucified daily. Second, we must saturate our hearts with the Word of God. Colossians 3:16 teaches us to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom. Third, we must pray in the Holy Ghost. We must be in a constant mode of praying. Prayer must be the rule of our life. Fourth, we should be putting our spiritual gifts to good use. We should be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
We see the capability.
“Ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Walking in the Spirit nullifies fleshly desires and cravings. The flesh has no power against a walk in the Spirit. A walk in the Spirit overcomes lustful desires, an angry spirit, impatience, strife, hatred, and hurtful inclinations. Walking in the Spirit is the way to be joyful, happy, and peaceful.
We see the commodity.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” These wonderful virtues are the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is in all righteousness, goodness, and truth. The Spirit life is evidenced by these fruit virtues. This is what it means to be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, where our leaf does not wither, we bring forth our fruit in our season, and whatsoever we do will prosper. Walking in the Spirit is living in the Spirit. It is the means by which we are able to love others and not bite and devour one another. Determine today to make walking in the Spirit your ambition, and live richly in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free.
Have a Spirit-saturated God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalms 9-16