Walk by the Spirit
Joe R. Price
"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." (Gal. 5:16-17)
Each of us choose to either live spiritual lives or to satisfy the flesh. Just as Jesus said we cannot serve two masters, the apostle teaches that we cannot walk (live) by the Spirit and after the flesh at the same time. They are opposite tendencies which produce opposite fruit. The works of the flesh will keep its bearer out of the kingdom of heaven, while the fruit of the Spirit evidences kingdom citizenship (Gal. 5:19-23).
To walk “by the Spirit” means to live by the gospel which the Holy Spirit has revealed to us (cf. Gal. 3:1-5; 5:18, 25). We will bear the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives when we “walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23).
To accomplish this walk one must willingly subject himself to “the things of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5-8). Let us heartily renew our minds and conform to the will of God instead of the world (Rom. 12:2). May we more diligently “crucify the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof” (Gal. 5:24) as we live in subjection to the gospel of Christ.
As you make daily decisions which affect your life, be sure to consider how those decisions affect your soul’s salvation. Are you walking by the Spirit or after the flesh?