Chances are that at some point in your life you’ve heard a well-meaning parent, teacher, or leader say, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Terrible advice, if you think about it. We are social beings, imitators. We learn every aspect of our lives by watching those around us. We intuitively understand that a better way lies in another overused phrase: “Practice what you preach.”
Following Jesus means a lifetime invitation to not just do what He said, but live as He lived. But how can twenty-first-century believers imitate a first-century rabbi?
Paul’s letters show us how the early Church navigated these questions just a few decades removed from Jesus’s ministry, death, and resurrection. Galatians was written, in part, to address the issue of rites and rituals to a church who had become divided over the role of the law in salvation. Paul offers this: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Trusting and walking with the Spirit offers freedom. It also makes things a little more complicated.
Instead of chasing shifting norms with an “in or out” mindset, life in the Spirit is a multi-faceted, intuitive path. One Spirit gives “different gifts” for the common good—wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, and discernment, to name a few (1Corinthians 12:4–11) It seems that in God’s wisdom He both gives a variety of gifts as well as incorporates a diversity of personalities, cultures, and styles for worship in His global family. But within this diversity, how do we discern what is actually from the Spirit when some things clearly are not?
Once again, the natural world has a lot to teach us through flowering, fruitful trees—“the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). Just as an apple tree produces apples, a person rooted in the Spirit produces life and goodness. As the Old Testament prophet Micah asserts, it’s not meticulous rule-keeping God is after, but instead for us “to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
If the Holy Spirit is living in you and me, then we can trust we have everything we need. Sure, there are times when we need to lean on our trusted community to help us discern or humbly receive challenges and critique. Of course, we need to grow our wisdom to recognize rotten fruit, even if it appears to come from someone who claims the same Spirit. And we will need grace, too, for people who think, pray, worship and serve differently from us.
It’s freeing and difficult, and we will not get it right one hundred percent of the time. But thankfully, we never have to walk alone.
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42 thoughts on "Walk by the Spirit"
Dear God,
Thank you for keeping me rooted in the Spirit.
Amen
Recently I obeyed and acted as I felt the spirit lead me. But it didn’t yield the results I expected. Instead it opened up a whole can of worms causing me to question if God is actually merciful, kind or walking with us. Maybe he desires pain and will leave us there in the pit. It’s been such a difficult season of uncomfortable questions
Trust that he knows what is best for you in the long run, that we live according to His will not for our blessing but for the plan he has for your life. I empathize fully as I have been there. Praying for you sister.
Thank you Lord that everyday you are finding me opportunities to dive into my bible and learn more of you. I do not need to plan and overthink, my brain is already muddled enough, you are providing opportunities in ways that never even entered my head so I can be closer to you.
I need to quiet the noise to hear the Spirit.
❤️
I feel so similarly! This was very helpful to read. Thank you, Amy!
Father in heaven ,
We’ve been watching the movie Encanto a lot lately with our daughter (she was home sick from daycare). For those who haven’t seen it, the premise is that there is a magic candle that gives each member of one family a special gift. Except poor Mirabel, she didn’t get one! Sometimes I feel like that reading the list of gifts from the Holy Spirit. I don’t feel like any of those gifts apply to me. I’m not that wise or knowledgeable, I can’t heal or prophesy. But the Spirit distributes to each person as he wills. No one gets skipped. And the gifts He gives may not be obvious, but they don’t need to be flashy. They’re not about bringing attention to ourselves but about how we can contribute to the common good. Mirabel didn’t get a gift like the rest of her family but she still helped to strengthen their family and rebuild their home.
Hi Caroline,
Paul was speaking to people who had (wrongly) been told that they needed to be circumcised to be saved. It’s not that circumcision by itself is right or wrong, it’s the belief that it is somehow a component to salvation that Paul is coming against. Verse 6 of Galatians 5 is key: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
Hope that helps?
Praying for your family Mia and all our loved ones struggling in these difficult times. Can you please keep my 20 year old daughter in your prayers. She has an older car, isn’t a stellar driver and needs to make many trips to another part of our state for her clinical hours for school starting this weekend. The roads thru the mountains are really scary to get to her destination. Praying for safety for my daughter and all those traveling.
Tami C.I will be praying for your daughter. My daughter, Amelia, is graduating from HS as well. College seems so daunting, but we know that all things work together for good to those who love God…Trusting Jesus all the way.
Act justly, love faithfulness, and walk humbly with God. We are children of God, heirs of God, coheirs with Christ~
This devotional was so amazing today! I love that the Lord will complete the work he began in me, and that he gives me the strength to walk in his ways. I mess up every single day, and I am so thankful for his grace and mercy. ❤️
Also just curious to hear about everyone’s take on the supernatural gifts, prophecy, speaking in tongues. I am yearning to be baptized in the Spirit but don’t know if that’s even right to think that way.
Mia – praying for you and your family. May God protect him and put his angels around him. May His presence be felt by you
Also just curious to hear about everyone’s take on the supernatural gifts, prophecy, speaking in tongues. I am yearning to be baptized in the Spirit but don’t know if that’s even right to think that way.
Lord please help me to keep in step with the Spirit every day. How quickly I forget and respond to people from the flesh! Kelly (NEO) thank you for asking about my husband Rich. His oncologist is not concerned about the lung nodules and will rescan in 6 months. PTL! May I humbly ask for prayer for my 18 year old daughter Chela. She is struggling with anxiety and it’s so hard to watch. I want to take it away. She’s graduation and off to college in the fall and I want her to be open to getting the support she needs.
Happy Friday dear she’s. We have got some snow flurries in past few hours (and counting). It’s kinda beautiful :)
The reading today is so vast, but some caught my attention:
1. Do not desire vain glory (how do we know if we have this problem? If we have a tendency to provoke, and envy) (Galatians 5:26). Opposite of provoke is to appease (pacify, satisfy), and opposite of envy is to be happy for others and be happy for their good fortunes, success and blessings.
2- Joint-heir with Christ is our status. I honestly cannot fathom such a title. Joint-heir with the King of all kings? Me? Being called the daughter of God is already a huge royal privilege. And with great privilege usually comes great responsibility they say lol. But here, with this great privilege comes even greater inheritance. What treasure we have serving our generous God.
3- Faith works through love (Galatians 5:6). Faith is the unseen substance that we hope for, and is fueled through love (love is God).
Praying for you dear sweet she’s …
@SEARCHING: you have been such a big blessing and encouragement to me!❤️
@MIA FAITH: prayers against any evil bondages, voices/spirit of suicide be silenced, for God’s divine protection.
@HEIDI: provision for accommodation
@EMMA RAGETH: for your prodigal sister to be saved from risky and dangerous paths.
@MARY WALSH: welcome to the community! So glad you are here :) The comment posts are by time stamped, and we put names in front to those we want to speak to (lol), the response under each name doesn’t always work but that’s ok. Praying for God to help you in learning His Word, growing in love, transforming daily into His image with ease, joy and grace.
Be blessed dear sisters ❤️. I pray you all have a fantastic weekend :)
@Mia Faith – praying for you and your family. My heart aches for anybody who has to deal with anything surround suicide. I know first hand how scary it can be. Praying for your sweet granddaughter to understand that she is so dang worth it. And for you guys to not have to worry. @HEIDI love that your family is considering turning a hard situation to something that could be a once in a life time opportunity! Praying you guys feel at peace with whatever you decide.
❤️
Hi everyone. I’m pretty new here. Oh how I need His Spirit to sanctify me through & through! Some days, I wonder if I’m even saved, based on my thoughts! But I know that the Lord will complete the work He has begun – and I am to work out my salvation, walking in the Spirit. Saying NO to the flesh and YES to His promptings, convictions and commands. I’ve been reading my SRT bible this year as my primary bible. Decided to try the monthly subscription and can’t wait to get my first shipment for the May study of Amos. I’ve been following along on the app and on my desktop with this current study using the scripture and devotional only – reading all your wonderful comments each day. I’m confused as to how you all communicate. There is no thread under each person’s post then … so we will need to scroll back and forth to determine what responses are attributed to which post? This older lady is trying to figure it all out so that I can become PART OF this beautiful community! God Bless
So, update for anyone interested… :) Someone asked about the reason behind the lack of CO at this point and no – we don’t have one, which IS a concern. That is such a huge thing for a building to not received and for it to have happened 3x??? Also – we are dealing with city of Atlanta – we’ve built a house here before and we have learned first hand how unbelievably crooked the whole office is. Ppl get permits when they “offer extras”… you don’t play by their game, you could have your whole construction stopped – literally. So there are two sides to the coin and we really have no insight as to which side is playing out.
We spoke with a wise friend yesterday and she confirmed some ideas for us that had been rattling around in mine/Ryan’s (my man) brains. Our kids will be out for summer in a few weeks. We have been given option of keeping this VRBO that long. So – we may keep our things in storage and turn lemons into lemonade and take the kids on a summer-long road trip. Ryan can work from the road, I will have my seminary classes but they will be hybrid – we will have 2 different weekends I will need to be in-person, but that’s it. So- when else will we have the opportunity to not have a house payment, already have our things safely stored, and open time on our hands with kid’s schedules being free?? We are prayerful about it and will do what God leads, no doubt. And, we both are definitely leaning into the idea that perhaps this could be God’s reasoning for having us in the strange position we are in.
We shall see!! :)
I want to say thank you for your prayers. It’s so insane to me that on such a public, open forum we can find such intimacy and kindness from people we most likely will never see in person this side of Heaven… it is an absolute picture of what Christianity is meant to be and evidence of His amazing love and grace living in and pouring out of His daughters… ❤️
RHONDA J – Ah! so excited you found it interesting… I agree – the more we can educate ourselves on the persons of God that we don’t fully understand – and the TOPICS in Scripture we don’t fully understand- the stronger and more accurately we live out this life He’s given us to live. To often we fear if we dig too deep, we will hit rocks. But no – our God is infinite and is big enough for all of our questions and confusions!
SHARON, JERSEY GIRL- YES!! I fully believe one of the MOST successful tactics of our enemy is how he puts insecurities in front of us to belittle the gifts God has given and then, in turn, we prevent ourselves from fully developing that gift to its God-given potential. Others then miss out on the gospel and the unique love of God because we are too busy focusing on someone else. So sad and so wasteful to the precious gifts He’s intelligently, thoughtfully given to each of His children!!
Oh dear MIA Faith, my heart just gripped so fast and hard as I read that first line!! That is so scared when we are out of control with someone SO precious to us. We too have a grandson that has had some serious family issues, and has been talked down to and dismissed his whole life, and I dreaded the teenage years because I know how depression can get it’s grip, and Satan of course. But their dear little souls are so tender, and our grandson holds it all, then lashes out and they fights are getting bigger and dangerous. We moved away 4 years ago, and I have lots of regret in that aspect, they we are not a safe space for him anymore. (I am going into detail because I feel like there are many of us grandparents with this issue!). We really haven’t been able to talk by phone or otherwise becuase he either has no access (from taken away) or the parents are around when we talk with them all. What’s are hope, prayer. And I will certainly be praying for your grandchild specifically, and if you could ours as well. I couldn’t believe it yesterday when the younger sibling, that is the spoiled princess of the family, told us she got a Iwatch and a phone!!! She IS TEN!! Lord have mercy….as my mother would say!! What is the world coming to?! We adults have trouble with social media addiction…lets give it to a 10 year old!! On a funny note though, (I have been feeding her Jesus since forever) (The parents are non-believers!!) she said she should get a I lOVE JESUS cover for it!! How great would that be?! But she says these things because she knows it pleases ME! I pray for her little soul!! (maybe I should buy it for her!!). Boy do we need to pray for our young people! Also Mia, I am so sorry for the loss of your son.
@Mia Faith, I will be praying that God will hold you steady on Him as your rock as this storm swirls around you. Praying that He will reveal Himself as a beacon of light, peace and hope to those who are feeling overwhelmed by the darkness that Satan has placed them in.
I’m (my family) is I. So much need of prayer warriors! Please put us on your daily prayer list. Suicide attempt by a grandchild (14), many family members who are not walking with the Lord! Our oldest son died by suicide 9 years ago (he was an amazing man who loved and shared Jesus). Since he died, our lives have spiraled out of control. I said then, that if THIS COYKD HAPPEN…ANYTHING CAN. I was right and it has broken us all. My hubby and I love the Lord and walk in His ways. We need others to stand in the gap for our family!
@Claire B- thank you for sharing your advice. I think you may have mentioned you are older, but in my mind you are younger bc I have a younger sister named Claire in her mid twenties lol! JK – I like your approach. It is good you listen to the Holy Spirit :)
@Heidi- God be with you and help you step by step, day by day. May you stay positive and know God has plan for your family. May He show Himself faithful, but may you believe that today, that He is faithful. <3
Hope you have a good weekend, Shes. May we stay aware of His presence inside us and all around us. :)
Good morning ☀️ and Happy Friday sweet She’s. Micah 6:8 stood out to me this morning. I need to be a little nicer to a few people. Extend grace. Grace has been extended to me and I need to do the same. And sometimes that’s hard. As I’m sure at one point or another, I’ve been hard to love.
Happy Friday! What a great reminder as I seek advice from family and friends when I feel unsure. Knowing that even in my hesitations I do not walk alone is so reassuring. I often struggle that if I feel unsure about something it’s because it’s not the right thing to do or maybe that’s God telling me to be brave. @Rhona J. Thanks for the prayers! Praying it’s a good weekend for me and all of you as well ❤️
So well said RHONDA J. I have noticed how the room gets quiet when I mention anything regarding my faith. So yes, if I talked about the Holy Spirit…watch the heads turn! lol And I too wish I could sing!
Walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. Isn’t is amazing how quickly we can turn and not be walking with the Spirit? I allow someone to anger me instead of looking the other way. Or fall into gossip when that is not something I want to be doing. Even if I don’t say anything, I’m listening. I’m learning to change the subject. We have temptations all around us 24/7. We need to put that coat of armor on. To pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us before we even walk out that door in the morning.
@Kimberly Z- praying for your trip and time!! :)
I love reading more about the Holy Spirit, the area where I have grown the most in the last decade. The idea that Christianity is based on the Trinity, therefore we must educate in that way. It seems most people are pretty comfortable with the mention of God. They thank him at the Grammys, thank him in conversation…But- have you ever noticed that when you mention “Jesus,” tension enters and the conversation is quickly diverted? (This is when talking with non-Christians.) Now try to enter in a conversation the “Holy Spirit!” Whoa…this person is crazy believing “a him” person, living in you as a Spirit! So I think we need to share more of what the Holy Spirit represents in our Christianity. I like the recommendation that @Heidi shared yesterday! I was able to look it up and read the sample introduction, and want to read the rest. (It is called “Delighting in the Trinity” by Michael Reeves.)
@Sharon- also loved what you put about being envious of other”s gifts! It is so hard to focus on what others have and we don’t. I really envy those that can just say eloquent prayers and pray over others! And man, if I could sing well….! BUT GOD– we are equipped exactly how we are meant to be! Sometimes we need to sharpen our God given gift, but the Holy Spirit will guide us.
❤️
Through the Holy Spirit different gifts are given. They are different for everyone, and today’s scripture in 1 Corinthians 12:11 reminds me that the Spirit gives to each one, just as He determines. I don’t know about you, but I’m always wishing I had someone else’s “gift”. I hate that I can not be content with the gifts God has given me. Why can’t I play the piano? Why can’t I sing beautifully? Why can’t I play the flute or the violin or anything??? …He gives them to each one, just as He determines! Praying that I will be content with the gifts God has given me and that I will use them for His honor and glory, and stop comparing myself to everyone else.
Happy Friday to all my SRT sisters. Have a super blessed day! Praying for all your requests – may God answer them all, according to His will.
Amen
Holy Spirit fill me afresh today that I am never alone. In Jesus name, Amen
I’m so grateful for the Holy Spirit.
Amen, KELLY (NEO), may we pay attention to the Holy Spirit’s leading, seeking the Lord’s wisdom throughout each day.
KELLY (NEO) – Thank you for checking! no further updates since I found out (meant to post but could have slipped my mind) she was able to go back to work part time, and that may be all she’s planning to do (late 60’s or early 70’s).
MERCY – your post yesterday hit home for me, and likely other sisters. I did not experience this directed at me specifically but have seen up close damage that has been done, long term damage that in some cases was never recovered from. Praying we always show grace, only reaching out in love, and only in God’s will.
HEIDI – praying for you and your family in the midst of your housing dilemma. Wondering if you know the reason for the CO delay, whether slowness of system or something that bears looking into. ❤️ Looking into that book recommendation, thank you.
CINDY HANNA – thank you for sharing the cues and clues we need to remember ❤️
LISA CHAPEK – smart thinking on those percentages, thank you.
CANDACE SMITH – so sorry about the passing of your father in law, and your mother in law’s ear drum! Praying for comfort for the family and healing.
We can trust we have everything we need. Praise God!
Holy Spirit, help me to hear Your voice over that of the world, the devil, and my flesh. May I bear the fruit of Your presence.
CANDACE SMITH – I’m sorry for your loss. Prayers for your M-I-L and your whole family.
SEARCHING – any further updates on Shannon’s mom?
PAM C – how is your mom?
HEIDI – praying the Lord gives you clear direction
CHRISTINA SCHMIDT – how are you and the boys doing? How long is your husband’s deployment?
TAMI C – how’s your husband, Rich? How’s Michelle?
Good morning She’s. May we walk in the gifts of the spirit today.
Good morning She’s. May we walk in the fifth of the spirit today.