HOW TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT DAILY | THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 101 PART 5
VIDEO SOURCES
The Galatians Road. A Road Less Traveled. Growing in Grace Ministries, 2023, www.thegalatianroad.com
The MacArthur Study Bible. John MacArthur. Thomas Neilson, Inc., 2006.
What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? GotQuestion.org. https://www.gotquestions.org/Spirit-walk.html
HOW TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT DAILY | THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 101 PART 5
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
[Dr. Grace] “Good morning, class! My name is Dr. Grace and welcome back to Introduction to the Christian life. As you know… we’ve been studying the Galatians Road, which provides a roadmap for how to live the Christian life. Last time we talked about Galatians 2:20 and what it means to be crucified with Christ. That is, to surrender every aspect of our lives and give it all to Him. Today, we are going to talk about Galatians 5:16 and what is means to walk in the Spirit… not the flesh.”
[Dr. Grace] “Think about the last time you were filled with the Holy Spirit. I guarantee you were fully surrendered to God in that moment. Once we stop trusting in our own self-righteousness and embrace God’s grace, we need to surrender to God before we can walk in the Spirit, and we need to walk in the Spirit before we can produce the fruits of the Spirit. You see how it all fits together?”
[Dr. Grace] “When you decided to make Christ Jesus your Lord, you received the wonderful gift of His Holy Spirit. The Bible says the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. You now have a daily choice: to live in fellowship with this righteous, loving, and powerful Spirit in you (we call this walking in the Spirit). Or you can continue to live independent from God, under the influence of this world and the compulsion of your own desires (we call this walking in the flesh).
[Christian] “Dr. Grace, how do we know if we are walking in the Spirit or in the flesh?”
[Dr. Grace “That’s a great question because while we can’t do both at the same time, we can do both in the same day. Most born-again believers know—especially during those life-changing mountain-top experiences—when they are filled with the Holy Spirit and walking in fellowship with God. However sometimes it can be difficult to discern when we have slipped back into walking in the flesh. In order to help you recognize this divergence, I have compiled a list… Here are my Top 10 Signs You Are Walking in the Flesh, Not the Spirit:
- Number One: Your desires and pleasures take precedent over seeking and following God's purposes for your life.
- Number Two: You hold onto grudges and hostility towards others rather than practicing forgiveness and love.
- Number Three: You indulge in self-destructive habits or harmful behaviors towards others that go against God's principles.
- Number Four: You have a noticeable absence of genuine love and compassion for others in your actions and attitudes.
- Number Five: You have feelings of discontent rather than thankfulness and envy rather than rejoicing at other’s blessings.
- Number Six: You pursue personal goals and ambition without considering God's direction and the well-being of others.
- Number Seven: You ignore or neglect regular practices such as prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers.
- Number Eight: You are not humble and teachable. Instead, you are defensive or resistant to correction and accountability.
- Number Nine: You react with impatience and irritability rather than demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit like patience and kindness.
- Number Ten: You struggle with inner turmoil, anxiety, or lack of peace that comes from not walking in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.”
[Christian] “I do all of those things sometimes.”
[Mr. Law] “Yeah, me too.”
[Dr. Grace] “Don’t be discouraged, class. God is working in you and He will finish what He’s started.”
[Mr. Law] “Dr. Grace, it’s one thing to recognize when we are walking in the flesh, but it’s something entirely different to walk in the Spirit. How do we do this on a regular basis?”
[Dr. Grace] “That is the question, isn’t it? Last time we talked about Galatians 2:20 and what it means to be crucified with Christ… We cannot overstate the importance of surrendering to God. The Holy Spirit teaches us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is another way of saying, ‘surrender everything to God.’ You’ve heard of the problem with a living sacrifice, haven’t you? Any day, at any time, we can get off the alter of surrender and walk down the path of independence and self-reliance. Surrender is not a one-time event; it is a moment-by-moment decision.”
[Dr. Grace] “Once we surrender to God, walking in the Spirit is quite simple. When you wake up in the morning, as soon as your feet hit the floor, ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit, stay in fellowship with Him throughout the day, and follow His lead. As a born-again Christian, you can choose to walk in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit at any time.”
[Christian] “Dr. Grace, how do we make sure we don’t slip back into walking in the flesh?”
[Dr. Grace] “Dear Christian, if you find yourself walking in the flesh, confess it, acknowledge it, and get right back into walking in the Spirit. Once you are walking in the Spirit, stay in the Spirit and make this a way of life. Continue doing the things we’ve already talked about and follow the guidance, inspiration, and divine wisdom that the Spirit provides. The Bible says, ‘be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ In other words, if you want to be transformed, you need to change the way you think. This is why we are told to focus our minds on the things above, not on earthly things, and the things of the Spirit, not the flesh. The battle is in the mind, which is why we need to keep our WITS about us, that is, Walk In The Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
[Bell rings.]
[Dr. Grace] “Lord Jesus, teach us to surrender to your Lordship and walk in fellowship with you throughout the day through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen and class dismissed.”
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