When it comes to life in the Spirit, we tend to over complicate things. Living with the Spirit of God in us is simple. It was meant to be like walking. As babies, we did not have the strength to walk, but our muscles developed. As we developed, we began to stand up to strengthen our legs and core. Our first steps were wobbly. We were off balance and stumbled often. But we always got back up. Now, we walk without thinking about it. It comes naturally.
When Jesus talked about the Spirit, He never talked about how we should relate to the Spirit. He left out the instructions because He knew that the Spirit would teach us all things and guide us into all truth. He also knew that life in the Spirit would come natural to us. God designed us to be with Him in close intimate relationship, and when the Spirit our life with Him would come naturally. Since this is true, pause for moment and ask the Spirit to teach you the simplicity of walking with Him.
In Galatians 5:16, Paul uses the simplest of terms to describe life in the Spirit…
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”
The word “walk” means to walk around, to walk about. While it refers to the steps we take, it also refers to the way we live our lives. Walking in the Spirit is meant to be as easy as walking around or going on a hike. Every step we take is an opportunity to surrender to God, receive His instructions, and walk in the power and authority of the Spirit of God that lives in us. It is like taking a walk with God.
Before we believed in Christ and received the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 2:1 says
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.”
In other words, our spirit, the non-material part of us was dead. The spirit is the part of us that was created to be in relationship with God, especially with the Spirit of God. Because of our sin, that part of us was dead. Without the Spirit of God in us, we could only walk according to the desires of our flesh.
Paul goes on to say in Ephesians 2:2-3…
“…in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”
Without the Spirit of God, we had no choice. We could only follow the ways of the world system set up by Satan in opposition to God. We were powerless to choose good. We followed the ways of Satan, the ruler of the spirit-realm on earth. The enemy’s way is disobedience to God and we had no other way.
As a result, we lived our entire life in a very selfish manner. We were motivated by instant gratification. We were subject to whatever cravings were aroused in us. Our thoughts and desires were guided by nothing but what felt good, looked good, pleased us, and fed our arrogance. And because of this, we were deserving of the judgement and wrath of God.
Even with the Spirit in us, we face a battle with the flesh, the old way of life.
Read Galatians 5:16 with verse 17…
16 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please."
Paul describes the battle in simple terms: “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another.” Literally, the flesh longs to control the Spirit. Its desire is to be the master over the Spirit and to keep us bound to the old way of life. The flesh is filled with the lust for power and evil.
The good news is that the Spirit of God takes its stand against the flesh. We know that God, the Spirit, is all-powerful. Nothing can stand against Him, neither the flesh nor the enemy nor the world systems set up in opposition to God. When we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, we have a promise. We will not carry out the desires of the flesh. The flesh will be defeated. Sin will be defeated. The victory is ours.
The result of the Spirit’s stand against the flesh is that we will no longer do the things that please us. We will no longer be motivated and controlled by pleasure. We will be free to live life in the fullness of the kingdom of God, in righteousness with everything as it was designed by God in His kingdom.
The temptation is to over complicate walking in the Spirit. The secret is step by step dependence on the Spirit within us to overcome very specific sin. It is important to recognize the power of the Spirit against the specific sins of the flesh: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, personal battles, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these (Galatians 5:19-20). The Spirit has the power to overcome every one of these and any other sins we face in battle.
So, how do we stay in step by step dependence on the Spirit?
Listen to the advice of the Almighty in Isaiah 57:15…
“For thus says the high and exalted One who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
It is no surprise that God dwells in a high and holy place, in the heavens, above all else. The surprise is that He also dwells with those who are humble, the contrite and lowly of spirit. What a beautiful picture of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit with us. Somehow the great God of heaven lives in us and empowers us when we are humble.
Humility flows from our awareness of God’s holiness. God’s holiness makes us aware of our sin. Since sin breaks the heart of God, it should forever break our hearts. This is contrition. The holiness of God awakens His wrath and judgment. The mercy of God awakens His forgiveness. The love of God awakens His desire for His children to experience abundant life and the fullness of the kingdom.
Humility also flows from the awareness of our lowliness. When we see ourselves in true light, we are aware of our limitations and frailty as men and women. As mere humans, there is so much we cannot do. We certainly do not have the power to overcome sin, or the determination to stay in dependence. We must fully comprehend our weakness in order to begin understanding our utter dependence on the all-sufficient Spirit of God in us.
When we continue in this state of humility, what does God do? He revives the spirit of the humble and He revives the heart of those who remain broken by their sin. He literally breathes life into the deepest part of our being. He breathes life into our spirits, the part of us that He designed to be in relationship with Him. He fills us with power from the Spirit and He revives us.
There is much talk about revival these days, especially in light of a global pandemic. According to the LORD, YEHOVAH, our God, revival is as simple as deep brokenness over our sin, humble dependence on God, and walking in the power of the Spirit of God in us. He is the one who revives. We simply walk with Him. Maybe we should just take a walk with God.
WORSHIP: Worship God as the high and exalted one, the one who lives forever, whose name is Holy. Imagine him in His high and holy place, on the throne in heaven. Bow before Him humbly, recognize your place below Him as a mere human, and let Him break your heart with sin, the way it breaks His. Then receive the breath of revival. Feel Him breathing life into you as the Spirit fills you.
PRACTICE: In your journal, write about the sins that seem to cause you the most trouble. Go back through Galatians 5:16-17 and rewrite the verses with specific sins inserted. For example, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the sin of lust. For lust sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against lust; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not lust.” Do this separately for the sins that seem to constantly plague you. As you write and reread these, claim the victory of the Spirit over each of these sins.
MEDITATION: Your starting place for walking in the Spirit is not in the mind. This concept is easy to understand. Your battle ground in in your heart. Do you believe it? It is okay if you do not fully believe it at this point. As you meditate on walking in the Spirit, ask God to help your unbelief, to give you a gift of faith to get this forever settled. You may or may not resolve this today, but this is a good starting place. Continue to work this through until you believe in the power of the Spirit over the flesh.
ABIDING: By this time, it is very possible that the Father, your Spiritual Director, has led you to a place in Scripture where He wants you to abide. As you go back and read through this teaching one more time, ask the Father if there is anything in these passages specifically for you. Look for the things that reinforce what God is teaching you at this time. Write down anything you hear from Him. Spend some extra time listening to see if the Spirit has anything more to say to you or if there is a deeper teaching for you today. Write down whatever you hear. Ask the Father if there is someone, He wants you to share this with and follow through with His assignment.