walking by the Spirit
The starting place for my walking by the Spirit is apprehending the reality of the Spirit walking alongside me. There is no formula for growing this belief that God is present throughout my entire life even though I do not recognize it. It’s a gift, just like any other revelation of God’s nature that has the power to soften my heart toward Him. How does the Holy Spirit communicate this to me? In thousands of different ways that are each tailor-made for me. It takes more than seeing the verse in the Bible: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hearing sermons and studying the Bible helps me to grasp intellectually that God’s presence is real, but I to need it repeated over and over again.
One morning, as I sit at my cubicle, I feel tired and trusted with life. I close my eyes and think about what God might want to say to me at this very moment. The words come like a whisper from within, “I’m with you, Tom. I’m with you.” I scribble this message on a post-it and put it into my shirt pocket. I then forget about it both the post-it and the message.
Several days later when I wear that shirt again, I notice that there is something in my pocket. I reach in to investigate. Of course! I put something in there last week. But what was it? As I read the message that morning, it is more real. God is revealing His presence in my life to me, through me, through the words I wrote. I’m experiencing a relationship with the Holy Spirit by carrying around this message. For the next three months, off and on, that post-it probably spends time in every shirt and pants pocket in my wardrobe. You might think that I would remember that I am the one putting the note into my pockets and grow tired of it, but I feel the message continues to be fresh and relevant each time. My hand brushes up against it in my pocket more and more, and I wonder: What’s this piece of paper in my pocket? Oh, it’s that posit-it. Let me read it again: “I’m with you, Tom. I’m with you.” Somewhere along the way, I know it’s true.
Sometimes God calls us to be His messengers to ourselves. The Spirit guides our minds when we ask what would God want to say to me right now? Subjectively, I can think of several things: “Keep it up!” or “I love you” or “You know that sin in your life? Yeah, stop that.” Even if these are all things God wants to say, none of them expands my view of the God I already know. I do know, however that God is greater than my mind can grasp.
Above any particular direction, that one morning I wrote that note to myself was the beginning of my ability to comprehend something new. This is the great opportunity of the desert season, the dry and barren land. Not “what can I be doing differently in my life so that I’m walking in the Spirit?” But being saturated and penetrated by the revelation of God walking alongside me presently and during all of those times in the past that I did not even notice Him or acknowledge He is here.
Observation - Has the Holy Spirit ever given you messages of encouragement? How?
Understanding - If we are walking with the Spirit, how can we keep in step with the Spirit?
Application - Listen for God’s voice. What is the next right action?
