|
To walk in the
Spirit is not a matter of trying harder in our own human strength; it is a
matter of yielding to the One who dwells inside us. According to the
Bible, it is a daily, moment-by-moment shift in who is sitting on the
throne of your heart—your flesh or the Holy
Spirit. The Scripture lays
out a clear path for how a believer moves out of the carnal flesh and
begins to walk in the Spirit. 1.
Reconcile the Mind (Change What You Think
About) The very first
step the Bible dictates is a change of focus. You cannot walk in the
Spirit if your thoughts are constantly consumed by your own desires, your
own needs, or your own frustrations. Romans 8:5 "For
they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they
that are after the Spirit the things of the
Spirit." To "mind"
something means to give it your attention, value, and focus. If a person
is constantly thinking about how to protect their ego, get their way, or
be validated, they are minding the flesh. Beginning to walk in the Spirit
starts with actively choosing to fill the mind with God's word, prayer,
and the needs of others. 2. Reckon
the Self to be Dead (The Daily
Exchange) You cannot fix the
flesh; the Bible says the flesh must be crucified. When Christ died on the
cross, He broke the power of sin over a believer's life. Walking in the
Spirit means operating in that reality. Galatians 5:24
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections
and lusts." Romans 6:11 "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." "Reckon" is an old
accounting term that means to count it as an absolute fact. When a
situation arises where the flesh wants to react—whether it’s a husband
wanting to be selfish, or an empath wanting to take on ungodly anxiety—the
scriptural step is to stop and say: "That old, selfish nature is dead on
the cross. I don’t have to obey it anymore. Lord Jesus, live through me
right now." 3. Present
Your Body as a Living Sacrifice Walking in the
Spirit requires a conscious decision of the will to hand over the keys of
your life to God. It means stopping the default behavior of running your
own life. Romans 12:1 "I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service." A sacrifice
doesn't get to choose what it does. Presenting yourself as a living
sacrifice means waking up and saying, *"Lord, my time today is yours. My
tongue is yours. My reactions are yours. Not my will, but Thine be
done." 4. Let the
Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly You cannot walk in
the Spirit if you do not know the mind of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit
always aligns perfectly with the Word of God. Colossians 3:16
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord." When you saturate
your mind with Scripture, the Holy Spirit has the "tools" He needs to
speak to your conscience in real-time. When the flesh starts to act up,
the Spirit will bring a verse to mind to check that behavior and guide
your steps. Walking
this walk happens in the small, mundane moments of your
day. Sometimes, it
means before making a decision, pausing to pray: "Lord, is this what you
want me to do, or is this what the flesh wants to do?" It means catching
the desire to be validated and instead choosing to serve quietly without
needing a "thank you." Other times, it
means when the anxiety rises to fix or manage someone else's life, pausing
to pray: "Lord, this is yours to deal with, not mine. I hand this person
over to you. I am dead to this anxiety, and I choose to rest in Your
peace." Walking in the
Spirit is like learning to walk physically. You take a step, you stumble,
you confess it, you get back up, and you rely on the Lord to take the next
step. As Galatians 5:25 says: "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk
in the Spirit." Debra... |
