GLEANINGS FROM THE SCRIPTURESWalk In The SpiritBy Keith L. EstesThe choices we make determines the way, or path, we walk. The Bible speaks of walking in the Spirit and also walking in the flesh. Doing your own thing is walking in the flesh. When we are born into this world we habitually walk according to the world. If it feels good, do it; that’s the standard of the flesh and the world. When God, by His grace, brings one to salvation through Jesus Christ then that person is instructed to walk in the Spirit. By walking in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. There are two paths to take in life, one is the easy path, and the other is the straight and narrow path. Jesus said, “Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life and few there be that find it.” In Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes to two roads and doesn’t know which one to take. The Cheshire cat is there and she inquires of him which road to take. He asks if she knows where she is going and Alice replies that she doesn’t. The cat replies, “Then it doesn’t matter which road you take.” In real life it does matter which road you take. It is the straight and narrow road that Jesus mentioned and when we once take that road we are instructed to be obedient to God and walk in the Spirit. . In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he writes, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16) Have the habit of continually walking by the energizing power and under the divine direction of the Holy Spirit. This is the only way of deliverance from selfish lusts. By doing this means you will never gratify the sinful desires originating in and overflowing from the lower nature. When God saved us, He did not eradicate the old nature, neither did He reform the old life He gave us an absolutely new life. The old nature is “not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” The Christian can conquer the self-life and have continual victory by walking by the Holy Spirit. 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. (Gal. 5:17) There is a constant deadly feud being waged. John Bunyan in his book Pilgrims Progress, shows that both Christ and Satan long for the possession of the city of Man Soul. The flesh opposes the Spirit in an effort to prevent the believer from a life of obedience, surrender, and victory. The Spirit against the flesh. The Holy Spirit opposes the flesh and gives the believer victory over it. And these are contrary. Lined up in hostile, face-to-face conflict. There is mutual antagonism. So that you may not keep on doing whatever you may want to do. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Gal. 5:18) If you are being led continually by the Holy Spirit, then it follows that ye are not under the law. Christians have a live-in divine Person to keep them in line, and they do not need an external curb. If we live in the Spirit, let us also Walk in the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25) Since we live by the Spirit we derive our life from Him Let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us go on walking, making progress toward spiritual maturity, by the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and power. The word walk means to walk in a line, keep in rank and file, and march in battle order. We need to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. It may help if we take into account what Oswald Chambers writes in the book My Utmost For His Highest: “God does not give us overcoming life- He gives us life as we overcome. If we will take the initiative to overcome, we will find that we have the inspiration of God, because He immediately gives us the power of life.” When the Spirit of God dwells in us, we have that power. The scripture states, “because He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4b) Reference: The Liberty Bible Commentary. The Holy Bible. |