Walking in the Spirit

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” Ephesians 5:15-21
                   
The apostle Paul rebuked the Galatians in his epistle for their misguided reliance on self-effort and lack of dependence on the Holy Spirit. Amazed at their inconsistency, he wrote: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)

The Christian life that is begun by the Spirit’s conviction of sin and regeneration is continued by His constant influence and instruction. The command to “be filled with the Spirit” is literally rendered, “be ye always being filled with the Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit Who resides within us is the sole repository of spiritual life. He imparts the very life of Christ, making us partakers of Christ’s divine nature. We cannot duplicate the Christian life; we can only receive it. Studying God’s Word, praying, or any scriptural exercises are but opportunities to yield to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Are you, like the Galatians, trying to please God through self-effort by doing this thing or not doing that thing? It will never work. Confess your dependence on His ministry, and He will work in all things. Only then will the Christian life function as He designed.

“...‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Zechariah 4:6