Walk In The Spirit

Gal 5:16 - I say then: Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. What a promise from God's word. Walking is not just what we do to get from one place to the other. It is how we live our life from day to day. It's how we progress through life or make our way through life. Through the New Covenant and God's great gift of grace, God has given us His promise, the Helper who helps us progress through life in victory over the dictates of the sinful nature. The contrast here is walking in the Spirit or fulfilling the lust of the flesh (our old sinful nature). There are two masters competing for our life.

Verse 17 in the NLT says The old sinful nature loves to do wrong, which is just the opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.

The flesh is every man's master at birth. He controls and dictates our walk from the time we are born until we die unless we are bought by another master. The flesh will always make us to be against God or make us contrary to God's way. The word contrary means to be against or opposite. The Holy Spirit is the master to all who believe and follow Christ. The promise in God's word today is that the flesh or old sinful nature, our old ruler and king is defeated. The Holy Spirit of God has been sent to us and given us the means to victory over the sinful nature. May we all be found walking in this truth today. The means to victory has been provided for all men.

Rms 8: 1 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

All people who walk or live their lives by following the dictates of the flesh (sinful nature) are condemned. The sinful nature dictates that we sin. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. All men are condemned to death or eternal judgment. But those who are in Christ are delivered from the sentence of eternal judgment. To be in Christ means that we are living or walking according to or by the Spirit.

Rm's 8: 12-14 (NLT) So my dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by it's dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

Children of God are those who put to death the deeds of the flesh by being led by the Spirit of God. Wow!!! What a concept in a day of religious confusion. Another verse I've been thinking about that goes along these lines is Jn 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name. Jesus gives power to those who receive Him and believe in His name. That power is to be sons and daughters of God. And the proof that we are sons and daughters of God is that we are putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature. 1 John Ch 3 is a great chapter about Sons of God and Sons of the Devil.

1 Jn 3:10 (NLT) - So we can tell who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.

To live righteously is to depart from sin and to quit sinning as a practice.

1 Jn 3: 9 (NLT) - Those who have been born into God's family do not make a practice of sinning, because God's life is in them. So they don't keep on sinning, because they are the children of God.

May we receive and walk as Children of God today. Let Gods word be true and every mans word that does not line up with his word a liar.