There are two forms of walking in the Spirit.
The first is being filled with the Spirit, so that you are consciously aware of Him, and then walking according to your spiritual sense, as your soul interprets it, instead of your soul interpreting your physical senses.
The second form of walking in the Spirit, is being in the Spirit. You are in a different dimension of the heavenly realms where you can see and hear in the Spirit, and you interact with the spiritual beings that live in that world. Our heavenly Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the seven spirits of God, the cloud of witnesses, the angels, and all the other spirit beings that live in that realm, which is a different realm than earth.
In this message we are talking about walking in the Spirit on the earth, where you are experiencing the fruit of the Spirit, on such an intense level, that you are way above the gravitational pull of the earth, where the lusts of the flesh operate.
At the center of Christian living stands a call higher than mere moral effort or religious duty. It is the call to walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 declares, this I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Yet if examine the church at large, you will find multitudes who love God deeply, but stumble again and again under the weight of the flesh.
They strive, they resolve, they make resolutions, they confess, yet they find themselves in the same cycle of defeat. Why is this so?
Because many have been taught only to depend on forgiveness without learning to depend on and to yield to the indwelling Spirit, moment by moment throughout the day.
The Christian life was never designed to be lived by human strength. It is not a call to try harder, but a call to yield deeper.
The Christian life is not about doing better, it is all about another Spirit (person) living through you, and you are just the earthen vessel He uses to accomplish the Fathers will upon the earth.
HAVING THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST IS DIFFERENT FROM WALKING IN THE SPIRIT
Romans 8:9 states, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. To belong to Christ is to have Christ dwelling within.
That is the very essence of Christianity. Yet possessing the spirit of Christ and walking in the Spirit are two different things.
One is a matter of birth, the other of daily choice.
One is a gift received; the other is a life surrendered.
The reason so many are weak is that they have never learned the secret of abiding in Him. They live in their physical senses instead of living in their spiritual senses.
That word abiding is key. To abide is to remain, to dwell, to root your consciousness in the unseen reality of Christ within you.
Many believers live in the realm of their physical senses. They live by what they feel, what they see, what they hear, what they, smell and what they can reason.
But the Spirit-ruled person lives by what God has spoken, regardless of the outward appearance.
Let us make this practical.
Imagine a branch cut off from the tree. It looks alive for a moment, green and vibrant. But separated from its source, it soon withers.
That is the Christian who tries to walk without the co-working of the Holy Spirit. Outward forms of religion may remain, but the inner vitality fades.
Jesus said in John 15: 5 Without me, ye can do nothing. The Spirit is the sap of the vine, the life flowing from Christ to the believer.
To walk in the Spirit is to keep the flow unbroken, to stay consciously united with Him in every thought, attitude, feeling, word, and deed.
The greatest barrier to walking in the Spirit is not weakness, but self-reliance. The flesh always seeks to prove itself, to manage life without utter dependence on God.
The flesh is that union of soul and body that walks independently of the Lord. All the desires of the flesh are not bad. The flesh can be highly developed, skillfully trained. It can be highly admired and can manifest good human characteristics. But it is a life lived independent of God.
It is self-discipline, self-improvement, it is living to your full potential. But it is human attributes not divine attributes.
Human love fails; God’s love never fails. Human joy comes and goes. In God’s presence there is fullness of joy, and it is consistent, he is the personification of Joy.
All of God’s attributes are on a higher level than human attributes. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, and that is what we are learning as we begin to partner with the Holy Spirit and walk with Him.
But God is not dealing with the old man, he is dealing and developing the new man as we co-operate with him.
Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom, So YHWH killed it on the cross, as far as he is concerned it no longer exists.
Galatians 5:24 declares, they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. This is legal redemption (who we are in heaven) because we received Jesus as Lord, Christ is already in us because we are Christ’s purchansed by his blood. Vitality it is being worked out in our life as a process. Our spirit convinces us when the flesh manifests, that we do not want to continue manifesting the flesh and look for the Holy Spirits help.
This is not achieved by gritting the teeth, but by surrendering to the cross. When you acknowledge that your old nature has been put to death with Christ, the Spirit gains his rightful place of control, because we thank the Lord, we are dead to it, and our mind begins to be renewed.
TO WALK IN THE SPIRIT, YOU MUST KNOW THAT YHHH SEES YOU RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST.
It took me a long time to realize this, I wish I knew it years ago, it would have saved me a lot of heart ache, but I was sin-conscious and not righteousness-conscious.
Whatever struggles you may have in life, if you keep seeking the things of God, you will eventually overcome them, if not now, then later. Because if God is for you, who can be against you. Your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak. If you yield to the flesh, you will become its slave and be miserable. If you yield to the Spirit, you will live an amazing life.
Righteousness gives us the ability to stand in God’s presence without the sense of guilt or inferiority.
Righteousness is the foundation of walking in the Spirit.
If you live under condemnation, you will never yield freely to the Spirit. You will shrink back, doubting his leading, questioning his acceptance.
But when you know you are the righteousness of God in Christ, you step boldly into fellowship with Him. You begin to trust His motivations, to rely on His guidance, and to rest in His strength.
Romans 8:14 declares, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Being led by the Spirit is not reserved for a select few. It is the normal inheritance of every son and daughter of God.
Think of a shepherd leading his flock. The sheep do not debate whether to follow. They know the voice of the shepherd, and they respond.
Jesus said in John 10: 27, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
Walking in the Spirit begins with cultivating an ear tuned to his voice above all others.
Yet here lies the struggle. The voice of the flesh is loud, demanding, urgent.
The voice of the Spirit is gentle, steady, unwavering.
To hear Him, you must quiet the noise of the world and yield your will to His whisper. This is not mystical. It is as practical as choosing to obey the Word in daily decisions.
The Spirit never leads contrary to Scripture. He brings it alive, reminding you of Christ’s words, applying them to your situation, and empowering you to act upon them.
Picture yourself standing at a crossroads. One path looks wide, appealing, and easy. The other looks narrow, rugged, and costly.
The flesh points toward the wide path, promising comfort. The Spirit points toward the narrow path promising life. Which will you choose?
That moment of decision is where walking in the Spirit becomes real. Each choice either strengthens His leading or dulls it.
Over time, a pattern forms, and that pattern shapes your entire walk.
IF WE HAVE THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT, THEN WALK IN THE SPIRIT
This is why Paul exhorted in Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
You already have His life within you. Now order your steps accordingly.
Think of a man who has been given a new set of clothes. If he continues to wear the old, tattered garments, no one will see the gift he has received.
But when he puts on the new, the change becomes evident to all.
Walking in the Spirit is putting on the new man daily, clothing yourself with Christ, until his life is visible in every action.
To walk in the Spirit is not to be carried along by passing moods, but to anchor yourself in a higher reality.
Romans 8:5 says, for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Notice the word mind.
Your walk follows your focus. If your attention is fixed on failures, temptations, or outward pressures, the flesh will dominate.
But if your mind is renewed to the Word, the Spirit gains room to govern your steps. Your inward gaze determines your outward course.
The new born spirit is designed to dominate the physical senses and bring them into subjection to the Word. That statement overturns the common notion that the senses dictate reality.
Your five physical senses may scream one thing, but your spirit aligned with the Word proclaims another.
The Spirit-led life does not deny natural facts but subjects them to spiritual truth.
When the doctor’s report announces weakness, the spirit within witnesses’ strength.
When circumstances declare lack, the Spirit points to the supply in Christ.
Walking in the Spirit is choosing which report to believe and act upon. The practice of yielding is the practice of power.
Consider how a sailboat moves across the water. It has no engine of its own, yet when the sail is lifted, the wind carries it forward with force.
The sailor’s task is not to produce the wind, but to position the sail.
Likewise, your task is not to generate spiritual strength, but to yield to the Spirit’s constant presence which strengthens your spirit.
Prayer, worship, and meditation on the Word are ways of lifting your sail. When you yield, the Spirit supplies.
When you resist, you drift in circles. This yielding is not passive resignation, but active cooperation.