If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)

Living And Walking

The Christian walk is a difficult challenge to balance the lusts of the flesh and the fruit of God’s Spirit. There is a war that engages the heart to fulfill the lust of the flesh against the desire to walk in the holiness of the Lord. It never stops and will not let up. Satan is the adversary because he has no desire to allow God’s children to walk in the Spirit. He devises schemes to derail the efforts of the child of God to fulfill or engage in the pleasures of the carnal nature; and he is very successful.

When a person obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ, he receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter declared to those at Pentecost that if they repented and were washed in the waters of baptism, God would take away their sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Every person who is in covenant with the Lord is a Spirit-filled individual. The Holy Spirit makes intercession before God on behalf of the person. Enjoying the fruits of the Holy Spirit can only come to those who are abiding in the presence of God as redeemed and sanctified through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Paul exhorts the Galatian Christians to walk in the Spirit. Living and walking are two different parts of the Christian’s life. Those who profess to be children of God acknowledge they are in a relationship with the Holy Spirit. The heart is ruled by the word of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to be holy people. If a man professes to be a child of God, let him live as a child of God. When a man lives in the Spirit, he must walk in the Spirit. The two are inseparable. Walking in the steps of the Holy Spirit is putting each footprint into the footprint of God. The Spirit must guide every part of life.

Living and walking are separate, but they depend upon one another. A man begins living in the Spirit when he obeys the gospel. As the man’s faith grows, he begins to align his life more and more in harmony with the teachings of the Holy Spirit. When a man fills his life with the guidance and direction of the Spirit, he will walk according to the pattern of the Holy Spirit. At first, he is a newborn babe in Christ. Then, he will mature as his faith grows and he lives in the Spirit. Living and walking is the completeness of the Christian character. The heart is no longer under the dominion of the carnal flesh. Through the Holy Spirit, a man yields himself and his influences to be controlled by the Spirit.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed their passions and desires to His cross. The fruit of the Spirit guide the life they live in the flesh. A change occurs as the heart becomes more inclined to the fellowship of the Spirit. For each person living for Christ, their walk of life does not grow weary but thrives with the grace of God glowing in their hearts and minds. Living and walking is how the Christian lives. He walks in the light, serving the Lord in every part of his life, showing the mercy of God, sharing the good news of the gospel with others, and letting the Holy Spirit guide his heart and soul to the portals of Heaven. Live. Walk.