Walking In The Spirit

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Galatians‬ ‭5:25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
http://bible.com/114/gal.5.25.nkjv

As children of God we have to develop such a relationship with the Holy Spirit that we actually are led by Him.  Too many believers are led more by their head(i.e. soul-mind, will and emotions) instead of the Spirit of God. Paul tells us in Romans 8:14, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Notice that it does not say pulled, kicking and screaming, but it does say led indicating that your spirit is voluntarily in cooperation with the Holy Spirit as He guides you daily.

The problem with being led by your soul is that you become subject to the doubts, fears and negative impulses which have caused many a shipwreck in the lives of believers. Being led by your soul also causes you to "fleece" God instead of obediently acting on His word. Fleeces actually make your obedience conditional based on external circumstances. For example, You prayed that God would use you for His glory and immediately sense God leading you to pray for the person on crutches at the mall or pay for someone's groceries. Instead of immediately following God's leading you might say "I feel like you want me to do this, but if I'm really supposed to do this let them speak to me first because I don't want to look foolish by just going up to them and doing this." Some people have even gotten more extreme fleecing prayers and say something "If I'm to do this let it snow in August." Fleecing appeals to the soul and the five physical senses. Instead of walking by faith and not by sight(Read 2 Corinthians 5:7),  seeing is believing.

In Matthew 14:22-33, we see Peter walking on water, but his five senses wouldn't let him enjoy the moment and eventually weighed him down. Starting at verse 27 it reads, "But straight away Jesus said to them, Take heart; it is I, have no fear. And Peter, answering, said to him, Lord, if it is you, give me the order to come to you on the water. And he said, Come. And Peter got out of the boat, and walking on the water, went to Jesus. But when he saw the wind he was in fear and, starting to go down, he gave a cry, saying, Help, Lord." Peter's soul couldn't handle what was happening. I could imagine him thinking, "I can't believe I'm out here. I sure hope I don't drown."

Fleecing only appeals to the soul and the five the physical senses. Living this way will not help you grow in your faith, but it will definitely hinder your faith and prevent you from experience. Faith is a spiritual reality that is capable of impacting the natural world. Don't allow a fear of failure or fear of missing God prevent you from embarking on the wonderful journey that God wants to take you on. Remember Proverbs 3:5-6, "Put all your hope in God, not looking to your reason for support. In all your ways give ear to him, and he will make straight your footsteps(BBE).

Confession for today: I commit to being led by Father God daily. I will not let my head deceive me, but I will rely on God's wisdom, knowledge and His understanding. I make the voluntary decision to walk and live in the spirit.