Walking in the Spirit is an important aspect in the spiritual life of every Christian. To do this, you must follow the path that the Holy Spirit has mapped out for you. Therefore, you will need to know your surroundings and act accordingly.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Fighting on the Spiritual Plane
Step 1. Take on the battle
While you may not feel like you are facing it in daily life, to walk in the Spirit you will have to take part in the spiritual battle that is taking place around you. Wickedness and corruption will always try to lead you astray. You need to be aware of these dangers to avoid them.
- Your "spirit" is in constant struggle with your "flesh". The side that will gain control of your beliefs and actions will have control of your soul and will be the winner.
- Walking in the Spirit means walking with the Holy Spirit in a way that allows your spirit to be in control.
Step 2. Know your enemy
In essence, you will have to face three different, but related enemies: the devil, the world and the flesh.
- Know that the phrase "The devil made me do it" is not correct. Even though the devil has power and influence in the world, he cannot force those who have been saved by walking in the Spirit to do anything. The devil may try, but falling into that temptation is up to you.
- The devil's influence is in the world and, as such, the world will often try to take you away from what is good and right.
- Locate the meat. The flesh is not your body, even if the two are connected. The flesh is simply the part of yourself that desires worldly pleasures and rejects spiritual virtue.
- By opposing your rejection of the flesh every day, you will strengthen your spirit. To dominate the flesh, you will have to say "no" to worldly desires and "yes" to God.
Step 3. Know the battlefield
More precisely, you know both battlefields. You will need to prepare to face wickedness both internally and externally.
- The battlefield of the mind is internal and refers to the way you think and feel about the world around you and the people within it. The battlefield of behavior is external and refers to the way you act and speak in various situations.
- These two fields are linked. If your mind is imbued with wickedness, it will ultimately affect your actions. If you continually indulge in evil behaviors, your mind will gradually justify them.
Step 4. Accept yourself for who you are
Your identity is divided into two components. First, you need to recognize yourself as a human being, which means admitting your weaknesses and limitations. Secondly, you must see yourself for who you are in Christ and understand the strength that is conferred upon you by this new identity.
- You are a living being in a physical body. As such, true wellness refers to the state of your soul more than the state of your body.
- Alone you will not be safe against sin, vice and the death of the spirit.
- Accepting God and your identity in Christ means understanding that God loves you and is on your side.
Step 5. Honestly identify your weaknesses
Each person deals with temptations, but not in the same way. The temptations you feel weaker in front of cannot be the same temptations as your neighbor. Identify your biggest weaknesses so that you can protect yourself from those in the most effective way.
You can rest assured that the devil knows your weaknesses and will attack them as often as possible. The good news, however, is that even God knows them and knows how to prepare you for them
Step 6. Lean on your greatest ally, the Holy Spirit
Once you understand the battle you are fighting and your risk of going astray, you will need to recognize that your greatest ally in this conflict is the Holy Spirit. Only by walking in the Spirit can you hope to overcome the power of the flesh.
The Holy Ghost will give you the strength and endurance you need to fight the battle and live a virtuous life. However, you will always run the risk of slipping and tripping, but by relying on the Spirit, your spiritual path will experience a positive outcome
Part 2 of 2: Living Day to Day
Step 1. Prioritize your spiritual life
If you truly intend to walk in the Spirit, it is necessary to make a conscious effort on a daily basis. Your spiritual path is the most important aspect of your life. If you ignore it or put other problems before that, you risk losing your balance.
- Know what your priorities are. Daily life is made up of various concerns - family, work, school and so on - and each of them has its place. Your spiritual path, however, comes before everything else and you must recognize it if you want to advance with confidence.
- A great way to bring your mind closer to the Spirit is to pray for renewal of your faith every morning when you wake up and preferably before doing anything else.
- When analyzing a situation or circumstance, think about whether it is compatible with the Kingdom of Heaven before figuring out if it is okay from a worldly perspective. Ask yourself if God would be satisfied with anything before asking what others will think.
Step 2. Pray
Ask God to guide you and assist you along your path. More importantly, pray and then listen. You will likely hear no response, but God will find a way to tell you what you need to know.
- Spirit usually whispers some warning into your heart when you face something wrong or dangerous to your spiritual well-being. Learning to interpret these whispers will take practice, but with experience you will come to understand them.
- Think of them as a conversation where the other person talks all the time and doesn't give you a chance to express yourself. When you address your prayers "to" God by simply making a list of requests, you do not give him the opportunity to answer you. Instead of doing this, you should spend time in contemplation and meditation when you pray.
- God may speak to you by introducing a new thought into your mind or arranging the circumstances so that you see his intervention. Keep your eyes, mind and heart open in daily life.
Step 3. Examine your conscience
Although constant guilt for your sins can keep you from moving forward, you need to examine your conscience regularly and be honest with yourself about the mistakes you have made. Only by recognizing these flaws can you hope to avoid them in the future.
Consider the image of a garden. By examining the garden of your spiritual life, you will be able to spot weeds and remove them before you start uprooting healthy plants and fruit. If you cut it all carelessly, you will end up destroying the evil weed as well as the good one. If you don't remove anything, though, the evil will eventually stifle the good
Step 4. Listen, trust and obey
Let God communicate with you and trust in His will. Once you learn to trust Him, of course it will be easier to obey. In the meantime, you will need to follow God's will and commandments, even if they go against your human instincts or desires.
- You will have to respect God's law (the general rules that apply to all humanity), but also His instructions regarding your individual life. God's law is described in the Bible, but you will need to be careful how God speaks to you to decipher His personal instructions.
- Sometimes, the path indicated by the Spirit will be evident, but often the purpose behind that path does not seem to make sense. It is in those moments that trust in the Holy Spirit becomes important. If you believe that God loves you and wants the best for you, it follows that in His omniscience and omnipotence He will guide you into the future in the best possible way.
- Understand that obeying God means obeying Him immediately. Postponing is actually a form of disobedience.
Step 5. Look for the fruits of the Spirit in your life
As you begin to find the "fruits of the Spirit" along your path, you can rest assured that you are advancing towards Him, just as you should. These fruits will not be the source of your salvation, but the natural result of your salvation and a healthy path that leads you to the Spirit.
- The fruits of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5: 22-23, are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness and self-control.
- Understand that the journey comes first and then the fruits. Trying to reproduce the fruits of the Spirit in your life will not be enough to walk on the right path, especially since it will be impossible in the long run to truly represent those fruits in thought and action. First you have to follow the Spirit, after which the fruit will develop naturally.
- You don't have to be discouraged if you don't see all these fruits along the way. The spiritual battle will probably be with you throughout your life. The important thing is to let God make you evolve according to His timing.
Step 6. Avoid sources of strife and conflict
When conflict inevitably comes, you will need to remain steadfast. That said, it is necessary to have a spirit of peace and love, however involved you are with actions. For the sake of your spiritual path, avoid fighting. You should also refrain from spreading the conflict for the sake of others.
In short, "don't go asking for trouble". When you get in trouble, let God guide you. Knowing that God will lead you through difficulties, you have no reason to create more on your own
Step 7. Weigh what you say
Words have greater power than people commonly believe. The words you choose, the way and the times you speak determine your ability to move forward along the way.
- Listen to others first and consider what you hear before speaking.
- Let the Holy Spirit guide your words and the motivations behind what you say.
- Avoid saying something inconsiderate. Do not speak ill of someone and do not use words to harm others. Remember that you will no longer be able to "take back" what you said. Once you speak, the words hang in the air, no matter how many attempts you make to apologize later.
Step 8. Control your anger
There are times when you feel rightfully angry, and it doesn't matter. However, anger and blinding anger should be avoided, as they tend to destroy rather than enrich. Destructive anger only serves to make your path more difficult to manage.
- Don't give in to anger. Don't let anger take over and control your behavior among others.
- When you get angry, ask yourself what your anger comes from. Just anger has spiritual roots and is directed against sin and injustice. Destructive anger, on the other hand, has earthly roots and often turns into resentment, often nurtured towards certain people.
