Walking in the Spirit

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” - Galatians 5:16

Have you ever been in the presence of a Christian that you immediately knew there was something different about from the majority of other Christians you know? Perhaps you could just sense their closeness with God. You could sense they were filled with God’s presence and power. Maybe you have even found yourself wishing that you could be like them. Maybe someone has come to your mind as you are reading this.

The people I have known in my life like this have a joy even in the face of sorrow. There is this overflowing love in their hearts despite difficulties. And there is a passionate desire to please God that is infectious and contagious. The good news is this level of Christian living is not reserved for the so-called “spiritual superstars.” This abundant Christian life is for every follower of Jesus.

The truth is, this abundant, Spirit-filled Christian living is so rare among Christians that those living this way seem abnormal…like they have some special blessing or anointing from God. That is simply untrue. We all have the same Holy Spirit living inside of us as Christ’s disciples. While each of our lives with Him is unique – and we all have different gifts and abilities – the filling of His Spirit is the same for all. This means our access to the fruit of that Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – is also the same.

So then why are some people bearing Spiritual fruit and others are not? It is not a problem with the presence or power of the Holy Spirit, but of yielding control to the Spirit. Did you know you already have all the patience you will ever need to please Christ if His Spirit is living in you? Your job as a Christian is not to try and produce patience, but rather to practice using the patience you already have by allowing God’s Spirit and not your own will to control you in situations where you are tempted to be impatient. The same goes for all of the Spirit’s fruit. You already have everything you need!

So the people who came to your mind up above are not “more spiritual” than you (if you are both Christians). The difference is they have learned to walk in the power of the Spirit, and not in the flesh.

Application: Whose power are you walking in…the Spirit’s or the flesh’s?