The Christian life is not merely about following rules; it is about following a Person, Jesus Christ, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Paul urges us in Galatians 5:16 to “walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (NKJV),” presenting a clear contrast: either we are walking with the Spirit or we are fulfilling the desires of the flesh. There’s no neutral ground. The good news is that we are not left to fight the flesh alone. God has given us His Spirit to guide, strengthen, and transform us (John 16:13). American evangelist Dwight L. Moody was right when he said, “The work of the Spirit is to impart life, to implant hope, to give liberty, to testify of Christ, to guide us into all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort the believer, and to convict the world of sin.
Walking in the Spirit means keeping in step with Him moment by moment. It is a relationship marked by awareness, dependence, and obedience. It means listening for His gentle promptings, aligning our decisions with God’s Word, and yielding when conviction comes. The Spirit helps us discern truth from lies, purity from temptation, and love from selfishness. He does not push or coerce. He leads. Our role is to follow.
The desires of the flesh are real and persistent. They often scream for attention—pride, anger, lust, selfish ambition—but the Spirit speaks in a quiet and persistent whisper. As you and I grow in our walk with Christ, we become more sensitive to His voice and more resistant to the pulls of the flesh. This is not behavior modification; this is internal transformation. The fruit of walking in the Spirit is not manufactured by effort; it naturally grows: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Pastor A.W. Tozer puts it this way: “When we have the Holy Spirit, we have all that is needed to be all that God desires us to be.”
Are you walking in the Spirit today, or have you allowed your flesh to take the lead? If you stumble, and we all do, do not despair. The Spirit is still near. Confess, realign, and keep walking (1 John 1:9). This journey is not about perfection, but direction. Keep choosing the Spirit’s way over the world’s way. As you do, you will not only resist the flesh, but you will become more like Jesus.
