One of the key principles of living the Christian life is called walking in the Spirit.
In Romans 8:1, Paul writes, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”
Before you are able to walk in the Spirit, you must be born again. You must have a relationship with God by believing on Jesus Christ to pay for your sins. (John 1:12)
Walking in the Spirit means obeying God and depending on His help.
When we walk in the Spirit, we can experience victory over sin and addictions. We can walk with God in our everyday lives and know His presence. In our prison ministries, we help people learn to walk in the Spirit.
Ready to get started?
Here are 3 practical ways to walk in the Spirit.
1) When you sin, confess it right away.
If we want to walk with God, we must not tolerate sin in our own lives. Psalm 66:18 tells us, “If I regard iniquity [sin] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” Our sin drives a wedge between us and God.
Imagine if your spouse said hurtful things day after day, repeatedly broke their promises, and never apologized. Would you feel that you had a healthy relationship?
God understands that, even as believers, we will sometimes sin. But He has already provided forgiveness through Christ’s death on the cross.
1 John 1:9 promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If we confess our sins as soon as we recognize them, we can be free of guilt and condemnation. We can continue to walk in the Spirit.
2) Talk to God often.
Each day, we should set aside a time to spend alone with God. In this time, we should include Bible reading, praising God, confessing sin, and asking Him for requests. But our prayers should not be limited to this time.
In Ephesians 6:18, Paul commands us to be, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”
In our prison ministries, we have seen firsthand that God answers prayer in amazing ways.
As we walk through our day, we should make prayer the “default setting” of our mind. When we are free to think about we want, we should pray. We can talk to God as we would to a friend, asking Him for help or just sharing our thoughts with Him.
If we practice praying often, walking in the Spirit can become a wonderful reality in our lives.
3) Put others’ needs ahead of your own.
Interestingly, the opposite of walking in the Spirit is walking in the flesh. When we walk in the flesh, we put ourselves first. We focus on making ourselves happy and meeting our needs.
To walk in the Spirit, we must live with a completely different attitude.
In Mark 10:44-45, Jesus challenged us to follow His example of serving others.
“And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Ask yourself, “What burdens are others carrying? How can I serve them?” Consider how you can meet others’ needs instead of looking for their help.
Walking in the Spirit means putting others first and serving them.
When we walk in the Spirit, we can experience God’s goodness in our own lives.
He will give us strength for each day, lasting joy, and peace. As the Psalmist wrote,
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8)
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Are you searching? Jesus has the answers for addictions and stubborn habits. For more information, send the Crossmans a private message here on Facebook or come to a church service at Prince Albert Baptist Church. Take the first step in a walk of freedom!
For more information, call (306) 940-9554 or email anchorofhopeheb@gmail.com
