Theme

As we pray this week, we are preserving in faith by walking by the Holy Spirit

Scriptures

Romans 8:1-4: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Galatians 5:13-18: You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Notice

One of the things that stands out when reading these passages is the active participation Paul calls the followers of Jesus to live into. “Live according…to the Spirit,” “serve one another,” “walk by the Spirit,” and be “led by the Spirit.” Clearly, what we as believers are called to is not passive; we are called to take part in what God is doing and actively choose to follow the Spirit.

Pray

Lord God Almighty, thank you for making a way for us through Your Son, Jesus, to not only be saved from sin and death, but to also have Your Holy Spirit as a seal of ownership declaring that we belong to You. Thank you that we don’t have to do this life on our own, but instead with Your Holy Spirit as our Helper and Guide we can take one step at a time. Teach us what it means to live and walk according to Your Spirit, allowing you to transform us into Your image with ever-increasing glory. Amen.

Practice

As you pray with expectation for God to teach you what it looks like to walk by His Spirit, write down one thing you sense Him whispering to you, revealing through Scripture, or maybe speaking through a friend. Then take action on it. Whether it’s reaching out to someone the Lord puts on your heart, re-evaluating a habit or hobby that’s consuming too much of your time, asking your spouse how you can help take something off their plate, spending five minutes in silence with the Lord, or something else. And then make note of how you see the Spirit working in and/or through you in that one thing you wrote down and took action on.