Walk in the spirit
I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Some people unknowingly allow every form of strife to take root in their hearts: bitterness, malice, anger, envy, hatred, and all sorts of wickedness. The Apostle Paul, in (Ephesians 4:31-32), encourages us to put away these things and walk in love.
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, even as God for Christ sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
The question is, how do we consistently walk in love in a world where there is so much hate? Our primary scripture gives us the answer: “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh“ (Galatians 5:16).
Walking in the Spirit means living life through the Word of God. Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does John 5:19. Jesus himself walked in the Spirit and lived by the word of the Father. He only said what the Father said and did what the Father did. That is, walking in the Spirit, where the Word of God becomes the model for our lives. We allow God’s Word to control our lives and are being influenced by the word daily; we live and speak the word.
Benefits for walking in the Spirit
When we walk in the Spirit, we see and walk differently; our perspective is different, and walking in love becomes natural to us. Being born again, we can love even the most challenging and unlovable people.
Walking in the Spirit manifests the love of God through us quickly; we become kind-hearted and compassionate; we live beyond ourselves and transcend the human level of our desires and selfishness. When we walk in the Spirit, we destroy the roots of self-centeredness in our lives and begin to value and see the good in others. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves.“ (Philippians 2: 3)
Walking in the Spirit allows us to see through God’s eyes and think godly and loving thoughts towards others. There will not be any trace of anger, selfishness, bitterness, or resentment manifesting in or through us. The Words of Jesus “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you in (Matthew 5:43-44) becomes a reality and our lifestyle.
