Keeping in Step with the Spirit
Keeping in Step with the Spirit
Have you ever been unsure about what God wanted you to do?
Despite the fact that I don’t really like being told what to do most of the time (Can anybody relate?), when it comes to following Jesus, I much prefer clear-cut directions over parables and general principles…
Why? Because faithfully applying parables and general principles to our specific lives and circumstances isn’t always simple, straightforward, or perhaps even possible apart from the guidance of the Spirit of Jesus!
But then again, I think that’s kind of the whole point—one of the reasons that Jesus taught us with parables and principles more than direct, specific-to-our-exact-circumstances instructions: so that, in order to live out His words, we’d have to do it with Him.
I woke up this morning with a dozen different tasks vying for my time and attention—several of them being important, worthwhile, as well as time-sensitive—all of them, collectively, demanding more time than I have at my disposal. So I have to make some decisions. Saying yes to one thing means saying no to another, at least for today.
I wish figuring out what to do was as simple as cracking open my Bible, reading a few verses about what God wants me to prioritize, and knowing exactly which task to pick first. Full disclosure, I did crack open my Bible a few minutes ago to try to figure this out, and was quickly met with the frustrating realization that the Bible doesn’t provide answers to every question. This morning, the Bible didn’t hold the answer to my specific question—just some basic principles to apply, nothing that gave me a clear path forward.
Yet the Psalms remind us that we are limited beings, and that there is wisdom in recognizing and accepting our state, and in simply seeking to bring glory to God through our work within our human limitations (Psalm 90).
James wrote that, if anyone lacks wisdom, we should both ask God for wisdom and believe that He’ll give it to us (James 1:5-8).
Jesus told us that He was going to send us His Spirit to guide us (John 16:13), and the Book of Acts recounts this promise being fulfilled at Pentecost (Acts 2), when the Spirit fell on the early Christians, evermore indwelling each person who puts their faith in Jesus. Paul later explained in his letter to the church of Galatia that those who have received life by the Spirit are to walk “in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). This means, the Spirit leads, and we follow.
That’s relational. That’s dependent. That’s not a list of do’s and don’ts and clear-cut directions. That’s “where?” and “what now?” and “how?” moment by moment.
This is the way of life that was demonstrated for us by the early Apostles, not to mention, how Jesus Himself lived here on earth (e.g., Matthew 4:1; Acts 8:26-40; Acts 13:1-4; Acts16:6-7).
I still don’t know for sure what I’m supposed to do with this particular day, with the limited time I have—what to say yes to, or where to start, or how much I can accomplish before the day’s end. But, I’m going to take this day one step at a time, with ongoing prayer.
Funny thing about keeping “in step with the Spirit” is that it will always be one step at a time.
As I take each step in faith today, I am resolving to remain ready and willing to change course as the Spirit leads. The planner in me hates this! (And no, this does not mean that planning is bad or sinful, by the way. Though a strong, biblical argument could be made that we should always hold our human plans in open hands. See Proverbs 16:9.)
On the other hand, the part of me that knows from past experience that doing life with God is way more fulfilling than executing a good plan on my own, is okay with moving forward without a solid plan.
Walking with Jesus step by step is better than knowing exactly what God wants us to do and simply doing it. Letting Him lead, and going together with Him, is different than just following His instructions. One is relational; one is religious. I’m learning this, and having to relearn it over and over again. Maybe you are as well…
As we live out our time here on earth, may the days we walked with God outnumber the days we simply tried to keep a list of rules He gave us!
Want to read more articles like this one? Subscribe today for free, and you’ll get blog posts and updates sent straight to your inbox, so you’ll never miss a thing!
