Galatians 5:16-18 (NIV) So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
In verse 16 we see that the opposite of walking by the Spirit, is giving in to the desires of the flesh. Remember, flesh is the old, ordinary human nature that does not relish the things of God and prefers to get satisfaction from independence, power, prestige, and worldly pleasures.
Walking by the Spirit is what we do when the desires produced by the Spirit, are stronger than the desires produced by the flesh. This means that walking by the Spirit is not something we do in order to get the Spirit’s help, but rather, just as the phrase implies, it is something we do by the enablement of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to walk by the Spirit by producing in us strong desires that accord with God’s will.
Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV) And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
From the time a person places their faith in Christ, they are given the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit permanently indwells believers. When Paul is telling us to be led by the Spirit, he is referring to the fact that we should be open and receptive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Instead of our lives being circumscribed by written laws, God writes his law in our hearts. Thus, we walk by the Spirit, are led by the Spirit, and put our steps in the footsteps of the Spirit. We follow the ways that he directs us.
Galatians 5:25 (NIV) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Psalms 139:7, 10 (NASB) Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? . . . . Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me.
Psalms 143:10 (NASB) Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Romans 8:14 (NIV) For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
Each day you have a choice to either follow the path of the world, or where the Spirit leads you. If you want the Holy Spirit to lead your life and walk by the Spirit, it’s a conscious choice you need to make every day.
To be led by the Spirit does not have to be something complicated. When you walk close to the Lord and have a close relationship with Him, He can lead you supernaturally in natural ways.
From 2 Timothy 1:6 we understand that we are to stir up the Holy Spirit daily, in our lives. Here are four primary ways in which we can stir up the Holy Spirit:
- Bible study: spending time studying the Bible lets the Holy Spirit work in a greater way in our minds as we take in God’s Word and allow it to instruct us.
- Meditation: or concentrated thinking, on the Bible also stirs up the Holy Spirit in our minds, helping us to focus more deeply on God’s words.
- Prayer: or talking to God, stirs up the Holy Spirit in our lives as we talk to God and seek His will.
- Fasting: occasionally we must go without food and water in a religious fast to draw closer to God and stir up the Holy Spirit.