“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25

Galatians 5:25 clearly says there is a difference between living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit.

The Lord Jesus Christ kept His promise in John 14:16; the Holy Spirit is freely given to anyone in Christ who asks of the Father. The Spirit is given to us to equip us with power for the work of the kingdom, to teach us all things, to quicken our mortal bodies, to help us pray according to the will of the Father, to guide us, and more.

Ezekiel 36:27; says that it is also the job of the Holy Spirit to cause us to live according to the standards and principles of God.

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep My judgments and do them.” NKJV.

Does that mean then that everyone filled with the Spirit of God, naturally walks in His statutes, keeps His judgments, does not sin?

Galatians 5:25 suggests otherwise,…… it says someone can have the Holy Spirit living in them and yet the person does not walk in the Spirit (selah).

Two questions we must quickly answer to proceed;

Question 1: What does ‘cause to’ mean literally?

Question: What does it mean ‘to walk’?

According to the dictionary, ‘cause to‘ means to give rise to an action, phenomenon or action. To make something happen, to bring about, to result in, to produce, to generate, to prompt, to inspire, to induce.

There are different definitions for Walk found in the Cambridge Dictionary, however, I am interested in this one; to move along by putting one foot in front of the other, to go with someone to a particular place (so as to protect them from danger, or show them the way).

Therefore, ‘walk in the Spirit’ in Galatians 5:25 and in Ezekiel 36:27 would mean to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit….. one foot in front of the other.

Apostle Paul in Galatians 5 from verse 1 wrote to discourage self righteousness through a personal effort to follow the law- commands and statutes. Instead, Paul admonishes the Galatians to simply follow the Spirit who already indwells them.

But how do you follow someone?

You listen out for instructions or directions then you act out or obey the person’s directives.

So there is clearly a role I have to play; …. I must listen and act accordingly.
Walking in the Spirit isn’t automatic! If it were so, every Christian filled with the Holy Spirit would be fully expressing the 9 fruit of the Spirit;
-love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, gentleness.

Personally, I wish this is the case but sadly and unfortunately, there is another stimulus begging for our follower-ship and attention…..the Flesh.

The effect of the flesh on any human can be really profound.

Galatians 5:17 tells us there can be an ongoing battle between the flesh and the Spirit that supersedes our wishes as Christians. Meaning that someone can really really wish to do right, but finds himself/herself doing the opposite. Sounds to me like someone trying to keep the Law- really trying and struggling without success.

There is a way out!

Galatians 5:18 advises us to be led by the Spirit…..to walk ‘in-step’ with the Spirit.

How do we know when you’re ‘in-step’ or ‘out-of-step’ with the Spirit?

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” Galatians 5:19‭-‬21 NKJV.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law”
Galatians 5:22‭.
Frankly, out of the 9 fruit of the Spirit, I can only confidently say (today) that I express 4 fully. You can laugh at me or you can do your own maths…..

One virtue I boast of myself is that ‘I tell myself the truth when I see it‘.

Growing up, I probably got more beating refusing to say ‘sorry‘ for an offence I am sure I didn’t commit than for committing the offence or not. I kept saying ‘God would vindicate me….naaaaa….. I got more beating 🙂 Marriage brought me wisdom!! Sometimes, a ‘sorry’ saves you an unnecessary fight {you fix the problem when there is less tension}. Anyway, that’s an aside… 🙂

Point here? …do your maths…..be truthful to yourself.

What’s your score out of the possible 9? Would you say that you are fully walking in the Spirit? You may not be guilty of adultery, fornication, idolatry, uncleanness, murder, drunkenness, etc, but do you express any of the following attributes?- hatred, jealousy, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, envy, do you brew trouble among people or cause people to argue sometimes? Do you lose control always or often?

Galatians 5:19-21 says you are responding to and following the leading of the flesh, you are under the control of the flesh.

Again, it’s not about do’s and don’ts, but about living in the predominance of the Holy Spirit.

I don’t want to go to Heaven without fully expressing all 9 fruit of the Spirit while on earth. I am not sure there will be room to express them in Heaven.

Brethren, we have a decision to make at every point when we walk in the Spirit. Someone offends you, you have a choice how to react; retaliate immediately, defer your retaliation or immediately listen to what the Spirit would have you do. You say, ‘Grace, in that split second? …..so I find too 🙂 ……..in that split second.

Walk in the Spirit- move from giving natural, ‘fleshy’ responses to releasing spiritual responses. Yes we miss it sometimes, but with practice it gets better.

Temptations to be angry, jealous, show that we are in charge, that we cannot be intimidated, or to express ‘self’ in different dimensions will come, but we don’t have to yield when tempted, we choose to respond by the Holy Ghost.

Help us Lord!

And thank You for Your Word!!

Galatians 5:16 says;

“So I tell you, live the way the Spirit leads you , then you will not do the evil things your sinful self wants”. NKJV