Years ago a close friend operated a delivery business to grocery stores. During his rounds he met the wife of a man who owned a small market. They began to kid around with one another and, before long, they were meeting regularly to drink coffee and to talk. They soon fancied themselves in love, left their families, and moved in together. That's when this man's wife, also a dear friend, called us and asked if we would pray for him.

Meanwhile, the minister of the church where our friends had been attending paid a visit to the man. The pastor told him that he had a vision of a black hearse and if the man didn't leave this woman and go back to his wife, they were going to carry him out of that room feetfirst. This heavy-handed approach only made the man more angry and entrenched him in his immoral decision. His wife then called me and asked if I would talk to him.

I agreed to go and found my friend living in a shabby garage apartment on the bad side of town. When I saw his filthy little home, I was struck by how much he had lost. His wife and daughters were beautiful people. His home was in a wonderful area. This man had sold his soul for a crust of bread. As he came to the door, a look of shame covered his face. He was very polite and invited me to come in and sit down. As I looked around at my friend's new life I thought, Oh, God! How could he give up so much for so little?

My heart was breaking because I loved this man. The sight of what he had fallen into tore me apart. I found myself unable to conceal my feelings, and much to my embarrassment I began to weep. I was overcome with grief, and when his lover emerged from the kitchen all I could do was sob. I finally got so embarrassed I said, "I'm very sorry. I know I came over to see you, but I just can't talk right now." I got up, left, and went home feeling like a fool. Here my good friend's wife wanted me to visit him and make an appeal for reconciliation, and all I could do was sit there and cry.

The next morning I received a phone call with news that left me in shock. My friend had returned to his wife and family just hours after my visit.

What did God use to achieve this miraculous healing of a fractured relationship? Not a holier-than-thou attitude, to be certain. His Spirit had created in me a spirit of meekness and brokenness that led to a joyful reconciliation. I thought I had blundered terribly - but I discovered that whenever we choose to walk in the Spirit, God delights to work powerfully In stunning and unexpected ways.

Walking in the Spirit is an amazingly practical proposition. It doesn't mean that we float through life with a halo over our head and an angelic smile on our face. We can be spiritually minded and still relate to people about earthly things. Some believers react so strongly against the pervasive worldliness of our culture that they lose the ability to communicate with their friends, relatives, and neighbors. Walking in the Spirit doesn't take us out of reality; it allows us to function in reality with optimum effectiveness.

Relationship First

Somebody once said, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." How true that is in the spiritual realm! While walking in the Spirit is an incredibly practical proposition, we must bear in mind that it's not the place we begin. Relationship always precedes behavior.

A great example of this principle is found in the book of Ephesians. The first three chapters all deal with relationship. Only then does the fourth chapter begin, "Therefore... walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." The relationship comes first because it provides the foundation for everything that follows.

If we try to walk without first establishing the proper relationship, we won't make it. Walking requires that we first acquire balance. This is true even in the physical realm. Before children take their first steps, they must learn how to keep their balance while sitting. Next they master the art of standing. Then they learn to wobble a little. And only after that do they develop the ability to walk.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul tells us that by understanding what it means to be seated with Christ we will begin to experience the power of God, which in turn will allow us to walk in a manner pleasing to Him. There is a definite progression here. First we must have a balanced relationship with God; then we can learn to walk.

At one time all of us lived after our flesh, obeying the desires of our flesh and our minds, and were alienated from God. But then God's grace transformed our lives and we began to enjoy delightful fellowship with the Lord. We continue to enjoy that deep fellowship as we allow God's Spirit to exercise control over our lives.

Walking Our Talk

There are many who claim to have a relationship with God, who throw around all the right Christian buzzwords and catchphrases, but who simply aren't walking with God in any practical way. It is crucial that we learn to "walk our talk." Our lives must be consistent with the calling, the blessings, and the profession we make concerning our new relationship with God.

Our mind is the battleground where we decide whether to live after the Spirit or after our fleshly desires.

The question is, How do we manage this? How do we avoid being carried away by the allure of the world? Paul had an answer in Galatians 5:16: "This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (emphasis added).

The Greek word translated "walk" in this passage is a term used to describe the dominant characteristic of a person's life. If someone were to have a reputation as a real miser, he would be known as a person who "walked" in greed. If a person characteristically was concerned and helpful, he would be known as someone who "walked" in kindness.

To walk in the Spirit means that we allow the Holy Spirit to exercise control over our lives. Every day we are presented with the option of living after the Spirit or after our own fleshly desires. Our mind is the battleground where we will decide which will have dominion.

It is helpful to remember that God has designed the human mind to work much as a computer does. A computer can only produce that which has been programmed into it. In like manner, our minds are being programmed daily. If our input comes from the flesh, our lives will be characterized by the flesh. If we begin to program our minds with the things of the Spirit, our lives will begin to reflect the priorities of the Spirit.

How easy it is to fall into the trap of making a bold profession of a vital spiritual life when our number-one priority is seeking to please the flesh! Certainly the power that our fallen nature can hold over us is one of the biggest problems we face in life. How can we be free from the seemingly unconquerable bondage to the flesh?

The simple yet profound answer is this: Don't fight the flesh, strengthen the Spirit! Don't fight against the darkness; turn on the light.

To do this, we must first recognize that we have both a spiritual and a fleshly side to our nature. If we are to walk in the Spirit, we must feed the spiritual man. We all know what it means to feed the physical side of our nature. If I miss feeding my body, it is not subtle about reminding me of its needs.

Someone once told me that after three days of fasting, the hunger goes away. I have found the opposite to be true. Three days into a fast, my mind is busy dreaming of the most luscious concoctions imaginable. This is simply my body's emphatic way of reminding me that its needs must be tended to. And so we feed our bodies. We exercise and take vitamins so that we might grow strong physically.

Becoming strong in spirit requires a similar regimen. We must regularly consume the bread of life, the Word of God.

Taking in the Word

How ironic it is that our consumption of the Word is often the last thing we get around to. "Of course, I need to spend time in God's Word," we say, "but I just don't seem to have time right now." In essence, we are fasting in the Spirit. Our spiritual side often gets fed irregularly, spasmodically, and in an unbalanced way. We neglect a regular, systematic study of the Word for a "let's flip open the Bible and see what catches our eye" approach. Often we have no consistent practice of Bible study or personal growth. We end up dutifully feeding the areas of our flesh but neglecting the needs of the spirit. As a result, the spiritual man becomes weak and the flesh begins to dominate.

If I want my spiritual man to be strong, it only stands to reason that I must sow to my spirit. I can't be sowing to the flesh and hope that I'm somehow going to produce a spiritual crop. In order to walk in the Spirit, I must begin to feed the spirit. That means I must make it a point to get more and more into the Word of God. Job said, "I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (job 23:12, NKJV). It is important to see God's Word as the essential that it is. Jesus claimed that His words were spirit and life, so a regular, systematic time in God's Word is essential if we are to walk in the Spirit.

Communing with God

A high priority on prayer is another essential for experiencing the joys of walking in the Spirit. As we thrill to the excitement of communing with God, we find ourselves being strengthened in spirit. We become more and more conscious of the presence of God in all that we do and in every circumstance we encounter.

To walk in the Spirit simply means that we deliberately make God our constant companion.

Being aware of God's presence opens our understanding to a more full and developed worldview. I am convinced that one of our greatest needs is to become more and more aware of God's presence at all times. When Paul spoke to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers in Athens as recounted in Acts 17, he declared that "in [God] we live, and move, and have our being" (verse 28).

Our lives can be remarkably transformed when we come to realize that God is with us continually. Losing sight of that fact can open the door to spiritual disaster. The farther God is removed from our consciousness, the more we are strongly drawn to the things that feed and please our fallen nature. When we stumble and fall we may point to many external factors to explain our behavior, but the root of our problem is a failure to keep God's presence in mind. The instruction to walk in the Spirit simply means that we are to deliberately make God our constant traveling companion as we move through the day.

When we walk in the Spirit, living in constant awareness of the presence of God, we no longer need others to nag and preach at us about living up to Christian standards. Our lives will be revolutionized as we keep the nearness and love of God in the front of our minds.

Turning Irritation into Joy

The way we think about even the most mundane things changes radically when we allow the Holy Spirit to rule our lives. Our outward circumstances may remain the same, but our attitude undergoes such a total transformation that we find joy even in things that used to irritate us.

We all have things to do that we find detestable. We go through a classic approach - avoidance conflict, knowing that while we hate to do these things, failing to do them will only worsen our situation.

I despise taking out the trash. Yet I know that if I don't do it, there will soon be a foul odor stinking up the porch. Therefore I bite the bullet and do the job. I would much rather be enjoying a bowl of chocolate-chip ice cream, but if I neglect my duty, soon the stench of decaying garbage will mix with the flavor of chocolate chips, and suddenly my desire for ice cream melts away.

Even in something as ordinary as this household chore, I have a choice. I can grumble about how much I hate hauling garbage, or I can seize the time it takes to do this job and commune with God. I can worship Him by whistling a tune of thanksgiving and love as I walk to the curb. As I draw near to God, I find myself thinking less about trash and more about His grace. I can sail through even the most distasteful task and not be perturbed by it if I set my mind on the things of the Spirit.

Consider waiting as another example. There are few things more aggravating than a red traffic light when you're in a hurry, knowing that you'll have to wait through a whole sequence of signals before you can get moving again.

But rather than getting tense, I have made it a practice to keep my Bible on the seat beside me. When I come to a red light and know I have some time, I'll start to read a portion of Scripture. The next thing I know the guy behind me is honking his horn. Time passes so quickly when I feed on the Word!

Walking in the Spirit becomes an exciting experience as we learn what it means to be in deep fellowship with God. We become more and more attuned to the things of God - from His presence within our hearts to the marvelous works of His creation.

Who's in the Lead?

Walking assumes movement. When we walk, we move from one place to another. We start out in one location and end up someplace else. Our destination depends upon the direction we take.

In a similar way, walking in the Spirit moves us from one spiritual place to another. We move from one level of maturity to the next as we listen to the Spirit and walk in the direction He instructs us to move - yet this is where we sometimes run into trouble.

When a thought or an inclination comes to our conscience, how can we discern whether the notion is from God? The Scriptures tell us that God writes His law on the fleshly tablets of our hearts (see Jeremiah 31:33; II Corinthians 3:3). God will plant an idea within my spirit, and my spirit will communicate it to my intellect. This is usually perceived as an idea, a thought, or as a sudden moment of inspiration. God will give us a desire as a means of communicating His will for our lives.

Unfortunately, I also have desires that come from my own fallen nature. My flesh has a way of injecting very strong thoughts and inclinations into my mind. At times it is difficult to discern whether a notion has come from God or from my flesh.

Some time ago I was faced with this dilemma as I was driving to a speaking engagement in Ventura, California. It was a spectacular day and the thought crossed my mind to take a detour off the more direct route and enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Coast Highway. Watching the surf and feeling the cool sea breeze is such a treat that I suspected the desire was of my own flesh, but I decided to indulge myself anyway.

As circumstances worked out, I realized that God had planned for me to take the Coast Highway. As I neared Malibu, I saw two hitchhikers standing by the road and I felt a strong inclination to pull over and give them a ride. As our trip north progressed, I had the opportunity to share Christ with this twosome.

The pair stayed in Ventura and the following night attended the church where I was speaking. That evening they made a public confession of faith in Christ and have since become strongly established in that local fellowship. After the whole experience unfolded, I was able to look back and think, Wow! That was beautiful. God directed me. The desire I had in my heart to take the Coast Highway had come from Him.

Still, it is often difficult to determine when the Lord is speaking to our hearts. We often mistakenly think that God can lead us only in mystical or dramatic ways. Surely if God speaks to me, we think, the place is going to shake, the lights will go dim, and my hair is going to stand on end. God has never spoken to me in that way. When God speaks to me, He speaks to my spirit, which in turn communicates the message to my consciousness in such a natural way that it is tough to immediately discern whether it is truly God's voice.

I wish I could provide a formula or a simple, three-point test to identify God's voice, but if such a procedure exists, I haven't discovered it. I struggle in distinguishing the voice of the Spirit from that of my flesh, just as you do. I wish I could recommend some foolproof way of being certain we are hearing from God, but unfortunately, that is beyond my ability.

And yet, God hasn't left us in a confusing fog. He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within our hearts not only to guide us in particular circumstances but also to lead us into an understanding of the revealed truth of His Word. He will never lead us contrary to anything He has already declared in the Scriptures.

Understanding the Word

It is interesting to see how some people who have yet to receive the Lord end up incredibly discouraged when they attempt to read the Bible. They see the tremendous influence the Scriptures have had on the lives of millions and its impact on western civilization, and they want to understand what it has to say.

Invariably, these people become bogged down and exasperated and the meaning of the Bible eludes them. This should not surprise us, because the Bible itself tells us that the natural man does not understand the things of the Spirit, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (see I Corinthians 2:14). On the other hand, the spiritual man understands all things, though he is not understood by others. Because we have become rightly related to God through Christ, His Holy Spirit can now unfold truth to our hearts. The Word of God becomes alive and understandable to us.

This continuing revelatory ministry of the Spirit is vital. It is amazing how often I can read through a chapter of Scripture and get nothing out of it. I find myself coming to the end of the chapter and saying to myself, "Now, what was it that I just read?" At this point, I will often stop and pray, "Lord, surely this chapter has something to say to me. Please open my understanding and allow Your Spirit to minister to me from Your Word." Then, as I reread the chapter, I am amazed at the truth that breaks forth on my heart.

During our Sunday-morning services at Calvary we usually have a responsive reading from the Psalms. By our third service, I end up seeing things in the Scripture text that hadn't occurred to me in our first hour. One of the verses will begin to minister to me in a very special and powerful way. This experience of being led into all truth is a vivid part of what it means to walk in the Spirit.

Press On!

Between the flesh, this fallen world system, and Satan himself, we face real hindrances to spiritual growth. But the counsel of Scripture is to press on for the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 3:14). Jesus said, "Strive to enter in at the [narrow] gate" (Luke 13:24). The Greek word translated "strive" is agonizomai, from which we get our English word agonize. Make no mistake; it isn't easy or natural to walk in the Spirit. It takes genuine effort, devotion, and moment-by-moment concentration.

It can't be overemphasized that this is a choice each of us must make daily. When we choose to walk in the Spirit, the practical results can be breathtakingly beautiful. We will enjoy a wonderful depth and consistency in our fellowship with God. As the apostle John observed, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (I John 1:7).

What's especially exciting about fellowship with God is that the more we experience it, the more we desire it. The more we are personally touched by the peace and fulfillment of intimate communion with the Father, the harder it is to live without it. When we find ourselves out of fellowship, an inner emptiness calls us back to prayer and the Word.

As we walk in the Spirit, we begin to enjoy the tremendous benefits of a close relationship with God. We feel a conscious sense of joy welling up within our hearts. We can whistle while we face the aggravating responsibilities of life because even in the midst of a dirty job, our joy is in the Lord. There is a sense of peace, a depth of understanding, a patience, a kindness, a gentleness that comes from walking in the Spirit. There is a strength and power to cope with the persistent desires of the flesh. We suddenly are able to see the big picture and find the wisdom to deal with our fallen nature in a realistic and rational way. As Paul summed it up, "To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

How could we fail to be drawn with all our hearts to the glorious new life which God freely offers to us in His grace? A life strengthened by the Spirit with joy, love, and peace flowing through us - is exactly what we passionately desire.

But in order to experience this blessing, we must choose to walk in the Spirit. We must come to God and ask Him to plant a greater desire for prayer, for time in the Word, and for fellowship with Jesus in our hearts. We must pray for the grace to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is then that we will know tremendous victory over even our most besetting sins, and it is then that the Spirit of God is able to use us in the most extraordinary ways.

Even when all we can do is blubber.