Living in Freedom: Walking in the Spirit

Devotional

Day 1: Choosing Daily Alignment with the Spirit

Walking in the Spirit is a daily, deliberate choice to align with the Holy Spirit, guiding us away from the desires of the flesh and towards a life that reflects Christ. This alignment is not a one-time decision but a continuous process of choosing to listen to the Spirit over the flesh. It requires intentionality and mindfulness, recognizing that the Spirit's guidance is essential for living a life that honors God. By choosing to walk in the Spirit, believers can experience true freedom in Christ, as they are empowered to resist the temptations of the flesh and live a life that bears fruit for God's kingdom. [01:54]

Galatians 5:16-17 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to ensure you are aligning your actions and thoughts with the guidance of the Holy Spirit?

Day 2: The Necessity of the Spirit in Our Lives

The Spirit is not a luxury but a necessity for resisting temptation and living a life that bears fruit for God's kingdom. Believers must be aware of the ongoing battle between the flesh and the Spirit and choose to heed the Spirit's voice. This awareness involves recognizing the Spirit's role in empowering us to overcome the desires of the flesh and live in a way that reflects Christ's character. By relying on the Spirit, believers can experience victory over sin and live a life that is pleasing to God. [03:40]

Romans 8:5-6 (ESV): "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."

Reflection: In what areas of your life do you find it challenging to rely on the Spirit's guidance, and how can you invite the Spirit to help you overcome these challenges today?

Day 3: Cultivating a Heart Attuned to the Spirit

To walk in the Spirit, we must cultivate a heart that can hear the Spirit, avoiding actions that grieve or hinder Him. This involves living in a state of repentance, being quick to turn away from sin, and seeking forgiveness. A heart attuned to the Spirit is sensitive to His leading and responsive to His conviction. By maintaining a posture of humility and openness, believers can ensure that their hearts are receptive to the Spirit's guidance and are not hindered by sin or disobedience. [06:05]

Ephesians 4:30-32 (ESV): "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Reflection: What actions or attitudes in your life might be grieving the Holy Spirit, and how can you address them to cultivate a heart that is more attuned to His guidance?

Day 4: The Spirit and the Word in Harmony

The Spirit works in conjunction with the Word of God, guiding us in truth and righteousness. Believers must be patient and wait for the Spirit's peace in their decisions, as peace is a sign of alignment with God's will. The Word of God provides the foundation for understanding the Spirit's guidance, and the Spirit illuminates the truth of Scripture in our hearts. By immersing ourselves in the Word and seeking the Spirit's guidance, we can make decisions that are aligned with God's will and experience His peace in our lives. [10:46]

Colossians 3:15-16 (ESV): "And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

Reflection: How can you create a daily habit of engaging with both the Word of God and the Spirit's guidance to ensure your decisions are aligned with God's will?

Day 5: Manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the results of walking in the Spirit. These are not just attributes to aspire to but are gifts that manifest in our lives as we submit to the Spirit's leading. Walking in the Spirit transforms us, making us more like Christ and enabling us to impact the world around us positively. As we yield to the Spirit, these fruits become evident in our lives, serving as a testimony to God's work within us. [37:09]

Titus 3:4-6 (ESV): "But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior."

Reflection: Which fruit of the Spirit do you feel is most lacking in your life right now, and what steps can you take to allow the Spirit to cultivate this fruit in you?

Sermon Summary

In Galatians chapter 5, we are reminded of the freedom we have in Christ, yet many of us struggle to live in that freedom. This struggle often stems from not fully understanding or practicing what it means to "walk in the Spirit." Walking in the Spirit is not just a Christian term; it is a vital practice for every believer. It signifies our alignment with the Holy Spirit, guiding us away from the desires of the flesh and towards a life that reflects Christ.

Walking in the Spirit involves a daily, deliberate choice to be mindful of the Spirit's presence and guidance in our lives. It is not a one-time decision but a continuous process of choosing to listen to the Spirit over the flesh. The Spirit is not a luxury but a necessity for resisting temptation and living a life that bears fruit for God's kingdom. We must be aware of the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and choose to heed the Spirit's voice.

To walk in the Spirit, we must cultivate a heart that can hear the Spirit, avoiding actions that grieve or hinder Him. This involves living in a state of repentance, being quick to turn away from sin, and seeking forgiveness. The Spirit works in conjunction with the Word of God, guiding us in truth and righteousness. We must be patient and wait for the Spirit's peace in our decisions, as peace is a sign of alignment with God's will.

The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the results of walking in the Spirit. These are not just attributes to aspire to but are gifts that manifest in our lives as we submit to the Spirit's leading. Walking in the Spirit transforms us, making us more like Christ and enabling us to impact the world around us positively.

Key Takeaways

1. Walking in the Spirit is a daily, deliberate choice to align with the Holy Spirit, guiding us away from the desires of the flesh and towards a life that reflects Christ. It is not a one-time decision but a continuous process of choosing to listen to the Spirit over the flesh. [01:54]
2. The Spirit is not a luxury but a necessity for resisting temptation and living a life that bears fruit for God's kingdom. We must be aware of the battle between the flesh and the Spirit and choose to heed the Spirit's voice. [03:40]
3. To walk in the Spirit, we must cultivate a heart that can hear the Spirit, avoiding actions that grieve or hinder Him. This involves living in a state of repentance, being quick to turn away from sin, and seeking forgiveness. [06:05]
4. The Spirit works in conjunction with the Word of God, guiding us in truth and righteousness. We must be patient and wait for the Spirit's peace in our decisions, as peace is a sign of alignment with God's will. [10:46]
5. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the results of walking in the Spirit. These are not just attributes to aspire to but are gifts that manifest in our lives as we submit to the Spirit's leading. [37:09]
** [37:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:10] - Introduction to Freedom in Christ
[00:56] - Walking in the Spirit
[02:08] - Relationship Over Rules
[02:55] - The Battle Between Flesh and Spirit
[04:07] - The Necessity of the Holy Spirit
[05:22] - Choices in Our Daily Walk
[06:17] - The Fruit of the Spirit
[07:10] - Choosing Your Path Carefully
[08:01] - Starting the Day with God
[09:20] - The Word and the Spirit
[10:27] - Waiting on the Lord
[12:02] - Pondering Our Path
[14:57] - Repentance and Obedience
[17:15] - Overcoming Besetting Sins
[19:52] - Listening to the Still Small Voice
[22:23] - Recognizing God's Voice
[25:13] - Carnal vs. Spiritual Mindset
[29:23] - The Abundant Life in the Spirit
[36:53] - Results of Walking in the Spirit
[40:07] - Conclusion and Call to Action

Sermon Clips

"Walking in the spirit is a central concept for every believer. It signifies our alignment with the Holy Spirit and walking with him and listening to him in our daily walk and not following after the flesh. But I think we miss that sometimes, and we use this term, and I thought, well, maybe the term needs expanded on. Maybe we need to know what it means to walk in the spirit because we sometimes take those terms that we use for granted that everybody knows and understands what that means and how to do it." [00:01:18]

"The holy spirit is not a luxury for Christians; he is a necessity for Christians. A lot of times, we think if we have the spirit, it's a luxury, but no, it's a necessity. We have to have the spirit to fight against the Ws of the devil. We have to have the spirit of God in order that we might fight against the evil that's in this world, to resist temptation." [00:03:36]

"To walk in the spirit, first of all, be mindful of the spirit. Second of all, know that we have a choice to obey the spirit. Thirdly, we have to find a heart that we can hear the spirit. The scripture teaches us that we can grieve the spirit, the scriptures teach us that we can hinder the spirit, the scriptures teach us that we can limit the Holy One of Israel with our bad decisions or wrong decisions." [00:05:42]

"The Holy Spirit works in conjunction with the word of God. He will never tell you anything that is contrary to the word of God. This is kind of how we discern what the voice is, if it's the right voice that we're listening to, because we all know there's a lot of voices in this world. There's an enemy out there that has a voice, and he wants to guide you, and he wants to lead you, and he wants to influence you." [00:09:30]

"Wait upon the Lord. It says they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, and it says they'll soar like eagles. It tells us in one place, well, eagles, you don't see them laboring in the wind. You know, wind is their friend. We get the opposition of wind in our life, and we labor in that, we fight against it, but you'll never see that in an eagle." [00:10:43]

"Remove thy foot from Evil. There's a call there to hear the Holy Spirit clearly. We have to be in a state of repentance all the time. See, how do you walk in a state of repentance all the time? Well, when the Holy Spirit says no, no, no, no, no, not this, and you turn and walk away, turn your eyes above, think on things above." [00:14:54]

"Walking in the spirit is not a one-time decision. It's a moment-by-moment choice to live according to God's will. It's a moment-by-moment choice. We have to choose over and over and over again every day to choose God. Ephesians 5:18 says, and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Holy Spirit." [00:31:54]

"Walking in the spirit and I'll close with this, it leads to a life that produces fruit. If you want to produce food fruit, give yourself to the spirit of God. Let's all bow our heads, folks, if you want to come to the altar this morning." [00:40:07]

"The fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are the results of walking in the Spirit. These are not just attributes to aspire to but are gifts that manifest in our lives as we submit to the Spirit's leading." [00:37:09]

"God talks to his children. God loves his children. The Holy Spirit was sent to guide us, to comfort us. It has a work to accomplish in us, so don't ever think that the voice has left you as a child of God. It is there, it is there, and sometimes it's very difficult to find it because we got in the rut and we can't get out." [00:21:42]

"Jesus said, John 16, nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. These are powerful words. Jesus, before he left, he said to his disciples, he said it's necessary." [00:35:47]

"God will give you the desires of your heart. Now, if you're spiritually minded, you hear that verse in one manner. God will give you the desires of your heart. Well, the desires of my heart says I need about a 22t bass boat, I need a new four-wheeler, I need a larger house. I've always loved a Denali." [00:26:00]

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