We ought to ask ourselves hard questions. Such like: Am I walking the walk?; Am I speaking the same truth that Jesus did?; How much am I loving Him?; Is my mind really focused on Him? These are just a sampling of the honest questions and answers we ought to be asking ourselves every day. Someone already is though, isn’t He? The Spirit of Truth only deals in truth doesn’t He? (John 16.13). So the question we have to ask ourselves every day is: Am I walking in the Spirit? This is derived from Galatians 5.16-26.
Verses sixteen and seventeen say, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 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.” According to verse seventeen here, we are hindered when we stay in limbo between the two. The flesh or our natural man, desires the attention of our soul. The spirit within us, our conscience and communicator with the Lord, is desirous of our soul’s attention as well. You see this is where the Holy Spirit does His work within us. Here is where He made us come alive spiritually (John 6.63; Ephesians 2.1,5; 1 Peter 3.18). Which side will win is the issue. And by these two verses we set the stage for the answer to the hard question of: Am I walking in the Spirit? There is evidence to demonstrate what you are or are not doing.
What does it look like when someone is walking in the Spirit? What evidence can I see that demonstrates that answer? That is easy, it’s verses twenty and twenty-three. They state that the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit is manifested through us as we “yield” to Him, or “walk in” Him. They are: “…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…” It’s not a list like you think though. It is in a singular case as: “fruit”, not “fruitS”. So this isn’t a list to ‘work on’, but a list of demonstration. It is God demonstrating who He is in you and working through you, as you walk with Him. Just as verses sixteen and seventeen said. They are singular. They manifest themselves as God says, when He says, as you walk with Him.
This begs the question then, “When am I not in the Spirit”? That is also here in these verses. Look no further than verse nineteen when it states, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these…” Did you notice this is plural? “WorkS” and not “work”. The word “works” means for the believer it would take some work. Even if it seems easy and natural, it would be because you have exercised that muscle so much that you have built a tolerance to conviction. That is called a seared conscience. No fruit tree strains to produce it’s fruit. It simply happens naturally as they are near the nutrients and environment they need to prosper. But this list here in verses twenty and twenty-one are not fruit at all, they are “works”. Not only that, they are “manifest” it says. They are obvious to us, and everyone else for that matter. Manifest literally means to be brought out of the shadows and into the light. And that is why there is a defined list. We know that because it says that with, “which are these”. These are: “adultery; fornication; uncleanness; lasciviousness; idolatry; witchcraft; hatred; variance; emulations; wrath; strife; seditions; heresies; envyings; murders; drunkenness; revellings.” That is some list. This is a list of works that our flesh is capable of and they manifest themselves… when we are not walking in the Spirit.
I’m encouraged by the next three verses, because they let me know how to at least begin walking in the Spirit. A starting point for the newly saved person, and a going back to basics point for the one who isn’t where they need to be with the Lord. Verse twenty-four is our guide: “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” You got it. Start by dying! Yes, quit the life you have all on your own and in independence from God. You are sinking and you don’t even know it. I won’t take the time to type here all the scripture says about dying to self, taking up your cross, dead with Him—raised with Him like baptism. Suffice to say, you can look up each and every one of the points I just made and find a linty of passages to prove and explain. And as always, ask and I will help you all I can. We just need to get it done! Are you Christ’s? Are you bought and thereby saved by Him? Then “crucify” your fleshly desires for temporary and selfish want. And, as the verse says, add to that your “affections and lusts”. All of this sentimental attachment to worldly junk. It is a weight on you, pulling you downward. Eventually grinding you to a total stop. All of these petty desires that take up so much real-estate in our minds and hearts. There is no place left for God to work. He is being crowded out with more ‘stuff’.
Loved ones, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (v.25). That is it. If you are saved He is in you: living, talking, guiding, and convicting. So…walk with Him. Better yet, walk “in” Him. Allow yourself to be solely guided by Him, as if you aren’t even the one putting your feet down on the path. I mean, doesn’t that sound great?! Yes indeed. But I must warn you: you have a problem—Self. Verse twenty-six says, “Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” Your problem is the distraction of others. Allowing those “affections and lusts” to take hold and begin competing. Allowing yourself to desire attention and crave appreciation or validation. I thought you crucified that?! It will come up again and again. Why? Because you are still here. You are still in this body of flesh. Not that this is excusable, because it isn’t. You have the Spirit of God guiding you. You have examples around you constantly. And you have the Word of God to show you examples, triumphs, casualties for not obeying, and details upon endless details of how-to. We are without excuse.
I stated earlier that no fruit tree strains to produce it’s fruit. It simply happens naturally as they are near the nutrients and environment they need to prosper. Fruit of the Spirit works this way. If you walk in the Spirit, you will see His fruit be produced. Truthfully if you place a fruit-bearing tree in good soil, near a water source— voila you have fruit! It is just what God does. It is true in nature and it is true in you. Go to church. Go all the time. Seek His wisdom in His Bible. Hang with the church family God gave you. Take time to be with others who understand the inside of you. These things are your soil; your water; and your sun shine. I don’t know about you, but I want to bear a lot of His fruit. Which means I need a lot of these nutrients. More than I ever have. If we are in a drought of spiritual life in American churches, then we need more saturation of the things that matter for eternity.