Just think, no matter how we may feel or what circumstances we find ourselves in, we have the Spirit of God inside us where all is calm and at peace.
When I was in middle school, where the classroom work shifted to a more independent style of learning and having to study for tests, I felt like a fish out of water. You see, I had difficulty with reading comprehension, and I really didn’t know how to “study” for a test. My best friend growing up was a straight-A student and everything came easy to her. I can remember sitting in my room with my history book and just reading the pages somehow hoping they would magically absorb into my brain and I would do well on a test. The desire to do well was definitely there, but my learning style, unfortunately, did not bring about the results I had hoped for. The only thing that worked for me was to memorize facts, and although it resulted in good grades on my tests, it did not ultimately give me a true understanding of the concepts in their full context. And isn’t that the whole point of learning? Not just spitting back facts but understanding the big picture?
The Apostle Paul had a similar issue with the church at Galatia. They had initially accepted the freedom that comes with God’s grace in full understanding of what Jesus had done for them, but then some were falling back into the bondage of slavery through the law. These Galatians were trying to go back to following the law as a means of acceptance before God. Essentially “spitting back” works, walking outside the Spirit who came to live with them when they initially believed.
So what does it mean to walk by the Spirit and why should we? Galatians 5:16-18; 22-26 tells us, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”
We’ve all probably read these verses many times, but if you are like me, have you tried to “practice” the fruits of the Spirit but failed miserably? That was my first mistake. I was trying to “spit back” the fruits of the Spirit without the Spirit. Seems silly as I type that, but that’s what I was doing. This most recent read-through of Galatians showed me that the only purpose of the law is to show us our sins and our need for a Savior. Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit comes to live inside of us. It’s no longer “doing it in our own strength” but relying on the still small voice of the Holy Spirit to move in us so that we produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Let’s face it, in our own strength, as much as we set out to be patient or have self-control, the sinful flesh comes along and sabotages our "efforts".
So how do we successfully walk by the Spirit? I think the best way to approach this subject is to take a look at what hinders us from “hearing” the Holy Spirit and then the steps we can take to remove those obstacles in order to become ultra-sensitive to the voice of the Spirit saying, “this is the way, walk in it…” (Isaiah 30:21).
Stop Following Rules
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a rule follower. It was actually painful for me to type out the above subtitle. Lol. Look, I’m all about following rules. I think they are very important and keep society from turning into total chaos. Rules are also in place to keep people safe. Again, I’m all about following rules for safety. However, as a self-proclaimed rule follower, this can also be a detriment when approaching my Bible reading, church attendance, etc.
There was a time when I had a mental checklist where I was “spitting back” daily spiritual accomplishments rather than being fully immersed in those activities. Now, I come to Bible reading expectantly and excited to see what the Spirit will reveal to me through His Word. I sit down with my Bible and journal through what I’m reading. That practice has caused me to not just “memorize facts” but have a deeper Spirit-led understanding of the passages I am reading. And isn’t that where walking by the Spirit all begins?
We learn about our Lord through His Word. If we are reading the Bible without understanding, then we will not hear from the Holy Spirit to be able to “walk by the Spirit”. John 14:26 says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." Jesus is telling the disciples the role the Holy Spirit will play in their lives. It is no different for us. We have God’s Word that the Spirit will bring to our remembrance, but we must first have knowledge of that Word.
One evening I was lying in bed filled with anxiety over a lung CT that was scheduled for the next day. They had discovered lung nodules on my first one and this was to check on the stability of those nodules. As I was praying, I started to get bits and pieces of words coming into my mind. They were in no particular order, but as I laid still, the sentence began to form, and it was the following verse, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God" (Psalm 42:11). I couldn’t believe it when I comprehended what the Holy Spirit had given me through these Words. I wasn’t trying to seek out these words, I wasn’t even praying for a Word, but God… He provided comfort by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because I wasn't trying to do anything in my own strength or follow any rule to overcome my anxiety, resting in His presence held the answers and peace. Oh, and the story has a happy ending. The CT scan showed that all the nodules were gone and they had just been related to the RSV I had had months before. Praise God!
When we stop following rules and truly engage with the Word, the fruit of joy and peace will be the harvest of walking by the Spirit.
Remove Focus from Self
I have a bad habit of “being in the zone.” When I am heading up something and there are lots of things to attend to, I am oblivious to what's going on around me. I confess that sometimes I have brushed someone off because I was so hyperfocused on the task at hand, wanting everything to be perfect, which boils down to pride.
And don’t get me started on when I am hungry. “You’re hungry, aren’t you?” my dad will ask. I will laugh and say, “How did you know?”, and he responds, “Because you get very quiet when you are hungry." Yup, I do. LOL!
Then there are the times when I want what I want, and I don’t want anything to stand in the way.
In these three examples, I’m sure you can see where I’m not going to be producing any fruits of the Spirit, a majority of which are all found in the commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30-31).
So how do we take self out of the equation? By focusing on the Lord. Asking for His help in the areas we struggle. In this way, we are taking the “spitting back” out of the equation by “trying” to be kind, good, faithful, etc., and instead, we are relying on the Holy Spirit to produce in us what we can’t do in our own strength. I know, you’re probably saying, “You can choose to be kind and faithful, but our natural bent is toward self. Anything we do of our own accord usually won't last, and we will eventually find ourselves focusing on self." And you're right. Romans 7:15 says, "For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do."
By making a conscious effort to remove focus from self and placing it squarely on the Lord, we will walk by the Spirit and the fruit of love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control will be produced in us.
Do Away with Fear
Fear is one of the biggest hindrances to walking by the Spirit. Like the Apostle Peter when he was walking on the water toward Jesus and began sinking because he turned his focus off of Him, looking at the waves instead, we, too, lose our focus on the Holy Spirit and any opportunity for the fruit of joy and peace to emerge in our lives.
Satan’s MO is to keep us focused on our fears instead of the Lord who tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." When we walk by the Spirit, we have the power to overcome fear. Just think, no matter how we may feel or what circumstances we find ourselves in, we have the Spirit of God inside us where all is calm and at peace. We must remind ourselves in those moments to “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). As soon as we place our focus on the Peace that lives within us, we will begin walking by the Spirit and not sink into the mire of despair.
When we do away with fear, we will walk by the Spirit and experience the fruit of joy and peace.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Smileus
