What Does it Mean to Walk in The Spirit?

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."
― Galatians 5:25-26, King James Version

The Holy Spirit is a quintessential part, one among the Triune God. Christian believers look up to Him at all times, as He is the Spirit of God Himself who has been assigned to guide us all in the midst of the worldly dilemmas that we face today.

The world in which we live today isn't Godly and spiritual, but is enslaved by futile desires that only sink us all further down into the clutches of materialism and sin. Remember, Jesus also came into this world during a turbulent time, when spirituality seemed to be diminished, and hypocrisy, deceitfulness, lust for power and wealth prevailed.

At this time, Jesus became the light in this dark world, delivering people from the clutches of evil, opening their eyes that were blinded by the devilish, lustful, and deceitful riches of the world. God paid a heavy price to redeem our sins, to save us from the clutches of Satan. He sacrificed his only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.

His pure blood was shed for the law to be fulfilled, so that we, who are the actual culprits could be saved. However, if we evaluate the scenario today, more than two thousand years later, are we truly worth the sacrifice He made for us? He commanded His disciples to share the word of God, to spread His teachings to others.

Behind these instructions, His intention was not to "convert everyone into Christians", as is mostly perceived, but to actually impart the goodness, simplicity, the light, and the selfless way of living a spiritual life―To Live in The Spirit!

Our Holy Scripture instructs us to "Walk in the Spirit" so that we may not serve our fleshly desires, but live to grow spiritually, thereby fulfilling the desires of God. Before we elaborately explain the meaning and implication of this phrase, let us first go through some Bible verses that convey the message of 'walking in the Spirit'.

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:

... of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."
― Galatians 5:16-26, King James Version

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."
― Romans 8:1-8, King James Version

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."
― Ezekiel 36:26-27, King James Version

Simply put, to walk in the Spirit is not a paranormal act, but rather a lifestyle, a conduct that calls for obedience in following the commandments of Christ. Many people view the whole concept as something involuntary, as if the Holy Spirit possesses a person, thereby compelling him/her to "walk" in a certain way, as in, to perform certain activities.

This is not something that we must get confused with. Also, merely becoming a Christian and accepting Christ as our Savior, is also not the same as becoming His disciple and walking in The Spirit. It is not your being Christian that matters here, it is you being the true image of Christ.

Saint Paul writes in Galatians, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." Well, we all live today because Jesus died for us. He was resurrected again by the Spirit and therefore, we proudly claim that He is the only Son of God, the very God who loves us more than anything else. But, is believing enough?

We go to the Church, do charity work (according to our convenience), read the Bible everyday (maybe), light candles, and do all the other things that come along with being a "Christian." But Jesus didn't tell us to do just this! He wanted us to be His disciples and had given us the Holy Spirit to help us in our ministry.

However, knowingly or unknowingly, we have made this task a secondary priority, and somehow, we have become the servants of the flesh rather than the keepers of the Spirit.

The Spirit of God fills our lives with blessings. We proclaim to be Christians, but not all of us can proclaim to be blessed with the fruits of the Spirit―Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Do all of us find these fruits around us, in the lives that we are living?

Do we truly possess these blessings? Can we say that our hearts are filled with selfless love, that we are joyful to appreciate every minute of our existence, that our hearts are filled with peace and our minds exhibit patience, that kindness governs our decisions, and goodness is what we impart?

That we are truly faithful in our ways, gentle in our actions, and have a great sense of self-control to keep evil off our hearts and minds? If we cannot say a yes to these questions, we are not walking in the Spirit.

Inviting the Holy Spirit in our lives is not some ritual, rather, it is a lifestyle that we must follow religiously, and that too, not out of compulsion, but out of will, out of our love for Christ, out of the need to honor His sacrifice for us.

Most of us, especially the Church-goers, straightaway deny the fact that we are somehow more of the servants of the flesh, and tend to pay more heed to the worldly allurements, rather than undertaking the spiritual journey that we must. Therefore, the first and foremost step is to accept the need to seek the Spirit's guidance and help, to mend our ways.

Calling out the Spirit is only possible when we truly repent and pray. Pray and share your issues, weaknesses, supplications, and downfalls. This will help us identify our wrongdoings, even at a subconscious level, thereby encouraging us to act spiritually, just as the Lord directed us to.

Prayer strengthens us in spirit, thereby making us better when it comes to resisting the temptations of the Devil. And as we take the selfless path of spiritual love, joy, goodness, peace, kindness, and self-control, we must trust that wherever our instincts guide us, whatever we observe from the teachings of Christ, it will take us to the right path.

It is only when we realize His works and thank Him for His assistance in matters big and small, it is only then when our lives will be filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit―it is only then when we can say that we "Walk in the Spirit!"

Walking in the Spirit is nothing but living our lives according to the will of the Father, where our actions make this world a better place, just as Jesus' did. We don't mean to say that one must start living a saintly life, or deny one's family altogether.

Even the family we have is a gift from Him, and yes, it is very much possible to be led by the Spirit even while being a part of this world. However, we must ensure that at the end of it all, we use your worldly gifts to praise the glory of God, and not become one among those who hoard or exploit these gifts for their own selfish interests.

Lord's commandments should be our first and foremost priority. Trust in the Spirit, for He will always bestow His wisdom, power, love, and soundness in our lives. He is the Spirit of love, not fear. Therefore, we must never hesitate to ask Him to come into our lives, befriend us, and He will gladly help us come closer to our creator. Amen.