"What exactly is Walking in the Spirit"

[corvet786c]

I read a post earlier asking if we sin, but what eactly is walking in the spirit, How do we stay in the spirit and not let the fleah take over? Also what is the Flesh is Romans chapt 6 talking about the sinful nature?? I wanna always please God Someone help me!!

[mfblume]

I always wanted to know that as well, and prayed and prayed, and the Lord blessed me!

Walking after/in the Spirit is leaning on the Spirit for empowerment in order to please God in a real Christian life.

Romans 7:6 says that it is not enough to know we must serve God. We are shown there is serving God after the letter of the law, and serving God in newness of Spirit.

Romans 7:6 KJV But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Paul then explains how there is a struggle when a person wants to do the will of God but cannot find it in his/her flesh to perform that will of God.

Romans 7:18 KJV For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

This frustration is due to walking in the flesh to serve God. That is what oldness of the letter meant. All they had in Old Testament times was fleshly ability, since God did not empower them with Spirit baptism in those days. And they failed miserably. But believers today also fail if they try to serve God today using fleshly effort alone. You can have God's Spirit and power in you, but if you do not know it's there to empower you as a result of your prayers, you will continue to try your human best to do His will and fail. That is why Romans 6 repeats the question, "Know ye not?"

This is called walking after the flesh. Notice how Paul uses the term FLESH in these verses:

Romans 7:25-8:1 KJV I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. (8:1) There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Since serving God with the mind is useless alone, since our efforts to use the FLESH to fulfill that will of God do not work (compare 7:18 with 7:25), Paul says to STOP WALKING AFTER THAT FLESH. When we use fleshly effort to fulfill the will of God that our minds want to do, we fail and fail and fail. Paul summarized verse 18 in verse 25. So Paul says to not walk after that flesh that we try to use to fulfill what our minds desire to do. Instead, walk after the Spirit.

And this brings us to your question. Walking after the flesh is trying in human effort alone to do the will of God that your mind wills to do. But walking after the Spirit is having faith in the Spirit of God to quicken or empower you to do the will of God. It is basically what Romans 6:13 is telling us to do:

Romans 6:13 KJV Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

Actually pray for God to give you power to do His will, instead of just going ahead and trying to do His will in your human abilities. Many do not even realize THEY CAN ASK GOD TO GIVE THEM POWER to do His will! This is called walking after the Spirit.

Walking after something is living by it. So we are either living by our fleshly will power (walking after the flesh) or by the Spirit (walking after/in the Spirit).

When we resort to God's Spirit to give us power, as we present ourselves in faith for Him to do so, HE WILL ANSWER! But it takes time to really get this in our blood and always lean on the Spirit to do His will, since it is so easy to slip back into natural instinct and try doing His will in human effort alone without reliance on His Spirit.

There's much more, but that is a start!

[mfblume]

"The flesh" is our humanity, basically. And in our humanity dwells the sinful nature. If we do not seek after God for strength and KEEP THE BODY UNDER, we will find this fleshliness drive us to do wrong.

Check out the last few posts on this thread for a discussion about this very topic you raise:

http://apostolicfriendsforum.com/showthread.php?t=34423

[scotty]

Acts 9:31
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Romans 8 4-6
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 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, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by scotty

Acts 9:31
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Romans 8 4-6
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 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, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Amen!

Great passages!

People think walking after the flesh means they are sinning and lying and committing fornication and adultery. They are indeed FLESHLY things. lol. But Paul was trying to say that exerting fleshly effort to do His will is also waking after the flesh. When we set our minds on fleshly things, the context is talking about thinking of serving God USING FLESHLY MIGHT. It's not by power nor by might, but but God's Spirit!

[corvet786c]

Originally Posted by mfblume

Amen!

Great passages!

People think walking after the flesh means they are sinning and lying and committing fornication and adultery. They are indeed FLESHLY things. lol. But Paul was trying to say that exerting fleshly effort to do His will is also waking after the flesh. When we set our minds on fleshly things, the context is talking about thinking of serving God USING FLESHLY MIGHT. It's not by power nor by might, but but God's Spirit!

So what do we have to do in order to please God. What you are saying is scary. I try to renew my mind daily, but its hard. I dont want to be decieved and then end up in hell.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by corvet786c

So what do we have to do in order to please God. What you are saying is scary. I try to renew my mind daily, but its hard. I dont want to be decieved and then end up in hell.

We pray and ask the Spirit of God to empower us and lead us to do His will. Ask Him to use us that day and cause circumstances to occur where we can be of use to His Kingdom. We cannot be deceived if we are simply asking Him to give us the grace to do His will instead of trying in our human efforts and contrivances. Like Jesus said about knowing what to say when the hour comes, we will know what we must do when He wants us to know it.

Renewing our minds is really only changing the way we think about how we try OUR best and depend upon fleshly power rather than rely on the leading of God instead. It is just that we know we need to please God in a life lived for Him, but we are not contriving what we should do on our own ingenuity, or using fleshly strength to do it. We just ask Him for help and He helps!

Living in the Spirit requires faith. Most never experience it since they're so used to running the show in their own ingenuity and strength. But you believe what you pray for will come to pass, after you pray for Him to lead you. He will keep us on the strait and narrow if we ask Him to! If we go astray He will let us know one way or another.

It is scary after we have run our lives ourselves without reliance on Him. It's like turning the stearing wheel to someone else when you've been used to driving yourself. But we have to let go of RELIGION and grow into a real relationship with Him!

[corvet786c]

Forgive me for my questions but, Let me get to the point, I have been saved for 17yrs and yes I always pray for Gods will, but I sin and am scared sometimes. What am I missing?? Sometimes I do give into temptations. I admit. Am I just too human? Can you explain the diffrence. I wanna make sure I always walk in the spirit.Can you just give me advise. I dont go to a church.

[Jimmyjay]

Originally Posted by corvet786c

So what do we have to do in order to please God. What you are saying is scary. I try to renew my mind daily, but its hard. I dont want to be decieved and then end up in hell.

Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mar 16:17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
Mar 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

[mfblume]

I like how THE MESSAGE Bible brings out these key points in Romans:

Romans 7:17-8:2 MSG But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! (18) I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. (19) I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. (20) My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. (21) It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. (22) I truly delight in God's commands, (23) but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. (24) I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? (25) The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (8:1) With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ's being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. (2) A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.