Walking By the Spirit

We know that when we come to Christ, our sins (past, present, and future) are paid for, and we are forgiven. However, we also know that the sin we are drawn to does not just go away from that point on. I want to talk about that. Today, we are looking at how the Holy Spirit helps us overcome sin. 

Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” 

In order to not gratify the desires of the flesh (sin), we must “walk by the Spirit.” What does walking by the Holy Spirit actually mean? It is a phrase we have probably heard before, but how do we do it? 

I work in IT. I write code all day. It is very easy to let your mind wander when it is just you and a computer screen. If you are not a programmer, you can imagine how boring it may be, and if you are a programmer, you have had moments where you have felt this. In the movie “The Social Network,” which is a movie about Mark Zuckerberg and the inception of Facebook, we see a solution to the temptation of being distracted while writing code. We see a few times in the movie someone who is “wired in,” as they call it. This means they take turns, and whoever is “wired in” has headphones on, blocking out the surrounding noise, and no one is allowed to interact or talk with them while they are working. They stay wired in for a certain amount of time and then rotate. This shows a commitment to be laser focused. While you are coding, that is what you are doing. You are not listening to the noise happening around you. 

When our flesh comes knocking, what becomes our focus? What do we “wire” into? We need a laser focus on Jesus. The role of the Holy Spirit is to point us to Jesus. If we are staring at Jesus, we are walking by the Spirit. 

However, this laser focus does not work if we only try it when temptation comes. We must develop a habit of choosing Jesus. We must read His Word. We must pray to Him. We must choose to seek Him in every area of our lives. When we do that, the laser focus in times of temptation becomes easier and more effective. Just like this small strategy turned Facebook from a small start-up to a company worth billions, our small, daily, and intentional steps lead us to become a strong soldier for Christ. It is in those quiet, intentional times that we grow closer to the Lord, which is the only way to defeat sin. 

The Holy Spirit helps us overcome sin, but we must allow Him the ability to work in our lives by choosing to “wire in” to Him. Plugging into Him is where we see His power in our lives.