Walk!
Context and Charge:
Walk connotes action. A definition says: "move at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once." To walk is to not just sit down, with arms folded, waiting for some magical moment that will sort everything out. Walking is a deliberate action that may involve the use of limbs, a change of position or an advancement in current progress. It gets even more delicate, as it matters how and where you walk, as well as a purpose and destination behind the walking. In today's extract, the walking must be in the Spirit. There is a realm that the physical plane cannot fully comprehend or control, and there is a need for the help of the Spirit of God.
God makes it very clear in the Word he has inspired what his demands and expectations are from those who claim to know and follow Him. I note that a specific timeline is not stated here, and it means that this walking is not a weekly appointment or an occasional fling, but a daily and regular session. It is not something you switch on and off at will, used only when there is a need, but it is a pursuit of God borne out of a hunger for all that God is. You won't consistently seek after something if you did not know its value. You do not walk on some days and then destroy the gains you have made on other days. I keep walking, because I know the One who commanded, and who will help me arrive safely.
Conviction and Conclusion:
It is the understanding of who the Spirit is that will define how well I walk IN Him. It is IN Him I must walk, not by my own intellect, information or insight. The world's system is too complex for me not to seek divine help on how to successfully navigate it. I also note that both statements in today's verse are very true, but only one can be true at any single time in my life. I cannot walk in the Spirit, and at the same time, seek to fulfil the lust of the flesh. Both are parallel lines that can never meet, no matter how far or long you draw them. You cannot be led by the Spirit of God and still have a strong desire to live for yourself alone. The Spirit of God takes away all those evil desires.
If you want to live to please the flesh, you do not need the help of the Spirit. God will not abandon you, but He does not condone sin, as He cannot behold iniquity. I must remember that fulfilling the lust of the flesh is also a kind of walk. Both of these walks have eternal destinations, which are not the same place. If I am able to walk in the Spirit, then I have strength to walk away from the flesh. God has made known what His perfect will is, and also disclosed what lies at the end of his perfect will. I will not blame God for the consequences of my actions or decisions. God's time of favour is here.
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