Walking in the Spirit by faith is the key to a life of victory. In my last article I mentioned that our spirit is willing to serve the Lord, even though our flesh may be weak (Matt. 26:41). We must learn to walk as spirit beings in step with the Holy Spirit. “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. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:13,14). The walk of faith is a life of continual fellowship with, and obedience to, the Spirit of God. It is essential that we receive all the help the Holy Spirit wants to give us in this life. This requires humility but also correct understanding of spiritual things. The devil has worked for centuries to build up strongholds that oppose the knowledge of God, but we can tear these down with the truth of the word of God (2Cor. 10:4,5).
Whether we realize it or not, there are passages of scripture that we read and interpret by our traditions. These are not always in opposition to God, but when they are, they hold to a form of godliness but deny the power of it (2Tim. 3:5). Let me give you an example of a traditional interpretation that you may have accepted. In this occurrence, the misconception may not be very harmful, but if you recognize how easy it is to get wrong understandings by tradition, you may be more willing to accept any true teachings of the Holy Spirit that may be different than what you have been taught.
Have you heard sermons about the Holy Spirit coming down on 120 disciples in the upper room on the Day of Pentecost? Why do we say they were in the upper room? The Bible says they were “with one accord in one place” and a sound from heaven filled “the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1,2). This sound was heard by the multitudes who came together to see what had occurred. Did the disciples come down from the upper room to meet the crowds in the street? Why were the crowds near that section of Jerusalem instead of in the temple on the day of Pentecost? Is it not more likely that the disciples, being devout Jews, were meeting in the temple on this special day, as the multitude of devout men most likely were? Where do we get the idea that all 120 disciples were hiding away in the upper room in prayer until the day of Pentecost. The Scriptures only mentions the apostles, the women, Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers staying there (Acts 1:13,14). We find out that there were 120 believers during that time, but it does not state that they were all living in the upper room. How practical would that be? This traditional interpretation may fit our image of a group of fearful disciples hiding away until they received the promise of the Holy Spirit, but is it scriptural? Look how Luke describes this time in his Gospel. “Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” (Lu. 24:51-53). Luke says that they were “continually in the temple praising and blessing God”. We have this understanding that the disciples were being sought out by the leaders of the Jews, so they had to remain in hiding but is that the case? Having been disciples of Jesus was not a threat to the Jews until they began to preach about the resurrection. They did not do that until the day of Pentecost.
What does all this have to do with walking in the Spirit? There is a need in every believer’s life for the help of the Holy Spirit. What if we hold to some religious traditions that limit that help? I am a spirit being, with a soul, living in a physical body. I cannot walk in the Spirit without my soul and my body. The Holy Spirit gives me the ability to walk in the spirit rather than in the flesh. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit; it grows in me as I walk with Him. If the Holy Spirit has spiritual gifts to assist me in walking in the spirit, should I not seek to obtain them? The Scriptures say: “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1Cor. 14:1). In this epistle to the Corinthians, Paul is instructing the believers on the proper use of spiritual gifts for the edification of the church. While doing that, he does not negate the use of the gifts for personal edification. “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding.” (1Cor. 14:14,15).
If my spirit is willing to serve God but my flesh is weak, I want to do everything possible to let my spirit speak. One practice I have developed is to let my spirit speak directly to God in prayer. The ability to speak in an unknown tongue, which I received when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, makes this possible. “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” (1Cor. 14:2). When I pray in the spirit, I focus my mind on the Lord so that He will inspire my spirit to pray according to the will of God. This is very important. Praying in the spirit is most effective when I pray in faith under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I can be inspired by the Holy Spirit to pray with my understanding, but I can also be inspired by the Holy Spirit in my spirit. Actually, if I pray with my spirit and focus on the Lord as I do, then as I pray with my understanding, I find that I am interpreting what my spirit is praying. Praying by faith in an unknown tongue helps me to walk in the Spirit (See Jude 20).
Highway in the Wilderness 