Dwight Fletcher | What is life in the Spirit?

Last week, we discussed God’s response to legalism. We saw in the scriptures that God does not endorse legalism, but has instead called us to live our lives with a dependence on the Holy Spirit. Today, we will begin to explore what this life in the Spirit looks like.

The Word of God says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16 NIVUK). This is one of the most fundamental doctrines of Christianity. How do we live to please God without taking on a legalistic mindset?

It is about surrendering daily to His Spirit and allowing God to have full control of our lives. It is being obedient to God, and it is sensing what He is saying and doing. It is being filled with Him. It is developing, fostering and maintaining a relationship with the Spirit of God. The bottom line is, it is drawing close to Him.

If this is so important to our Christian walk, how will living by the Spirit show up in our lives? This question does not have a simple answer, but we will look at some key pointers.

We first have to be deliberate to do what is necessary to grow in this area more and more each day as God expands His control of our lives. Paul instructs the believers in Colossians 3:1 (NIV) to “set your hearts on things above”. This points to our need for a decision of conviction to stick to the course, no matter what may come. Many times, a Christian’s walk is won or lost right there in the desires of the heart.

Success in the Christian walk requires conviction. There is a difference between a conviction and a preference. According to the US Supreme Court: A preference is a very strong belief, held with great strength. You can give your entire life in a full-time way to the service of the preference, and can also give your entire material wealth in the name of the belief. You can also want to teach this preference to your children, and the Supreme Court may still rule that it is a preference.

A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. Circumstances such as:

1) Peer pressure – if your beliefs are such that other people have to stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions,

2) Family pressure,

3) Lawsuits,

4) Jail, or,

5) Threat of death.

A conviction, however, is a belief that you will not change. Why? Because a person believes that their God requires it of them.

A conviction is not something that you discover; it is something that you purpose in your heart to live by. Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person’s lifestyle. (David C. Gibbs, Jr, Christian Law Association)

Life in the Spirit requires you to “… set your hearts on things above”, that is to set our hearts on this hidden resource – Jesus. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 (NIV). The Greek word ‘zēteō’ used for “set your heart” means: “… to seek in order to find, by thinking, meditating, reasoning; to inquire into …” ( Thayer’s Greek Lexicon) Paul was saying that the Colossians needed to seek out a deeper understanding of the master. They were not to be satisfied with just being saved.

God had already given them the desire to go further, and now they needed to act on it. Next week, we will look at some more practical ways of walking in the Spirit.