Have you ever heard the expression: “If the Shoe Fits, Wear It”? or “If the Shoe Fits, Buy It”? My favorite version is: “If the Shoe Fits, Buy It in Every Color.”
We had a ladies luncheon at our church and used a spin off this quote as our theme. It was, “If the Shoe Fits...Walk in the Spirit.” Experts say walking is one of the most healthy things you can do for your body. This is also true of your spirit. Walking in or being controlled by the Holy Spirit of God makes a Christian healthy. It makes us fruitful. It shows other people how a person can live—free from worry, depression, strife, and misery.
Today on the blog, we are emphasizing the Biblical truth about walking in the Holy Spirit. But what does it mean to “walk in the Spirit”?
The Bible defines this term by describing the differences between walking in the flesh (meaning being at our worst or acting in our old ways before we were saved) and walking in the Spirit (meaning we submit our will and allow God to control our words, thoughts, and actions). The Bible says it like this in Galatians 5:16, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Another verse says, “For we which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Walking in the Spirit means we are controlled by the Holy Spirit which gives us the supernatural power to do the things we could never do in ourselves, no matter how “good” or “self-controlled” we are. The Holy Spirit enables us to “love our enemies,” “turn the other cheek,” and act in “temperance, godliness, virtue” and so on. Being filled with the Spirit evens out our personality and makes us behave more like Christ.
Our pastor often says, “An unbeliever’s greatest need is to be saved. A believer’s greatest need is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Being filled with the Holy Spirit is probably my favorite topic to emphasize outside of salvation because it makes all the difference in a Christian’s life. This is especially true for a Christian woman because of the influence she has in the home whether as a wife, mother, or caregiver. Her role is of utmost importance. But why?
Out of the two genders of male and female, God chose to give the woman the charge to guide the home, to love her family, and to teach other women to do the same. He gave the female gender the genetics to bear a child, to nurse and to “mother” a child unlike a man is equipped to do. Just this biological difference alone should make us proud to be women. We are designed wonderfully and fearfully in the image of God. Females were entrusted to bring forth life and to care for those in need. Even if we are not able to bear children of our own, God has put within us the desire to care for our loved ones and to establish house and home. We women are the finishing touch of Creation!
It is from this worth, this eternal security, this origin that we gain the strength to be used of God. We are not bound to the “sins of the fathers.” We have the power to become vessels of righteousness and to be the very hands and feet of Jesus Christ on this earth. In Christ, you are beautiful. You matter! You have worth, Daughter of the King!
But we need to go one step further. Many times when we learn from God’s Word, we do not apply what we have learned or been convicted of. One of the main questions I want to answer each time I write or speak is: “How can I do these things?”
So how are we going to “walk in the Spirit”? First of all, we must see the important truth this next verse shows us. We see that walking in the Holy Spirit is a choice after salvation. It says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Living in the Spirit means we are saved. We live because Christ lives in us. But walking in the Spirit is an action...it is a choice to lay aside our rights and our “natural” reactions and to exchange them for the power of the Holy Spirit.
But how? We must pray and ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit so He can live and love through us. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.” Just like alcohol is a substance that controls a person’s behavior, so does the Holy Spirit. If we are filled with His power, our behavior will be controlled by Christ. It is a daily decision and at times even a minute by minute discipline where we yield the control of our spirit and allow the Holy Spirit by His supernatural power to work in our lives in spite of our failures, weaknesses, and personalities.
This is one of the greatest ways that others can see Christ. We become Christ to them. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” - Romans 8:9
But even Christian woman can “leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness.” - Proverbs 2:13
This is why we must establish a daily walk with the Lord through prayer and Bible reading. Here are some more verses we can claim when needing strength to continue walking the paths that God has for each of us:
“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” - Colossians 1:10
“How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” - Romans 10:15
“Stand therefore having...your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.”
Ephesians 6:14-15
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” - Psalm 37:23
“Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”
1 Peter 2:21
Learning to walk in the steps of Christ by applying God’s Word to our lives will help us to recognize what it means to “walk in the Spirit.” Daily prayer and surrender of our will enables the Holy Spirit to fill us so we will be controlled by His power. And we must always remember the importance of walking in the Spirit so others can see Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Are you walking in the Spirit or in the flesh? Evaluate how you respond to people or problems, especially when stressed, angry, tired or mistreated. Being a Spirit-filled Christian means God has the control over how you act and react. You respond as He would and treat others with unconditional love through supernatural power. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit each day and it will make all the difference in your world. Watch others take notice as they see Jesus in you!
“If the Shoe Fits (and it does for those who are saved)...Walk in the Spirit!”
"We will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever." - Micah 4:5