Sometimes I have trouble communicating with other Christians. After much contemplation, I have concluded communication is highly impacted by where we are in the transformation process. We all come to Christ entrenched in family traditions, cultural customs, damaged by sin, self-focused, and imprisoned in various strongholds. The only way to get in sync with one another is by learning the customs and the language of the Kingdom of God taught in the Bible. By God’s grace, through practicing His Word by faith, in the power of the Holy Spirit, we lose our worldly view and get a godly perspective.

     One of the best ways to note whether we are walking in the Spirit is to identify the verse or verses that prompt our behavior. I work at understanding how to practice Scripture when I am not sure how to walk it out. How about you?

     It does take some time and effort to comprehend the meaning of a particular passage so the Holy Spirit can write it on our heart. First, we must come to understand what the author meant when the text was written which entails uncovering the historical and cultural background of the times. Knowing the context of the Scripture is also an important first step. That entails noting what was written before and after the one verse we are investigating.

     Yet even with clarity from Biblical verses we can still walk off course. That’s because Christians battle against the flesh. Paul writes of this battle in Galatians chapter five.

Gal 5:16-18

“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. ESV

     In his commentary on the book of Galatians, Warren W. Wiersbe writes that we are to surrender our will to the Holy Spirit or to be willingly led by the Spirit.

     “Being ‘led of the Spirit’ and ‘walking in the Spirit’ are the opposites of yielding to the desires of the flesh,” writes Wiersbe.¹

     The Holy Spirit leads us by God’s Word. Here is some good advice from GotQuestions.org:

“One of the most important ways to recognize the Holy Spirit’s guidance is to be familiar with God’s Word. The Bible is the ultimate source of wisdom about how we should live (2 Timothy 3:16), and believers are to search the Scriptures, meditate on them, and commit them to memory (Joshua 1:8). The Word is the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), and the Spirit will use it to speak to us (John 16:12–14) to reveal God’s will for our lives; He will also bring specific Scriptures to mind at times when we need them most (John 14:26).

Knowledge of God’s Word can help us to discern whether or not our desires come from the Holy Spirit. We must test our inclinations against Scripture—the Holy Spirit will never prod us to do anything contrary to God’s Word. If it conflicts with the Bible, then it is not from the Holy Spirit and should be ignored.”²

     Anyone who has ever traveled to a foreign country knows communication is limited if you don’t speak the language. This is true for the Kingdom of God as well.

©2024 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

Image from Pixabay

References:

1-Be Free, Exchange Legalism for True spirituality (A New Testament study-Galatians) written by Warren W. Wiersbe published by Cook Communications Ministries Colorado Springs, CO.

2-How can I Recognize the Guidance of the Holy Spirit? GotQuestion.org.