Are you looking for the secret to fruit-filled living? Well, look no further, here’s your answer.
Walk by the Spirit.
That’s it folks. Galatians 5:16-26 does not tell us “Go, be more patient. Learn to be more self-controlled. And, would you stop those fits of anger already?”
There is just one central command. Walk by the Spirit.
In verse 16, the Greek word used here is peripateo, which is derived from the word peri (all around) and pateo (to tread). So, the meaning here is to walk around.
Everywhere, all the time, walk by the spirit.
But Paul uses a different greek word in verse 25. Stoicheo, which means to keep in step with. Like those following their military orders.
“Left, left, left, right, left.”
The Spirit of God is moving and active. We are to follow Him, listening and waiting for our marching orders, ready to conform to His plan for every moment of our days.
If we do not keep in step with the Holy Spirit, we do not just stand still. By default we walk in the flesh.
Walk by the power of the Holy Spirit, and fruit will come.
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16
Oh how I get this backwards! I like to focus on the “to-do”s, as if I can produce patience or love through working hard for it. But trying to keep up with any sort of list is exhausting, and ultimately a futile pursuit. My “to-do” list is ultimately the way of the flesh.
I can never do all the “do”s and don’t all the “don’t”s. There is only one thing I can do that will bring any hope for change. Stay needy.
As you and I walk by the power of the Spirit, it is only then we have hope for the fruit we long for in our lives. Because, it is only then we are in step with the only One who can bring fruit.
Seeing the fruit of the Spirit in my life brings assurance of my salvation.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God…And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:21,24
The nastiness of the flesh comes easy. I don’t have to exert much effort to have fits of anger when my children push my buttons. The outbursts just happen. I don’t tell myself to be jealous of another’s waist size, most days it seems innate.
But there are days when I can see the fruit and I know that it came from outside of myself. When I get a paycheck, and I want to give as much of it as I can to gospel causes. When I pick up the messes in my house one more time, and find joy in serving my family. When I shut the computer down and get to bed on time, so I can wake at 5:30 to spend time with my God.
My sinful flesh wants to sleep in (and does), it constantly craves more stuff, and it certainly does not want to serve others. So it is in these moments, when I do contrary to what my flesh desires, that I see fruit. It is through seeing this fruit in my life that I can know that there is an all-powerful God who loves me and is working in me to produce this fruit, because I am His child.
Walk by the Spirit = Abide in Christ
This coming week we will be studying John 15:1-11, a passage all about abiding in the Vine. This is just another metaphor for the same thing- stay in His presence.
What did you learn this week through Galatians 5:16-26? Feel free to share any links to posts you’ve written!
Sometimes, I have a hard time understanding what I’m reading in the Bible so I have an application Bible. For this lesson, it help me understand that “If you live each day controlled and guided by the Holy spirit, the words of Christ will be in your mind, the love of Christ in your actions, and the power of Christ will help you control your selfish desires.” I really enjoyed this lesson. Thank you:)
I love the verses from this week. They are so foundational to the victorious life. Personally when I notice that my life isn’t reflecting the fruit of His Spirit — like I’m really frustrated or impatient or unlovely — I break away and recite the fruit out-loud then confess my flesh “walking.” We are filled with His Spirit by faith, so then I say something like “Your Spirit has sealed me, so I trust that You will fill me, Lord, and Your fruit will be seen in these moments. Only by Your grace.” Then I keep repeating His fruit in my mind. He graciously meets me in those moments.
This is one of those “so simple, but not so easy” verses. The thing that struck me this week was that if I want the Holy Spirit to lead me, I have to #1 – be open and listening and watching for his leading and #2 – wait for it… actually FOLLOW!! Not just want to follow, or acknowledge his leading, but DO IT! :D Now THAT’S the tough stuff.
We can’t be good enough for a holy God, obeying rules & trying to “do” the right things is fruitless. We can chose to listen to the Holy Spirit within each of us. To surrender our hurry, worry, and will to the calm assurance of His presence, to be led not dragged, to be led….means we have to slow down enough to follow.
Things I learned from this week’s study:
(1) We are eternally connected to Jesus by His Spirit, and everything we need for any moment in time will come to us, if we just come to Him.
(2) If we want to keep our fleshly desires at bay, we need to guard ourselves everyday with the Armor of God, remain in the vine, and speak forth God’s truths when the flesh arises. Then those things will die on the cross and never reap in our lives again.
(3) I searched on why this book was written, and found that Paul wrote a letter to the Christian Gentiles of Galatia. The reason he wrote this letter is because false teachers, called Judaizers were coming against these Christian Gentiles and causing them to doubt their own salvation by saying they aren’t following the law of Moses and they needed to be circumcised. I found this pretty amazing, for how many of us as Christians do the same thing?! We can chastise so much and get caught up in the “religious ways”, instead of realizing that God’s Salvation is a FREE gift, not because of something we do, or what we follow religiously. And this is still a problem today, many churches split and/or close up because of this very thing. An eye opener.
I am reading from the NKJV version, and I especially connect with “outbursts of wrath” in vs. 20. I have a quick tongue, and I find that I am calm calm calm, and then the hatred just exudes from me once I have been pushed to my limit. Instead of leaning on Him, I lose my temper and get angry. I am trying to read James everyday because I really like the life application in that book. What spoke to me this morning was James 1:19 “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Choose to be led by the Spirit. Don’t just let it be an idea in your head; live it out in the details of your life.
That’s what I kept hearing as I read these verses over and over last week. Walking is a moment-by-moment thing, conforming to his movements, breathing in his Spirit.
I want to remember that HE is the one to be praised, not me.
I want to be led by Him, not rules.
I love your short statement, Katie, to: “Stay needy.” Yes. That is do-able for me!
This takes a very conscious effort to let the Spirit lead. Even this morning I found myself choosing the wrong way. I need to be on my knees daily, hourly and minute by minute to surrender my sinful fleshly desires to choose the godly way. I have some bad habits that are threatening me to not live in the Spirit. I am looking forward to this week in studying about abiding in Christ!
I didn’t get into last week’s passage as much as I liked because we were on vacation…and then recovering from vacation. =p I enjoy reading this post as well as the comments from others doing the AF study.
Yesterday’s sermon was along this line of walking by the spirit. I love the connection with this passage and what our pastor spoke about from Romans 8. (v5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.)
“So it is in these moments,when I do contrary to what my flesh desires,that I see fruit.” So true!
I learned God’s spirit and fruit are one. It already abides in me, I just need to abide in it. As Sheena stated,“so simple,but not so easy”. Each day prior to delving in, I ask God for wisdom, understanding and discernment. He was faithful as always(: He reminded me of Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. I thank God for his Grace and Mercy. Thanks for the study Katie!!!
The thing that was blessing to me during last week’s study was God’s promise. In Gal. 5:19 the promise is “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Of course the condition is that I must deny my flesh to do this, but I found so much encouragement in this verse: I am assured VICTORY over my sinful nature when I live each moment in step with the Holy Spirit! So, one day at a time, one moment at a time, one step at a time–the more I walk in the Spirit, the more victorious I am.
So my prayer has been that I obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit, even in what seems to be so “small.”
Good words here, Katie. I, too, focus on the “to-do’s.” I’m trying to train my guilt-inducing mind to just ask one question of myself when I’m questioning what to do or how I’m acting: “Is it by the Spirit?” If I’m acting by the Spirit, goodness, patience, kindness, etc. will follow. If not, I’m satisfying desires of the flesh. And when I remember what Christ gave and this incredible, endless love God gives, all I want is to keep in step with that Spirit.
Those fruits and verses in 22-26 are definitely ones to memorize (if not all of them)! I kept being reminded of Philippians 4:8 while reading this section, as well.
Thank you for hosting yet another amazing study, Katie.
“Walk by the Spirit” needs to be painted on my walls or maybe my forehead!! I also tend to want to focus on a list of what to do and what not to do. But it’s the relationship with Christ where real change occurs.
Ezekiel 36: 26,27—A new heart I will give you and a new spirit I will put within you . . . I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. His promise is fulfilled when we walk by the spirit. Oh Lord` help me to live my life by your
Spirit from my early rising until my head hits the pillow.