WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
By W. G. Guy
Galatians 5:16 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Obviously the flesh, with its lusts for self-gratification, is contrary to the ways of the Holy Spirit of the Lord in the believer. Jesus told us that the motives of the self-will and flesh need to be put off and denied in order to live as a true child of God and disciple of Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:23 – And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Those who fail to deny the self and continue in the self-serving ways of the flesh are actually denying the new life in Christ. They may make confession of Christ with their mouth, but their behavior denies their confession. This means that their salvation is in their head and not in their heart.
Luke 9:24-26 – For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
How do you walk in the spirit? As stated in Luke 9:23 above, the thing that must be done is deny the SELF, which is called the old man, the sinful, lustful carnal nature that is vulnerable to the tempting of the devil.
Ephesians 4:20-24 – But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Unfortunately, Christians are not being taught this in churches today. Instead, many preachers teach on how to accommodate the flesh and its lusts by how you can satisfy yourself with prosperity, how to achieve success along with other things of this world; all which are contrary to the Word and Will of God.
1 John 2:15-17 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Why is it so important for believers to walk in the Spirit, because it frees you from the lure of the world and the evil influences and temptations of the enemy.
Romans 8:1, 4 – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ….that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
However, this is not automatic because it requires our personal effort to fight the fight of faith, being faithful to Him who redeemed us and being obedient.
Galatians 5:17 – For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The Spirit of Christ within the believer, whose leading when followed and obeyed, will help us to walk and live in truth and righteousness as sons of God because they have denied the self with its fleshly lusts.
Galatians 5:24-25 – And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
What and How? (Go back and read Luke 9:23.)
Galatians 5:6-7 – For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Following after the lusts of the flesh, which is selfishness, is the opposite of walking in the Spirit. Walking after the flesh is the reason why we have so much corruption in the world, and particularly in America today. This is also why the church of today has not “turned the world upside down” as did the early church.
The church of today has the appearance of the Church of Laodicea, as mentioned in Revelation 3:14-22, to which Jesus said, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”. This church even left Jesus standing on the outside knocking to get in (verse 20). They were definitely not walking in and led of the spirit. The Church of Laodicea was so putrid and lukewarm that it made Him want to vomit them out of His mouth (verse 16).
Walking in the Spirit is having the Fruit of the Spirit manifesting in your life. Notice in verse 7 of Galatians 5, the two things that are expected: faith and love. True Christianity is obtained by FAITH and manifests itself, according to the command of God, as LOVE. Both faith and love are elements of the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The above listed Fruits of the Spirit are the character and nature of God that we receive when we accept Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Christ that dwells in us provides that new life giving force which produces His desired fruit that shows the world that we are the children of God.
John 15:1-5 – I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
This fruit is not man’s works or natural ability because Jesus said the branch (a believer) cannot produce this fruit by himself because it requires the new life of Christ flowing through that person to produce the Fruit of the Spirit. The problem is that we often struggle with the carnal flesh, even though we have accepted Christ. We are required to grow up to maturity in Him because we have not arrived at what He wants us to be upon being born-again; we need to mature in Him. This is why Jesus gave specific Gift ministries to bring us to full maturity.
Ephesians 4:11-13 – And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting (complete maturity) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The things that we experience and have to walk through in this life are opportunities to develop the Fruit of the Spirit. When this fruit is fully ripened, formed and manifesting in God’s children, then comes the anticipated harvest.
Romans 8:18-19 – For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
The things we suffer in this present time are due to the afflictions we experience from the world as we walk in truth and fellowship with the Lord and follow Him and His will. As Jesus said, the world and it’s unbelievers hates us causing us affliction. We are called to overcome this vile world and be more than conquerors through Him who loved and redeemed us.
Romans 8:37-39 – Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Galatians 5:16 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (This requires dying to self, our fleshly old nature and its desires – daily.)
Then we can say with the apostle Paul:
Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
By W. G. Guy
Galatians 5:16 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Obviously the flesh, with its lusts for self-gratification, is contrary to the ways of the Holy Spirit of the Lord in the believer. Jesus told us that the motives of the self-will and flesh need to be put off and denied in order to live as a true child of God and disciple of Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:23 – And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Those who fail to deny the self and continue in the self-serving ways of the flesh are actually denying the new life in Christ. They may make confession of Christ with their mouth, but their behavior denies their confession. This means that their salvation is in their head and not in their heart.
Luke 9:24-26 – For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
How do you walk in the spirit? As stated in Luke 9:23 above, the thing that must be done is deny the SELF, which is called the old man, the sinful, lustful carnal nature that is vulnerable to the tempting of the devil.
Ephesians 4:20-24 – But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Unfortunately, Christians are not being taught this in churches today. Instead, many preachers teach on how to accommodate the flesh and its lusts by how you can satisfy yourself with prosperity, how to achieve success along with other things of this world; all which are contrary to the Word and Will of God.
1 John 2:15-17 – Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Why is it so important for believers to walk in the Spirit, because it frees you from the lure of the world and the evil influences and temptations of the enemy.
Romans 8:1, 4 – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ….that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
However, this is not automatic because it requires our personal effort to fight the fight of faith, being faithful to Him who redeemed us and being obedient.
Galatians 5:17 – For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
The Spirit of Christ within the believer, whose leading when followed and obeyed, will help us to walk and live in truth and righteousness as sons of God because they have denied the self with its fleshly lusts.
Galatians 5:24-25 – And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
What and How? (Go back and read Luke 9:23.)
Galatians 5:6-7 – For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Following after the lusts of the flesh, which is selfishness, is the opposite of walking in the Spirit. Walking after the flesh is the reason why we have so much corruption in the world, and particularly in America today. This is also why the church of today has not “turned the world upside down” as did the early church.
The church of today has the appearance of the Church of Laodicea, as mentioned in Revelation 3:14-22, to which Jesus said, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”. This church even left Jesus standing on the outside knocking to get in (verse 20). They were definitely not walking in and led of the spirit. The Church of Laodicea was so putrid and lukewarm that it made Him want to vomit them out of His mouth (verse 16).
Walking in the Spirit is having the Fruit of the Spirit manifesting in your life. Notice in verse 7 of Galatians 5, the two things that are expected: faith and love. True Christianity is obtained by FAITH and manifests itself, according to the command of God, as LOVE. Both faith and love are elements of the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The above listed Fruits of the Spirit are the character and nature of God that we receive when we accept Jesus Christ. The Spirit of Christ that dwells in us provides that new life giving force which produces His desired fruit that shows the world that we are the children of God.
John 15:1-5 – I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
This fruit is not man’s works or natural ability because Jesus said the branch (a believer) cannot produce this fruit by himself because it requires the new life of Christ flowing through that person to produce the Fruit of the Spirit. The problem is that we often struggle with the carnal flesh, even though we have accepted Christ. We are required to grow up to maturity in Him because we have not arrived at what He wants us to be upon being born-again; we need to mature in Him. This is why Jesus gave specific Gift ministries to bring us to full maturity.
Ephesians 4:11-13 – And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting (complete maturity) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The things that we experience and have to walk through in this life are opportunities to develop the Fruit of the Spirit. When this fruit is fully ripened, formed and manifesting in God’s children, then comes the anticipated harvest.
Romans 8:18-19 – For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
The things we suffer in this present time are due to the afflictions we experience from the world as we walk in truth and fellowship with the Lord and follow Him and His will. As Jesus said, the world and it’s unbelievers hates us causing us affliction. We are called to overcome this vile world and be more than conquerors through Him who loved and redeemed us.
Romans 8:37-39 – Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Galatians 5:16 – This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (This requires dying to self, our fleshly old nature and its desires – daily.)
Then we can say with the apostle Paul:
Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
