Walk in the Spirit

There is a quiet work taking place within us that others may never see.  The Holy Spirit knows what is happening in the deepest areas of our hearts, even in those places we may not want anyone—including ourselves—to examine too closely.

For this reason, we need to remain close to the Holy Spirit.  He helps us discern what is true and what is false when we come in contact with others and when we examine our own hearts.  We don’t want to be led astray by false pretenses, persuasive words, or rehearsed rhetoric.  When we hide God’s Word in our hearts, we are better prepared to recognize deception and resist the spirit of evil.

The Bible warns us that in the last days many will be deceived into believing a lie.  Jesus gave us this warning: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” — Matthew 24:24

We cannot afford to become spiritually careless.  Satan is a deceiver, and he will use whatever means he can to turn our hearts and minds away from God.  We must remain vigilant and wise as children of God.

I don’t know about you, but I refuse to fall into that number of deceived individuals.  I want to walk in the Spirit each day so I will not fall prey to Satan’s temptations.

But walking in the Spirit involves more than recognizing deception around us.  It also means allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal what is happening within us.

God sees beyond the surface.  He sees beyond our words, our appearance, and even the things we may successfully hide from other people.  He sees deeply within the hidden areas of our hearts—the areas we may want to hold on to and keep hidden.

Perhaps we need to ask ourselves: “Is there something I am hiding that I need victory over?”

God is faithful and just to forgive our sins when we confess them to Him.  The Holy Spirit may reveal things within us that need to change.  But once He reveals them, we have a choice.  Are we willing to surrender those things to God, or do we want to continue holding on to them?

Perhaps another question we should ask ourselves is: “Do I really want these areas revealed?”

That may be an uncomfortable question, but it is an important one.

Sometimes we want God to bless us, strengthen us, and lead us, while at the same time we want to keep certain areas of our lives under our own control.  Yet God already knows what is there.  He is omniscient—He knows all things.  We cannot hide anything from Him.

So how can we walk in the Spirit and move the mountains that challenge us each day if we are constantly wavering in our minds?  A vacillating mind can leave us standing dangerously close to the edge, where one wrong step may send us plunging into a trap that Satan has prepared.

There is safety in God’s Word.  There is freedom in surrender.  And there is strength when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our thoughts, our choices, and our desires.

Let us walk in God’s power, with His Word hidden in our hearts, so that we will not sin against Him.  Let us be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to search those hidden places and show us what needs to change.

We don’t have to live in fear of what God may reveal.  What He reveals, He can help us overcome.

Let us walk in freedom.  Let us walk in victory.  Let us walk by faith.  Let us walk in the Spirit of the Living God.

Written by,

Papa Boyd