Walking in the Spirit…
David (ded) from “Spirit in the Wildwood” has published a post called “… in the spirit?” which continues a much needed conversation concerning walking in the Spirit. He begins by recognizing the difficulty of speaking with other believers about being in the spirit:
I rarely find any discussion on how one learns to walk in the spirit. It is an accepted phrase which gets much use with limited depth of mutual understanding between believers. Often, when I’ve attempted to move a discussion in this direction—and I have been making this attempt for over twenty years—I get one of three reactions: the person or group gets all excited and wants to talk about the presumed effects of being in the spirit, usually the spiritual gift list of I Corinthians 12; the eyes, that window into the soul, retreat somewhat and heads nod while the conversation dwindles after a few simple truisms; or a list of expectations about behavior follow with legalistic undertones. I hear very little practical substance. It raises the question, “Can a supernatural reality have a practical explanation?”
Think about his last question: “Can a supernatural reality have a practical explanation?” Can we quantify and measure what it means to walk in the Spirit? There are certainly observable characteristics that are generally ture of those who are walking in the Spirit. But, can we measure, describe, proscribe what it means to be controlled by the Spirit of God?
David further recognizes the importance of this discussion among the church:
This post is not a complaint or charge against anyone or any group. The current state of affairs within the Body of Christ is certainly more profoundly complex, broader and more significant than I can describe in even a series of posts on a blog. Yet, I write today because I wonder, “What can simplify the issues between believers, reduce the tensions which arise over disagreements, bring life to the soul and spirit of individuals, develop more unity within our Christ-family, and ultimately increase the effectiveness of communicating the gospel?”
The answer, the only conclusion I can draw is learning a deeper, more authentic walk in the spirit.
I hope others decide to continue this discussion. When we walk in the Spirit, we also walk in fellowship with God and with one another. Perhaps, “walking in the Spirit” is simply living the abundant life for which Christ has created us anew.