We Are Not AloneSample

Walking in the Spirit

It’s an exciting prospect to follow Jesus’ example and seek God’s Holy Spirit afresh in our lives for a new season of spiritual growth and vitality. In The Salvation Army we are praying in these days that throughout the world people from every nation and background will open their hearts to Jesus and experience the Spirit filling their lives.

But how do we retain the freshness and vitality we know we need to live as followers of Jesus in today’s complex, fast-paced world, especially over time? That’s an important consideration for us. Even Jesus, in his humanity, struggled sometimes to remain focused and retain his Godlikeness under the weight of life’s challenges.

It turns out the Apostle Paul has an excellent solution to retaining the freshness of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Just as many today have taken up walking for physical fitness, we can see our spiritual fitness as our ‘walk in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16).

I love this idea of ‘walking in the Spirit’ and Paul’s progression a few verses later of keeping ‘in step with the Spirit’ (Galatians 5: 25 NIV). Walking in the Spirit is about letting God carry the burdens in our lives – our tiredness, our relationship issues, our perceived lack of time, our temptations. These are all the things that can weigh us down and divert us away from a life lived under the power and guidance of God.

But walking in the Spirit is more than letting God carry the burden. It’s also about forward momentum as we step into God’s Spirit at the start of every day, saying, ‘Holy Spirit, I don’t have everything I need today unless I am in you. I step into you for the strength I need for my meetings today. I take on from you the love I need for the people I will meet today. I step into you for the energy I need, for the moral strength I need. I don’t have all the resources I need but I know that you do.’

For reflection:

Consider all the benefits of ‘walking in the Spirit’. What are the burdens you carry that you can give to God and let the Spirit carry their weight and guide you towards solutions?

You can ask the Holy Spirit to help you live counter-culturally, believing and living into the Spirit’s power and insight, and knowing you are not alone.