Monday Morning Encouragement -- In Step With The Spirit

 

"If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25

While driving home from work last week, I encountered a man and a little boy walking hand in hand in the crosswalk where I was about to turn.  I stopped the car and waited while they made their way across the street, and smiled to see the little guy trying to match the man's long strides as they walked. He did his best to keep in step with whom I assume was his father. As I waited and watched them cross, I thought of my own walk with my Heavenly Father, and Paul's admonishment in Galatians to "keep in step with the Spirit."

When we align our thoughts and behaviors with God's will we are in step with the Spirit. We know what God's will for us is through the reading of His word. For example, God instructs us through Paul's writings not to gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatian 5:16), and that "the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God"(vs 19-21). If we are gratifying fleshly desires, then we are clearly not in step with the Spirit. 

However, if we are in step with the Spirit we will see the fruit that the Spirit produces in our lives;

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:23-24)

Of crucifying the flesh Barnes Notes on The Bible says:

“This is a beautiful and affecting allusion to our Lord’s sufferings on the cross. The restraining of our fleshly lusts may be very painful to us, as the word crucify implies. But the same word, by putting us in mind of Christ’s suffering much greater pain for us, touches all the generous feelings of the heart, and excites us, from gratitude to him, to disregard the pain which so necessary a duty may occasion to us.”

It is through the cross that we have victory over sin, and may go on to keep in step with the Spirit and produce the fruit we are promised.

Today's music video Walk With You by Michael Bethany is a beautiful worship song that expresses a desire for an intimate walk with God.

I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.