Keeping in Step with the Spirit
Keeping in Step with the Holy Spirit: A Guide to Spiritual Growth
The Holy Spirit is an incredible gift given to us at salvation. Throughout scripture, we learn that He is our advocate, helper, guide, and transformer. He gives us gifts to serve others and prays on our behalf. But having the Holy Spirit in us isn't enough if we aren't letting Him lead us.
What Does It Mean to "Keep in Step with the Spirit"?
In Galatians 5:25, Paul writes, "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." The original Greek verb here literally means "to walk in line behind a leader." This verse implies something profound: you can be living by the Spirit but not actually being led by the Spirit.
Even as Christians who have accepted Jesus and been baptized, we still have free will. We can choose to follow Jesus or not. We can be sitting in church, filled with the Spirit, yet still being led by our sinful nature rather than by God's Spirit.
What Can We Learn from Jesus' Example?
After Jesus was baptized, Luke 4:1-2 tells us that He was "full of the Holy Spirit" and "was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days." Jesus immediately allowed the Spirit to lead Him into what many consider the most challenging phase of His life—40 days without food while being tempted by the devil.
Many of us might hesitate to fully surrender to the Spirit's leading because we fear where He might take us. But notice what happened after Jesus' wilderness experience: He "returned in the power of the Spirit" and began His ministry that changed countless lives both physically and spiritually.
The truth is, the Holy Spirit in you is limitless. There is no greater power than the Spirit in you. Yet we often keep control of our lives rather than relinquishing it to Him.
Why Do We Struggle to Follow the Spirit's Leading?
We typically feel good about making our own decisions. We think we know what's best for us—what makes us happy, comfortable, and successful. We know what we like and don't like. So we battle the Holy Spirit for supremacy in our own lives.
Paul describes this battle clearly in Galatians 5:16-17: "Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants... These two forces are constantly fighting each other."
What Drives You and Who Drives You?
To understand what it means to keep in step with the Spirit, we need to ask two important questions:
What drives me? (What are my desires?)
Who drives me? (Who's in control?)
The answer to the first question determines the answer to the second.
What Drives You?
Many things can drive us: power, influence, success, looking good, social media likes, our children's success, feeling important, our jobs, comfort, pleasure, control, being loved, being respected, or being right.
When we're baptized, we're saying we desire a relationship with Jesus. But that doesn't mean our desire for sin automatically disappears. As Paul writes in Romans 7:15, "I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate."
Who Drives You?
Just because the Spirit is dwelling in you doesn't mean the Spirit is driving you. Many of us are driving the car of our lives with the Holy Spirit in the backseat.
Think about it: when someone else is driving, you relinquish control. You don't decide which direction to go, how fast to go, or when to go. You trust that you'll get where you need to be.
For the Spirit to lead you, you must desire God's kingdom over yours. If you desire worldly things above all else, don't bother handing the keys over to the Spirit because He won't take you down that road.
How Your Life Reflects Your Desires
Your life produces evidence of your desires. In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul lists the "works of the flesh" that result from following sinful desires: sexual immorality, impurity, hostility, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, and more.
In contrast, the Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Many of us try to produce this fruit through our own efforts—trying to love more, be more patient, or be more joyful. But what Paul is saying is that this fruit naturally flows from walking in step with the Spirit. The more you are with Jesus, the more this fruit will be produced in your life.
How to Keep in Step with the Spirit
Desire the Spirit over the flesh. Examine what truly drives you.
Familiarize yourself with God's Word. Jesus combated temptation in the wilderness with Scripture. God didn't give us the Bible just to make us more knowledgeable about Christianity but to change our hearts and lives.
Examine the fruit in your life. What's being produced—works of the flesh or fruit of the Spirit? This is a good indicator of what and who drives you.
Be completely dependent on the Holy Spirit. Stop fighting for the steering wheel of your life. Wake up each day asking, "Where are we going today, God? What do you want from me?"
Life Application
This week, commit to not going anywhere unless the Holy Spirit is driving and you're the passenger. Each morning, consciously hand over the keys to your life to the Holy Spirit before your feet hit the floor.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
What desires are currently driving my decisions and actions?
In what areas of my life am I still trying to maintain control rather than yielding to the Spirit?
What fruit is most evident in my life right now—works of the flesh or fruit of the Spirit?
What would change in my relationships, work, and daily habits if I truly let the Spirit lead in every part of my life?
Remember: When you desire Jesus in all things, you allow the Spirit to drive your life. As a result, the fruit of the Spirit will reflect the God you follow. A life led by the Spirit should look different and stand out from a life that isn't. May others be attracted to what you're reflecting and may they see Jesus in the way you live.
