In my previous article in this series, I wrote about how we must take personal responsibility for our spiritual transformation. This article will give some practical ways to get better at what the Bible calls “walking” in the Spirit.
Paul taught that when we walk in the Spirit we do the things that please God. The indwelling Spirit is always in harmony with the will of God, is always motivated to do the will of God, and is permanently available to us to enable us to live out of this motivation and harmony.
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Colossians 1:9-12 (NASB)
Because most people are only familiar with living out of their own strength and resources, the idea of living above the downward pull of sin seems pretty far “out there.”
When we live out of our own strength, we are doomed to failure because we were never intended or designed to do that.
From the beginning God planned for all people to draw on his life and ability, but Adam and Eve chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil over the tree of life. The tree of life represents living out of God’s resources in the Spirit. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents living out of our own resources, knowledge, and ability. That has not worked out very well. Sin is basically the disastrous attempt to be our own boss, our own source, and our own god.
The first step in learning how to walk in the Spirit is to admit we cannot do life on our own and surrender to the Lord Jesus.
Once we take this step, he gives us his Spirit to be our Helper, the One who is called alongside and who dwells within us. At that point we begin the lifelong process of learning to “lean not on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6), but to lean on the Spirit of God.
The Law of Lift
Walking in the Spirit is as easy as flying. We all know that gravity exerts a downward pull on everything. Airplanes are no exception. How is it then that planes can fly? The answer is that, if a plane attains enough speed, the design of the wings causes the upward lift of slower moving air under the wings to push the plane upward. If properly designed and flown, a plane overcomes gravity, as long as the necessary airspeed is maintained. The law of lift temporarily overcomes the law of gravity. If airspeed drops below the critical level, so will the plane. Gravity has not been removed, but simply overcome. This is a decent picture of what it means to walk in the Spirit.
The Downward Pull of the “Flesh”
The pull of the flesh does not go away when we walk in the Spirit. Rather it is rendered ineffective, just as gravity is rendered ineffective by the law of lift.
We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. Romans 6:6 (NET1)
I chose the New English Translation because it is a good one and properly translates the difficult Greek word, katargeo, which means either to render inoperative or to abolish. It is clear that the “flesh” or “body of sin” still has influence in our lives after we are born again. We do not have to listen to it or obey it, but it is still there. Otherwise, Paul’s words below are nonsensical.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. Galatians 5:16-17 (NASB)
Just as surely as gravity will pull a plane to the earth; so, the “flesh” will pull us down into sin and carnality, if we do not overcome it by walking in the Spirit. God did not annihilate our “flesh.” Instead he chose to strip it of its power to rule us.
God left the “flesh” in place, so that we will learn to continually depend on him for strength to live for God.
This means that we are to be ever vigilant. Is is important for us to keep our focus on the Lord. It is helpful to devote ourselves to worship, prayer, Bible meditation, and whatever else helps us to continually draw upon the resources of the Lord rather than our own.
The Fear of the Lord
A good pilot spends time inspecting his plane before takeoff because once in the air everything must be working properly or bad things can happen. God expects us to vigilantly look after the things that he has put under our responsibility, so that we can walk in the Spirit each day.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:15-21 (NASB) A good pilot understands the “gravity” of the situation when he or she is in the air. He or she knows that attention to details can spell the difference between success and failure, life and death. You might say a good pilot has a certain fear in her or his approach to flying. We likewise should maintain a proper fear of the Lord as we walk in the Spirit, realizing that this is no light thing. We have wicked spiritual enemies all around us who desire to sabotage our walk with the Lord, our own “flesh” being the most vile and untrustworthy.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Acts 9:31 (ESV)
Conclusion
To conclude, comparing walking in the Spirit to flying is a good analogy. When everything is working properly, there is no struggle in flying. The combination of a properly working plane and a good pilot creates a stress free experience of flight. However, we must never forget the pull of gravity and become slack in our thorough preparation and approach to flying. Likewise, spiritually speaking, even though we have been given all we need for success, we must never presume that walking in the Spirit allows us to become slack in our devotion to the Lord. Carefulness and vigilance, coupled with the fear of the Lord, must accompany our faith and reliance upon the indwelling Spirit.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13 (NASB) 
