Seven Ways to Walk in the Spirit with Your Family

There’s been seasons in our marriage where an outside circumstance knocked one or both of us off our feet. An unforeseen financial trial, struggles at work, extended family heartbreak, deaths, personal illness - you name it. Sometimes it isn’t the knock-the-wind-out-of-you stuff, it’s just the wear and tear of daily life that drains the spiritual intentionality out of your marriage and family life. Regardless of how it happens, our relationships suffer when we slip out of step with the Spirit.

Here’s a handful of verses to help you check your steps to make sure that regardless of what is going on in your life, you are walking in a way that would bless your spouse and children. Enjoy this printable download: walking in spirit in your family . You can use to help you and yours remember these points. In the following weeks we will share a short couples’/family devotional based on each verse.

Make your home and family life a center of conversation about who God is and what He has done. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 11:18-20 NIV

Check your words, tones, body language, and daily habits to make sure they revolve around loving others. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6 NIV

Check your heart so that the precious things of the Spirit direct you instead of your own impulses and desires. So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 NIV

Pursue faith over comfort, convenience, and worldly glitter. For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 NASB

Remember you are in a battle field - suit up and pray up! Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Ephesians 6:13-18 NASB

Forgive, love, and be humble. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. John 13:14-15 NASB

Guard what comes out of your mouth and what you let rattle around in your heart. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender- hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:29-32 NASB

Be back next week as we begin this series! Join us for more devotionals, resources and freebies by following Motl Ministries through email, fb, twitter or on pinterest.