Life is full of twists and turns, and we are constantly faced with decisions that can either move us further into the will of God for our lives or farther away from it. In these last days, it is going to be imperative that we be able to hear God’s voice and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit every step of the way. In fact, I will go so far as to say that your very life could depend on it. Walking in the Spirit is the way God designed us to live as Believers. We possess recreated spirits that are infused with the life and wisdom of God. The Holy Spirit resides in our born again spirits, and when we renew our minds with the Word, we can begin to receive “downloaded” information from heaven that can lead us into a life of abundance, prosperity, protection, and peace.
The Word of God instructs us to “walk in the Spirit” in Galatians 5:16. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Walking in the Spirit is twofold. First, it means to walk according to the Word of God. Jesus said in John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Jesus’ words are spiritual because He is the Word of God. Therefore, when we walk according to the Word of God, we are walking “in the Spirit.” So we know that walking in the Spirit means walking according to the written Word of God.
The second aspect of walking in the Spirit is related to following the leadership of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and the Word says that He will lead and guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit only speaks what He hears the Father say, so when you become tuned into His voice and direction, you can be confident that you are going in the right direction. Living a Spirit-led life, every moment of every day, is the other component of walking in the Spirit. It is the fail-proof way to achieve victory and success in your day-to-day life.
Walking in the Spirit is not something the Lord casually asks us to do; we are charged to do it. We are not supposed to be led by our flesh, our unrenewed soul, or any other voice besides the voice of God’s Word. Many people cannot distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit and, consequently, they are not able to be led by Him. Recognizing the Holy Spirit’s voice comes from spending time in the Word. His voice will always be in agreement with what is written in the Bible. God’s methods of operation have not changed, which is why the Holy Spirit is never going to tell you to do something that violates the written Word of God.
Another way to sharpen your spiritual ears is to pray in the Spirit, or pray in tongues. Praying in tongues allows you to pray to God, spirit to Spirit. When you pray in your heavenly language, you are bypassing your soul (mind, will, and emotions) and communicating on the purest spiritual level possible. Praying in tongues makes your spirit more sensitive and allows you to tap into direct revelation from heaven. The Holy Spirit prays through you when you pray in tongues, interceding for people and situations you don’t even know about. This is a direct line of communication to the spiritual realm that always gets results.
Walking in the Spirit takes a commitment to choose God’s way of doing things over the way of the flesh. In fact, when we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It is God’s formula for overcoming the temptations and attacks of the enemy. Keeping ourselves immersed in the Word and praying frequently in the Holy Spirit are the sure-fire ways to maintain a Spirit-led existence.
Regardless of your level of spiritual development, you can always go to higher heights, and deeper depths in God. You can determine the intensity and acceleration of your growth by your commitment to God’s Word and your commitment to prayer. Walking in the Spirit liberates you from the desires of the carnal mind, and frees you to live a supernatural existence that’s in a constant state of going from glory to glory. Your life will never be the same!
Creflo Dollar is the founder and senior pastor of World Changers Church International (WCCI) in College Park, Georgia, which serves nearly 30,000 members; World Changers Church-New York, which hosts over 6,000 worshippers each week; and a host of satellite churches, located in Los Angeles, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Washington, D.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas and Houston, Texas; and Carrollton, Norcross, Macon, and Marietta, Georgia. As mandated by God, Creflo Dollar’s goal is to establish 500 satellite churches around the world. With 30 years in ministry, Creflo Dollar is committed to bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to people all over the world, literally changing the world one person at a time.