Walking in the Spirit
 

What are some of the best things one can do to make certain, they are walking in the Spirit and not the flesh?
I'm thinking the top 3 would be:
Fasting
Prayer
Bible reading AND meditation


What think ye?

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

I think that along with this you would want to attempt to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord.

for example, if you fast, pray, and meditate on the Word of God, and then go spend 3 hours watching R rated movies, flirt with a married co worker, flip off someone who cuts you off on your way home from work, ect ect, you may find that your manner of living is counterproductive to walking after the Spirit.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Don't laugh but I would add exercise to the list. To some working out IS "walking in the flesh" but I find it has the opposite effect.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

I think exercise is good, it's a great way to release negative emotions, which makes you a better person

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

:nod , but maybe on the days that you are not fasting.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

None of that.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Guess I spend too much time on FB when I find myself looking for the "like" button when I read a post like this :heeheehee

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Wouldn't the opposite of walking the the flesh be, like, you know, dead?

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Only for sinners.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

You mean, if a sinner stops walking in the flesh, he's dead?

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Walking in the Spirit means living a life wherein you daily allow Jesus to be your very "life". Allow your oneness with Him to dominate your every thought and action. Walking in the Spirit is the spiritual quest to be one with Christ through the Holy Ghost. Are you speaking like Him? ...Acting like Him? ...Thinking like Him? Is He becoming your very identity? Not to the point of loosing your own mind... but is the mind of Christ Himself coming through who you are???

To me... that's walking in the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:17 (ESV)
17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

All the religious disciplines, practices, and actions on earth do not equate to walking in the Spirit. None of those things that one can do can make certain that one is walking in the Spirit. They are actually fruit of walking in the Spirit. The one who is walking in the Spirit will by nature pray, fast, read, and meditate on God's Word. Seek HIM first. HIM. There's nothing one can DO until they have been apprehended and consumed by HIM.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Amen bro!
Things such as fasting and praying will be done by those who are walking in the Spirit. They are not done so that you can be certain you are "in the Spirit"

Even people who are not born again can fast, pray and meditate on God's word, YET, they CAN NEVER WALK IN THE SPIRIT if they don't even have the Spirit of God in the first place.

Rom 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

On the other hand, a person indwelt by the Holy Spirit does NOT necessarily mean the person is WALKING in the Spirit.

Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

In a way, you are right. To walk in the Spirit means we are dead unto our desires and our wills. IOW, not my will but your will Father. So even though, we are physically alive, we are actually DEAD in Christ.


Consider this:

Rom 6
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Col 2:20 Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,

Gal 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

So according to the scriptures, when Christ died, I died with Christ. When he rose from the dead, I rose with him. Since I died with Christ my old man has died. Henceforth, I should walk like the new man in Christ that I am.

I think the best summary for walking in the Spirit is Gal 2:20

Gal 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We were crucified with Christ. That is a statement of fact. Although, we are still alive physically, it is Christ who now lives in us. My day to day living is based on Faith in Jesus Christ.

So, yes, Timmy, believers are DEAD...lol

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

But are you all dead in Christ, or only mostly dead in Christ?

http://zembla.cementhorizon.com/archives/MiracleMax.jpg

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Gal 6
14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

I am crucified unto the world. I am a new creature.

So, yeah, totally dead in Christ!

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

So you have never sinned since you "died"! That's so cool!

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Rom 6
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 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.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

I have sinned even after I got saved. However, because I have died in Christ, I do not continue in my sin. I repented, God forgave me, and that sin is NOT counted against me. This is essentially JUSTIFICATION. God IMPUTES righteousness into me even though my actions do not deserve it.
Before I "died" I would continue in sin. After, I died, I no longer wanna sin. My desire is changed.

Notice, Paul, does NOT say, because we are dead in Christ, we cannot sin. In fact, he states quite the opposite.
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
If I let sin reign in my mortal body, I would obey its lust. But if I know that I am dead in Christ, then I should not allow sin to reign in me.

This is what Paul is saying
Fact: I died in Christ.
Faith: I believe that when Christ died, I died
Experience: Reckon myself to be dead in Christ and live according to the Spirit and not to the flesh anymore.

Consider this:

Col 3
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Paul is saying because I am dead in Christ, mortify my fleshly desires. So, if I don't mortify my fleshly desires (hence, allowing sin to reign in my mortal body), I will obey its lust. So yes, its possible to still sin as a believer, but we are not to live in sin by obeying its lust.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

All believers are required to die to all sin. This is not easy, and that is why Paul said that he 'kept under his body", and 'I die daily'.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

What scripture says we are to die to sin?

Rom 6
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It says we are DEAD unto Sin. We have to recognize the meaning of what Paul is saying. Paul is telling us a fact. We are DEAD unto Sin. (It's a past act).
Now, we are to walk in the Spirit, by which, we will NOT fulfill the lust of our flesh.

Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof
Gal 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Rom 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

"I die daily" is not talking about dying to sin.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

It's funny how you people actually think you are making sense! :lol

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

It's right there in the scriptures I quoted for you. Paul said we are dead in Christ. Therefore, mortify the desires of your flesh.

Isn't that simple enough to grasp?

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

You have to be born again to understand the workings of the kingdom of God.

Have you been born again?

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

:thumbsup

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

I propose something greater... don't just die to sin. Because then the debate erupts... What is sin? Are pants on women sin? If a woman has cut hair has she sinned? Are wedding bands sin? blah, blah, blah, blah. Instead of dying to sin... mortify your self. Sin originates in the habitual nature of the carnal mind. Die to self... and life to Christ. If you are so one with Jesus that you feel HIS heart beating in your chest, feel the impressions from HIS thoughts, and your very shadow has nail scarred hands... you will not sin. It's when the carnal mind gets the best of us that we sin. And if we have a new nature, we feel the guilt and shame. But we can rest assured, if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father, the man Christ Jesus.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

It makes perfect sense to those that have a ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

I might add to the list praying in tongues,in one's private devotional time,would be of great benefit for walking in The Spirit.
Also in one's listening habits listening to praise and worship music could be a great aid too as well.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Perhaps. And it may make sense to someone who decides that it has to make sense, or they'll go to hell.

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It's not about going to Hell... it's about being at one with one's creator and Heavenly Father.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

If you say so. :lol

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

:thumbsup

Well said Aquila! Our very life, mind, thoughts, heart, body, soul, spirit is must consumed by our love for Jesus, and filled with the Word. It is a constant battle for sure against our flesh, and our mind to keep our hearts focused on Jesus, but to truly walk in the Spirit as Paul speaks of, we must (as Aquila said) Seek HIM first. HIM.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

Who said anything about people going to hell?Its just that some things are very plain to see in the Word of GOD,and this happens to be one of them.But if someone wants to make excuses for their sins,then they have not got a ear to hear what the spirit is saying to the church.or else their willingly ignorant.

Re: Walking in the Spirit
 

What, don't you believe that someone who doesn't believe the Bible will go to hell? (I don't, either. :))