Spirit-Led Living

What does it mean?

Rom 8:12-17

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

The Apostle puts Spirit-led living into context by saying that if you are living by the Spirit, you will subjugate everything in your life to live for God.

Our flesh, our innate human desires, lead us to live for “the pursuit of happiness”, as the constitution says. We like pleasurable things, and we want a life of ease.

Here’s the thing: God cares more about your character than He does about your comfort.

Do you know what Spirit-led living meant in the life of Jesus?

Luke 4:1-2

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil.”

First God acknowledges Jesus as His Son and gives Him an attaboy by telling Him that he pleases Him. Next thing, He’s taken to the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.

While that might seem cruel and counter-intuitive, was the Father preparing Him for the start of His public ministry.

What it did was to test Jesus’ identity. Jesus knew that He was the Son of God and what that entailed. Even though He was weak from fasting for forty days, an act of physical submission, He was stronger because of it in His connection with the Father.

Paul is relating that same idea to us. We need to submit our flesh to the Father knowing that it makes our spirit stronger. When our focus is on Him and not the desires of our flesh, we don’t need to fear whatever comes our way, because we are sons and daughters of the living God when we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit. In Him there is no fear, addiction, or slavery to the things of this world. In Him there is freedom. Whatever suffering comes our way only leads to an attaboy from the Father. If He suffered, why shouldn’t we suffer. It is as we join with Him in suffering, that leads to us joining with Him in being glorified.

Paul goes on to expand on this in his letter to the Galatians:

Gal 5:16-24

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit , you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

When we are led by the Spirit, the things that used to be so attractive to us lose their appeal. If we think like the world, then our actions will follow suit.

If we are led by the Spirit, then our actions will reflect our focus, our heart, our character.

Will we occasionally do things that displease God? Of course, we are still human. When we do those things, we must allow the Spirit to convict us of those things and we must be quick to repent and turn back to God.

Over time a consistency will become apparent as the results of our Spirit-led walk with God become the norm and not the exception.

Gal 5:25

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

Our actions must match our words and our beliefs or else like the Apostle Paul says, if we don’t love and walk the walk, our profession of faith is just like a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal”.

As a drummer I know all about gongs and cymbals. In the appropriate moment and context, they can be used to add to and accentuate the music. But if a drummer is banging on a crash cymbal all the way through a musical piece it only becomes annoying and detracts from the music.

A good piece of music is pleasing to the ear and can change our mood and put us in a good place.

A Spirit-led life will bear fruit and will be a complement to the body of Christ.

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