Walk By the Spirit

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
(Galatians 5:16, ESV)

It has happened several times in my life where impulses made a complete difference in various situations. One time, my wife and I were on vacation. We normally took road trips on major highways since air travel and car rentals were financially prohibitive. I remember on this one trip that we were driving down the road at 55 miles per hour in fairly heavy traffic. I was in the left lane of the four-lane highway. All of a sudden, the car in the lane to our right decided to move into our lane. Instinctively, by impulse, I slammed the brakes and veered on to the left shoulder just enough. We missed a collision by less than a yard. Needless to say, my blood pressure rose a bit.

Here is the point I am making with this story. The third prerequisite condition that Chafer presented regarding being filled with the Spirit was to “Walk by the Spirit.” As mentioned in two previous devotions, Paul gave this continuous command in the context of the battle between the flesh and the Spirit in every believer’s life. Let me read verses 16 and 17.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16–17, ESV)

The Spirit of God provides every believer with impulses to do what God desires and these are in contrast to the impulses of the flesh. As also mentioned in a previous devotion, the be filled with the Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit. Now the problem is this. How do we differentiate between the impulses of the Spirit and that of the flesh. Paul wrote that the impulses of the flesh were evident. He listed examples of these in Galatians 5:19-21. Then he listed the contrasting impulses that the Holy Spirit provides in the believer.

“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 5:22–24, ESV)

The interesting thing in this command to “walk by the Spirit,” passage is the use of the phrase, “walk by.” The verb translated, “walk,” peripateo, literally means to tread all around (Strong G4043). Metaphorically, Paul used this word to refer to the way believers were to conduct their lives. It is a present tense command that lets believers know that it is not optional and it is to be obeyed continuously. This walk should characterize every believer’s life.

The verb “to walk” implies action, movement. The believer is to be on the move, going forward by the prompting, or impulses of the Spirit. This requires a sensitivity to the leading of the Spirit’s impulses and a clear rejection of those impulses of the flesh that will lead to things like those examples that Paul listed. Thus, ultimately the believer who walks by the Spirit will emulate the life of Christ in every action and decision.

However, from a practical standpoint, the ability to walk in such a way is something that no believer does perfectly. Yet it is something in which believers will progress as they mature in Christ likeness. Thus, the issue for every believer is to move forward, maturing in Christ. While this too is a work of the Spirit, the believer has a part. It is to participate in true biblical community in the body of Christ. It is in the context of fellowship with God and one another to experience the joy growing in the truth of the word in life. In short, as the believers enjoy their relationship in the body of Christ, which includes growing in the truth, serving, praying, and caring for one another, they will grow in their ability to follow the impulses of the Spirit and overcome the impulses of the flesh

In this way every believer will be more and more consistent in being in the condition by which the Spirit will fill them.