Many Christians do not walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, I must preface this by saying you can only walk in His Spirit if you have committed your life to Christ and received the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
Some may not walk in the Spirit because they are afraid the Lord will ask them to do something they don’t want to do. For some, it is an issue of pride; they do not wish to let go of themselves to truly let Jesus be Lord of their lives. And, perhaps for others, they don’t believe God is actually at work in their lives, wanting to be involved in every minute detail. To which we must ask ourselves: “Would He let His Son die in our place for our sins and then not want to be involved in our lives?”
In order to be a victorious and effective Christian, we must walk in the power and influence of the Holy Spirit, but we must understand how the Holy Spirit speaks to us in order to walk in Him. Colossians 2:6-7 states, “As ye have therefore received Christ, so walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”
This scripture gives us the key to how we walk in the Spirit. How did we receive Christ? We received Him by faith. We heard the gospel preached, believed the Word of God, and at the drawing of the Holy Spirit we surrendered our lives to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We are now to be rooted in Him and should begin to grow in our spiritual life.
In order to walk in the Spirit, you must have a heart that is surrendered to Christ. You must know what the Word of God states so that when the Spirit speaks to your heart, you will recognize His voice. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
The Holy Spirit will never contradict what is already in the printed Word of God. As you study the scriptures and your mind retains the information, the Holy Spirit will bring it to your memory at just the appropriate time. Even a child who has accepted the lordship of Jesus can discern and follow His Spirit.
You will hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in diverse ways. He will convict you of sin (That one is probably the most recognizable); He’ll comfort you by reminding you of scripture in the midst of a difficult situation, counsel you when you need encouragement, and guide you when you don’t know which direction to take. “Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” John 16:13
For years I agonized over situations such as which job to take, what to do in the church, what functions to attend, etc. God’s Word teaches us that we don’t have to try to figure everything out on our own. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
We must not be overly busy, but must wait upon the Holy Spirit to guide us into what Jesus would have us to do. God’s word tells us “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Romans 14:23b
He will give you His peace when your choice is correct.
Some people even agonize over where to go for dinner, what clothes to wear, etc. These things are just as important to the Lord as any other situation in our lives, but some things are more obvious for us to decide than others. I try to look at it like a smorgasbord. Many things are in His will and he will allow us to choose one that fits our desire. The Holy Spirit will be quick to let you know if you are making a wrong choice. We must always walk in an attitude of prayer so that we are attuned to the Spirit, but we are not to be anxious over every decision we have to make. Again, if it is obviously spoken against in the scriptures, then don’t even consider doing it.
1 Corinthians 2:16 teaches us that “We have the mind of Christ.” As you go through your walk of faith, you will have the flesh telling you one thing even as the Lord is trying to guide you “into all truth”. But, since we have “the mind of Christ”, the Holy Spirit within us, we can make the choices He would make in any situation.
Walking in the Spirit is not as difficult as we tend to make it. Just remember… surrender your heart to the Lord, read His Word, then listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and be obedient to what He tells you to do.
