Life by the Spirit

What does it mean to live by the Spirit? Have you ever truly just wondered that? Have you ever stopped to look at the life your living…to see if it matches up with a life that’s led by the Holy Spirit? Hopefully after reading this, it’ll shed a little light on the subject for you and challenge you to live each day being led by the spirit.   In the beginning part of Galatians 5, Paul makes the distinction between those that follow the law and believe it’s good enough, and those that experience TRUE freedom in and through Christ. Following the ”laws of the Bible” does NOT guarantee anything. It’s application of God’s principles that set us apart and allows our reliance on the Holy Spirit to truly make us beacons of light for Christ. Once again, unless you truly seek to Apply Godly principles to Who you are and incorporate them into your character, personality and more…you can’t live a life that is prosperous, focused, productive, purposeful or even profitable.

 So what does it mean to live by the Spirit? It means that you won’t gratify the desires of the sinful nature. What’s the desires of the sinful nature? Well anything that the world deems as necessary would qualify honestly. Things such as envy, sexual immorality, rage, anger, drunkenness, orgies, hatred, lust, adultery, jealousy, bitterness, idolatry, witchcraft, selfishness, cursing, gluttony, greed…I mean the list could go on.

Now we see a list like this and realize that at some point we’ve all given into one or more of those desires daily. Sure, that means me also (shamefully). Does that mean it’s hopeless for us? Absolutely Not! Paul says that if we live by the Spirit we can avoid giving into those desires…but if not, then the latter part of Chap 5 verse 21 would be for us. It says, “I warn you, as I did before, those who live like this will NOT inherit the kingdom of God.”

That’s about as plain and simple as it gets.  We chose to live the life we want to, and thus, we have to happily accept the consequences that go along with that decision. So what does it then mean to live a life led by the Spirit? We look to verse 22-23 for that. The Apostle Paul says, “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” We as Christians, as Christ-followers, as Jesus’ disciples should DAILY be living a life that demonstrates these qualities. If not…then it’s time for a self-evaluation. Think I’m just making this stuff up? Then look at verse 24. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

Who do you belong to? What kind of life are you trying to lead? You know that to obey the sinful nature and it’s desires only gets you a life that is guaranteed to end when you die. When we follow Christ, accept Him as our Lord and Savior and live a life that’s set apart from the world (Romans 12:2) and led by the Holy Spirit…we are not only guaranteed to be difference makers here on earth, but we are joyfully guaranteed to be part-takers of the kingdom of God.

I know many of us think that’s too hard to do and only the “super-Christians” of the world can live like that. I say to you…that’s crap! Your only deceiving yourselves and selling yourselves short with such a narrow minded view. Galatians 2:20 specifically says that when we become Christians…this is the view we should take, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We need to ask ourselves daily, “Am I wholly crucified with Christ? Does The Holy Spirit truly live inside me or am I still calling the shots and heading for a future that guarantees I’ll never be welcome into Heaven?” I urge you people…in view of God’s blessings on your lives to LIVE a life that’s pleasing to Him. Life a life that demonstrates the fruits of the Spirit. God wouldn’t have it any other way.