But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. — Galatians 5:16-18

Now last time we talked about all this remarkable freedom we've been given in Christ. And it's incredible freedom. But what we do with it matters. Because we could choose to live in the flesh. We can. But if we choose this, we will experience this internal opposition. Paul describes it as a war that happens within us. And many feel the intensity of this war raging within.

In fact, in Roman 7, Paul talks in length about his own war within. He states that he wants to do good yet it feels like he cannot do the good that he wants to do. And every man experiences this. It's a war between desires of the flesh and desires of the Spirit. And maybe today you are very aware of this battle. If so, Paul tells us what to do.

The action is this — "walk by the Spirit." But the question we all have is what does this mean?

"Walk" is merely a metaphor for steady progressive action. And as Paul states, we have to learn to do this steady progressive action. Yet the problem we all have is we've spent a lifetime learning how to walk by the flesh. All our progressive action before Christ was about satisfying the desires of the flesh. And this makes learning how to walk in a new way awkward for some. We have never taken steps like this before. But don't worry. Paul is also going to show us how to do it. Here are five steps to learning how to walk in the Spirit:

Identify the battle within. We all have a battle we are fighting right now. And it's not being waged outside of us but within us. Identify it and declare why you think God gave you this battle.
Name the instigating desires. Next, take a moment to name the desire that's provoking the war within you. Just slow yourself down and try to name the want, the desire, or the longing that has you feeling, thinking, and acting in a way that incites this war.
Stop gratifying the flesh. Next, you have to stop rewarding that natural desire. If you wonder why you keep acting in the flesh, the answer is simple, you keep rewarding it. So make a conscious decision to stop rewarding it.
Be receptive to the Spirit. You can't just stop doing something, you have to start a new activity. And this is where we have to start listening more attentively to the conviction and voice of the Spirit. Over time we will get better at this but at first, we are going to need to tune in to his voice more attentively. One of the best ways to tune in is to spend time in the Bible and listen to where God's spoken word convicts the Spirit within us. Where these converge, we should be receptive.
Act promptly to the Spirit. When we hear the prompting of the Spirit, it's important to act on it. This is how we give that desire a new reward. And at first, we should try doing this promptly before the conviction is lost. Because if too much time passes, we might not act, and we will experience the conviction without walking with the Spirit.

This is how we have to get used to "walking" this way. All this is a little awkward at first, but over time we will become more proficient in hearing the Spirit's prompting and the old desires will fade away. Give it a try today. Go for a walk with the Spirit.

ASK THIS: Do you want to learn to walk in the Spirit?

DO THIS: Try steps 1-5 above.

PRAY THIS: God, help me hear the Spirit loud and clear today so that I can walk according to his leading.

PLAY THIS:  Vertical Worship - Come Holy Spirit.

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