Believers, every day God gives us is a fresh opportunity to glorify Him. We can decide to live our own way, give in to our wicked desires, and chase after things that don’t matter. Or we can submit to his word, his will, and his ways and make a difference for eternity. Simply put, we determine how much glory our lives bring to God by our daily choices.
I don’t know about you, but I want to bring God bucketloads of glory! In order for me and you to accomplish our God-given purpose to glorify God by being faithful and fruitful, we have to practice a basic principle of the Christian life. We have to learn how to walk in the Spirit consistently.
Being in step with the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance in our lives. (Gal. 5:22-23) Those qualities draw unbelievers to Jesus as His character flows out from us. When we let the Holy Spirit lead us, that fruit is seen in our lives, and other believers want what we have as well.
The opposite is true of course, if we don’t walk in the Spirit, we’re just carnal Christians. And honestly, our flesh is repulsive. Envy, idolatry, strife, hatred, lust, and uncleanness is evidence the flesh is ruling us. (The whole offensive list of the works of the flesh is found in Gal. 5:19-21) Like the apostle Paul said, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18).
How to Walk in the Spirit
Galatians 5:16 ~ This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
My results-driven heart loves verses like this, that give me clearcut directives. In Gal. 5:16 we are told that the lusts of our flesh won’t be satisfied if we walk in the Spirit. So how do we do that?
Well, walking in the Spirit is a moment-by-moment decision to follow Jesus Christ. To listen to His voice above all others, and to obey Him as Lord.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), so if we want to be going in the direction that brings God glory, then we have to look to Jesus.
I wrote about that in a guest post for Anne Markey at One Determined Life, where I shared that Jesus is the way to freedom and fulfillment. In that post, I said:
God wants us to love Him, love others, minister to those around us, and make disciples. The only way we can effectively do what we’re called to do is if we are operating in the power of the Spirit of God. ~ Annie McGuire, guest post for One Determined Life
I also shared 5 steps to walking in the Spirit, which I have expanded on below.
5 Steps to Walking in the Spirit
- Cling to Jesus.
- Connect with Jesus.
- Cleanse your heart.
- Cast your cares.
- Choose to yield to the Spirit instead of the flesh.
Walk in the Spirit by clinging to Jesus
John 15:8 ~ Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
Jesus gives us the way to glorify God, by bearing fruit. And in verse 4 of this passage in John 15, he says that the only way we can bear fruit is by abiding in Him. In other words, we must cling to Jesus to have anything to show for our lives that honors God.
Apart from Christ, we can do nothing, but through Him, we can do all things. (John 15:5, Phil. 4:13)
Abiding in Christ results in an abundant life on earth and a bounty to present to our King in heaven. Click To Tweet
Practically speaking, to abide in Christ, to cling to Him, and walk in the Spirit, we need to stay on the path of righteousness. We must remain in His presence by rejecting sin, and endure through adversity and afflictions with grace and truth.
Walk in the Spirit by connecting to Jesus
My husband and I just returned from a marriage retreat, and we’re feeling refreshed and reconnected. We’re both busy in ministry, and hadn’t been spending a lot of time together, so we were feeling a little disconnected. One of the reasons this weekend away blessed us so much was because it bonded us back together with meaningful conversations. We learned about each other on a deeper level and connected our hearts afresh.
In a similar way, when we read the Bible we learn about Christ, who he is, and what he has done. As we peruse the pages and hear his heart, we connect with Jesus. Bible reading is so much more than a task to check off of our to-do list. It’s how our mind is renewed and our lives are transformed.
If you want to know how to walk in the Spirit, and not in your flesh, remember this simple principle: The one you feed the most is the one who will control you. So feed the Spirit by dining on the savory scriptures, and connecting with your Savior.
John 6:63 ~ It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Walk in the Spirit by cleansing your heart
James 4:8 ~ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Spirit-filled living requires a clean heart, so we must repent of sin. Whether it’s habitual sin, unconfessed sin, sins of omission, or willful sin, it’s all got to go. If we want to walk in the Spirit we have to let go of the hindrances to our fellowship with Christ.
Cleansing our heart is as simple as confessing sin, repenting of it, and receiving God’s forgiveness.
1John 1:9 ~ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Walk in the Spirit by casting your cares on Christ
Psalm 55:22 ~ Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Prayer is a necessity for walking in the Spirit, because when we hang onto our burdens they weigh us down, and can distract and discourage us. And then we get drawn into fleshly living.
But prayer allows us to exchange our cares for His peace and strengthens our relationship with God. Prayer invites the Lord into our issues and seeks His wisdom and guidance through them.
Walk in the Spirit by choosing to yield
Yielding to the Spirit is simply obeying the Bible, and not giving in to the lusts of your flesh or embracing the lifestyle this wicked world entices us with.
Disciples of Christ are to be sold-out servants, who leave all to follow him. They lean on God and not their own understanding. Choosing to yield to the Spirit and not the flesh looks like this:
- Praising God instead of complaining.
- Reading the Bible instead of that juicy novel.
- Listening to sermons instead of a talk show or political podcast.
- Praying instead of calling your bestie to “vent”.
- Repenting instead of covering and justifying your sin.
- Serving the Lord instead of watching TV.
- Going to Bible Study instead of shopping.
- Sending encouraging texts instead of mindlessly scrolling social media.
There is freedom and fulfillment in Jesus Christ, and the fruit of our surrender to His Spirit is an abundant life that brings God glory. Click To Tweet
Are you in step with the Spirit today, or are you being led by your sinful flesh? Now that you know how to walk in the Spirit, what areas of your spiritual life do you need to tend to so that you can?
I would love to hear your comments on this topic below!
Resource Library
On my “Resources” page I added several new tools for spiritual growth. The most recent being the “7 Days to More Peace of Mind” devotional bundle! It includes 7 devotions, scripture lists, quotes, and poems, all on the topic of worry. I’m selling 7 Days to More Peace of Mind as an eBook on Amazon, but I’m offering it to my email subscribers for FREE!
There is also a “How to Study the Bible” handbook in that resource library. It is a 17-page guide with step-by-step instructions, study sheets, study guidelines, and more! If you would like to dig deeper into the Bible for yourself, then this free resource is for you!
I have also included other bible study worksheets, beautiful graphics, printables, bookmarks, and more. To tap into all the goodies, just enter your email address in the “subscribe” section of this page. When you do that, you will get a confirmation email with the password to my Resource Library. Then you will also receive my blog posts in your email inbox as well.
(If you are already subscribed to Daily His Disciple, just email me and I will send you the link and password!)
Pray With Confidence
Prayer is a necessary component of our walking in step with the Spirit. If you would like to grow in your prayer life, then check out Pray with Confidence. It’s a website for helping women overcome prayer obstacles, and I am one of the monthly contributors. Here are a few links I think will be a blessing to you:
3 Short Prayers for Spiritual Stability
19 Bible Verses that Reveal the Will of God
Check out the prayer resources, Bible verses, and tough questions tabs as well. There are many great options to boost your spiritual growth!
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