The devil cannot make hell look beautiful, so he makes beautiful roads that lead there. These are roads that we've all walked, believer and non-believer alike. Unfortunately, some Christians are still walking those roads. They can't seem to find the exit ramp, but then, maybe they don't want to? Hear me. You can know the truth and still not be walking in it.
How so?
You can understand alignment, you can hear the teachings, you can even agree with everything that's being said, and you still live the exact same way. There's a difference between knowing the truth and walking in the the Spirit. Galatians 5 tells us to, "WALK IN THE SPIRIT AND YOU WILL NOT FULFILL THE LUST OF THE FLESH." The Bible doesn't say if you "think" about the spirit or you "just learn" about the spirit. It says WALK IN THE SPIRIT..
So how do we walk?
First, let's look at general terms. Walking means movement. Specifically, you're in touch with the ground. It connects you to your surroundings, it propels you forward, When you walk you improve your health. You think more clearly. Walking helps to reduce mental chatter from everywhere around you, stress, and anxiety. Simply, it's movement toward a goal. And guess what? So is WALKING IN THE SPIRIT.
SO ..
Believers in Christ? That should be our goal moment by moment.
We have knowledge, but we haven't built the walk. We know what's right but in a moment we still react. We still fall. We still have the same thoughts. We still move due to of the same habits. And it's not because we don't love God. It's because we haven't learned to walk with God in real time.
Your thoughts? They are seeds.
Your seeds become beliefs.
Your beliefs shape your actions.
The actions you do become habits.
The habits will shape the direction you take in life.
If we don't deal with how to control our thoughts or our habits, we're gong to keep living the same way. Walking in the spirit is not a feeling. It's not emotionalism. It's not waiting for something to come over you or walking around with constant tingles. It's learning how to respond in alignment with God right in the middle of real life, even when you're frustrated, when you're tempted, when you're emotions are overwhelmed, and when old thinking patterns are holding you back. That is where the walk really happens.
Now, let's look at "walking" in spiritual terms .. Walk in the spirit specifically means, you're in touch with Jesus which grounds you and connects you to the Father in heaven, it propels you to move in His Word, to learn more, and desire to be more like Jesus. When you walk in the spirit and follow biblical guidance there, it often leads to better physical outcomes and well-being- improving your health. You think more clearly too as the Word refreshes your mind to become perceptive and discerning. Walking in the spirit also helps to reduce mental chatter the world is always throwing at you through deception and distraction, stress, and anxiety. Simply, walking in the Spirit is also movement toward a goal; heaven. And guess what? When you walk in the spirit as the Word lays out as your guide, you will find the sinful habits or things you used to do or agreed with- that same old lifestyle where Satan kept you a prisoner will no longer have the same appeal. Following Jesus involves a profound lifestyle shift ("go and sin no more" John 5:14, John 8:11), where true believers are called to deny selfish desires .. a new nature that leads to a transformed heart that desires righteousness and attitude toward sin, to hate what God hates (take up your cross and follow Me). And though we can struggle under the weight of the cross (our old ways and habits) we fight sin and sinful tendencies with the help of the Holy Spirit. The new nature now is that we no longer have the desire to live a lifestyle of willful, habitual, or unapplogetic sin.
Following Jesus involves a continuous process of being refined and moving away from sin rather than claiming instant flawless perfection. If we don't get this part, all the rest is just information. I don't want to just know truth. I want to WALK in truth!
Until He Comes,
-Pat-
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