“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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” (Galatians 5:16–18, ESV)

Many Christians are familiar with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). St. Paul listed them for us, along with a list of deeds of the flesh, to assist us in a spiritual battle that rages within each of us.

Paul writes a lot about the war within. In Romans 7, he spells out his dilemma in great detail. With his mind, he desires to follow the law of God; but his flesh (the NIV translates this as “sinful nature”) seems to drag him in another direction, compelling him to do the things he does not want to do. This theme appears frequently in his writings, since it is a timeless problem. The outward appearance of temptation may change across cultures and time, but the nature of sin and its deceitfulness never change.

We have all been there: Probably every Christian has a besetting sin that causes frustration, anxiety, guilt, or shame. It can range from alcohol or drug addiction, to a bad temper, to a tendency towards irritability or worry, to sexual obsession, etc. We are not alone, though. The apostle who wrote approximately one-half of the New Testament books openly shared his struggle with us. The Gospels share some of the struggles of other apostles, like Peter and John. Even the heroes of the faith suffered this inner conflict.

I wish I could come up with a five- or seven-point plan for “walking in the Spirit,” which is the solution Paul offers. However, one really does not seem to exist. Countless books offer great suggestions: Pray more, read your Bible, listen to worship music. Even my most recent blog posts, including this one, are centered around renewing your mind with Scripture. Each of these suggestions is only part of the solution to walking in the Spirit, but there is no simple plan. Walking in the Spirit is a constant minute-by-minute commitment.

It begins when we come to Jesus, to receive His Holy Spirit within us and give us a new life. We are born again, and we begin the journey of walking in the Spirit.

We then commit ourselves to Him day by day, to acknowledge His presence and ask Him to lead and guide us. For me, that usually involves three times of prayer per day: usually one in the morning before I leave for work, a brief time of prayer during my lunch break, and a third in the evening. However, I cannot afford to just “turn off” the presence of God when my prayers end. I have to continue to acknowledge His presence: I may no longer be praying, but I can remind myself that God is with me even during my secular employment.

Most importantly, we need to RUN TO HIM when we begin to lose a sense of God’s presence. He is always with His children, since the Holy Spirit abides in them. So, when we do not feel the Spirit’s presence, it simply means we have lost that connection, but God is eager to restore it. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote that, at the moment of temptation, “God is quite unreal to us.” (A great reflection on that quote can be found here.) When we face temptation, we need to run back to Him and not try to face sin in our own strength. Our own self-will (the flesh) is what usually led us into temptation; therefore, self-will cannot deliver us. Only the power of God can do that.

Again, there is no easy formula for walking in the Spirit. It can best be summarized like this: You have been born again as a child of God; now live like a child of God. Remember who you are, and Who lives with you and in you. Most importantly, when you have strayed from God’s best for your life, run back to Him.

This post copyright © 2016 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.