Dear Friends,
Do you Walk in the Spirit? Pastor Tom, are starting in on that
charismatic stuff? No, not at all. Walking in the Spirit should be a normal and
natural part of our everyday Christian life.
In Galatians the Apostle Paul reminds us that, “If we live in the
Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Gal 5:25). “Walking
assumes movement,” says the late Chuck Smith. “When we walk, we move from one
place to another. We start out in one location and end up someplace else. Our
destination depends on the direction we take. In a similar way, walking in the
Spirit moves us from one spiritual place to another. We move from one level of
maturity to the next as we listen to the Spirit and walk in the direction, He
instructs us to move.” Why Grace Changes Everything, Chuck Smith, p. 72
Early in my Christian life I was involved with Campus
Crusade for Christ, now known as 'Cru.' And they produced a series of
booklets, one of which was titled “How to Walk in the Spirit.” I will
never forget one of the spiritual truths found in this little booklet designed
to move a believer forward in his/her spiritual maturity. It was the concept of
“Spiritual Breathing,” a process that the late Bill Bright, the founder
of Campus Crusade, described as “exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure, an
exercise in faith that enables you to experience God’s love and forgiveness and
"Walk in the Spirit" as a way of life.”
I think every believer should desire to “Walk in the Spirit,” to
be so in touch with the things of God that our daily spiritual life becomes as
natural as breathing Just as breathing is a natural act that we don’t
often think about, so too is spiritual breathing. When we are in touch with
God, “Walking in the Spirit” means to be sensitive to what the Lord is telling
you do moment by moment of your every day. Directions for your day often
come out of nowhere as a nudge from the Spirit to make that phone call,
visit that neighbor, or just to stop everything you are doing and pray.
Another way of describing it is "being in tune with the Spirit."
During my prayer time, God often writes part of His agenda for the
day on my heart. That’s why I keep pen and paper handy whenever I
am praying. During the time I am praying, God will often bring people to
mind that I should call or write. He will often make me aware of things I
should do or say. And when these thoughts come into my mind, I take a moment,
write them on my 3/5 card, pray about them and then get back to my normal
course of prayer. When I am finished, I have much of my schedule for the day
already written down on that little card.
Have you ever been going through your day when out of the blue,
some thought comes to you, and you sense there is something you need to do?
It could be that is that God is talking to you, getting your attention,
and no matter how strange the message may seem, it might be a part of your
marching orders for the day.
And no, I am not talking about the kind of experience where your
hair stands on end, and the room starts shaking, and the lights grow dim, and
you hear some mystical voice speaking to you out of nowhere. I am talking those
normal, everyday occurrences when that secret inner voice we call conscious
speaks to your mind revealing that there is something that you need to do or
some place you need to be. The closer in touch with God we are, the louder and
more recognizable that “voice” will be.
“Walking in the Spirit.” says author and pastor John Courson. “is
the most impacting exciting, and unpredictable life there is………. To walk in the
Spirit is the direct opposite of routine, drudgery, and predictability.” New
Testament Commentary, John Courson, p. 1212.
Tomorrow we will talk more about this “impactful, exciting and
unpredictable journey as together we look at how we prepare for a “Walk in the
Spirit.”
Yours Learning how to Walk,
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