Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature… Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25).
There is certain tension that comes when we have been in the manifest presence of the Spirit of Jesus and then we have to return to the normal routines of daily life. When God moves in a special way in our midst, we wish the exhilaration of that time could last forever, but it does not. In a sense it is easier to be filled with the Holy Spirit than it is to walk in the Holy Spirit, but this is not a reason for discouragement. It is actually a reason to rejoice because God is forcing us to face the question of how we can live life in the Spirit and live with his blessing. How can we live without losing his anointing and his joy?
Learning to walk in the Spirit is a deeper lesson in the life of faith, Christ wants you to know how to live a holy life with a clean heart, how to serve him hour by hour in the routines of life. He will lead you in the small things as he leads in the big things. In fact, the small things may be the keys to the big ones. If he directs you to study or clean or mow the lawn, then that studying, that cleaning, that mowing is as sacramental as a prayer meeting.
However, if he is leading you to a prayer meeting and you are studying, cleaning, or mowing, then you have stepped out of his will, and the sense of his presence will grow dim.
Life must be lived with one hand lifted in praise to God and with the other hand immersed in the necessary activities of daily life. We must learn the delicate lesson of listening to his voice. Here is the place we learn how to live a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led, sanctified life.
I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23).
Jeremiah recognized that the way of fulfillment for us is never in ourselves. It comes from beyond. I believe that if he were here today, he would say two things to us.
First, “Know under whose authority you live.” The centurion whose servant was sick said to Jesus, “I myself am a man under authority” (Luke 7:8).
We all are. We may be under the authority of self, but that is the way of death. This is why God gave us his Word: so we can know how to let God be saving within our lives. A daily perusal of its message will enable us to see and follow the path of light that means freedom and righteousness.
I think Jeremiah would also say, “Know where the power you need comes from. Recognize that it does not come from you. It comes from beyond.” Zechariah recognized this when he said: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty (Zech. 4:6).
The resources that we need to reach the goals God has for us are not in ourselves. They are in the One who was the key to the life of Jesus, the Holy Spirit. That is why we need to be sensitive to this heavenly Guest, who can lead, enlighten, cleanse, and fulfill our very being.
This is an excerpt from a book This Day with the Master by Dennis Kinslaw. If you would like to buy this book please click here.