Keeping in Step with the Spirit

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, he was concerned. Though they had begun their Christian lives in the strength of the Holy Spirit, they had fallen back to their old ways of living in their own strength.

Paul wrote, "After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (Galatians 3:3) That is such an easy trap for us to fall into today--to think that living the Christian life is up to us. When we try to live that life in our own strength and find we can’t, we often turn to something we can handle--a "to do" list that we can check off as we go. What we can’t face in our own strength is a "to be" list. We can’t become the people we need to be on our own.

The answer, Paul said, is to "live by the Spirit," so that the fruit of the Spirit will be evident in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. "Since we live by the Spirit," Paul said, "let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:16, 22)

How do we live in sync with the Holy Spirit’s desires for our lives? We live moment by moment in fellowship with Him, in the spiritual intimacy that is nurtured by prayer--and releases His power in our lives. We choose to keep in step. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Pray with me now — Father, in the power of the Spirit may we become all that You desire. Help us to keep in step with the Spirit for it is in You that we live, move and have our being. In Jesus’ name, amen.