The Apostle Paul makes a profound statement when he declares that if we live in the Spirit, we should also walk in the Spirit. He is referring to Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God gives us this wonderful promise:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
God gives us a new heart and a new Spirit, regenerating our innermost being. He causes us to walk in His ways. If we are tempted to disobey Him, His Spirit within will check us and say, “No, you’re not going to do that today! That person died. He is not alive in you anymore because you are alive in Me.”
When things are not going well, we must stop and dig down deep to hear His response in our hearts. Think of the acronym HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.
Are you hungry? His Word is your bread.
Are you angry? The Holy Spirit is not mad at anyone.
Are you lonely? He is always with you.
Are you tired? When you wait upon Him, He will renew your strength.
To walk in the Spirit, we must recognize that He abides in us. In Him we find rest. He is our guide, our helper, and our advocate. He is our very present help in time of trouble. The more we are conscious of His presence, the more we are aware that His promise is true:
“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
He is with us to the end.
Once we are rooted and grounded in His love and presence, we change our thinking about who and where He is. I have been to some worship services where His presence is so tangible that people can barely stand. At other times, that physical feeling is not there. Has the Holy Spirit left? No, He is not far away. Deuteronomy 30:14 tells us,
“But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.”
The Apostle Paul makes a profound statement when he declares that if we live in the Spirit, we should also walk in the Spirit. He is referring to Ezekiel 36:26-27, where God gives us this wonderful promise:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
God gives us a new heart and a new Spirit, regenerating our innermost being. He causes us to walk in His ways. If we are tempted to disobey Him, His Spirit within will check us and say, “No, you’re not going to do that today! That person died. He is not alive in you anymore because you are alive in Me.”
When things are not going well, we must stop and dig down deep to hear His response in our hearts. Think of the acronym HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.
Are you hungry? His Word is your bread.
Are you angry? The Holy Spirit is not mad at anyone.
Are you lonely? He is always with you.
Are you tired? When you wait upon Him, He will renew your strength.
To walk in the Spirit, we must recognize that He abides in us. In Him we find rest. He is our guide, our helper, and our advocate. He is our very present help in time of trouble. The more we are conscious of His presence, the more we are aware that His promise is true:
“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
He is with us to the end.
Once we are rooted and grounded in His love and presence, we change our thinking about who and where He is. I have been to some worship services where His presence is so tangible that people can barely stand. At other times, that physical feeling is not there. Has the Holy Spirit left? No, He is not far away. Deuteronomy 30:14 tells us,
“But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.”
Yielding to His Guidance
In Acts 8, Luke describes a great persecution that arose against the church. As a result, believers were scattered and proclaimed the Gospel everywhere they went.
Among them was Philip, a deacon who went into Samaria to preach. God did amazing miracles as the lame walked, Simon the Sorcerer was converted, and many people were saved. In the midst of this, Luke says in Acts 8:26:
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Then Luke adds, This is desert.
Imagine you are having a great revival with miracles happening all around you in Samaria, near the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Suddenly an angel tells you to go to the desert. You might be tempted to answer, “No! There is nothing in the desert. I should stay here with all these people who need to be discipled.”
Yet Philip is walking in the Spirit, and he obeys. He goes to that desert road where he overtakes an Ethiopian in a chariot, and from that meeting the church of Ethiopia is born. This is because someone is not only filled with the Spirit—he also hears and obeys the prompting of God.
In Acts 8, Luke describes a great persecution that arose against the church. As a result, believers were scattered and proclaimed the Gospel everywhere they went.
Among them was Philip, a deacon who went into Samaria to preach. God did amazing miracles as the lame walked, Simon the Sorcerer was converted, and many people were saved. In the midst of this, Luke says in Acts 8:26:
Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Then Luke adds, This is desert.
Imagine you are having a great revival with miracles happening all around you in Samaria, near the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Suddenly an angel tells you to go to the desert. You might be tempted to answer, “No! There is nothing in the desert. I should stay here with all these people who need to be discipled.”
Yet Philip is walking in the Spirit, and he obeys. He goes to that desert road where he overtakes an Ethiopian in a chariot, and from that meeting the church of Ethiopia is born. This is because someone is not only filled with the Spirit—he also hears and obeys the prompting of God.
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