Walking in Step with the Spirit: Finding True Transformation
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you realized, just a moment too late, that you've made the wrong decision? Perhaps it was an exam you didn't prepare for, a home improvement project you weren't qualified to tackle, or a path you shouldn't have taken. These moments of clarity often come when we're already knee-deep in the consequences of our choices.
Life has a way of teaching us that small decisions upstream can lead to radically different experiences downstream. The question is: where is the focus of our decision-making? Are we simply reacting to what we experience downstream in life? Or are we making intentional efforts to make better upstream decisions so that we experience a very different story as we progress?
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, addresses this very issue. He writes with urgency and concern to a church that had strayed from the true message of Christ. The Galatians had accepted the gospel but were struggling to live it out. They had fallen prey to the distorted teachings of a group called the Judaizers, who insisted that believing in Jesus was just the first step – to truly earn God's love and approval, one needed to follow a laundry list of religious rituals and restrictions.
This struggle isn't unique to the Galatians. Many of us, even after accepting Christ, feel like we're still missing something. We expect radical changes in our personal lives, relationships, or struggles with temptation. When these instant transformations don't materialize, we start questioning if something is lacking. We try to treat the symptoms, thinking that if we can just look more "Christian" or exercise enough self-control, we'll finally experience what God has for us.
But Paul addresses the root of the problem in Galatians 5:16-17: "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions."
The solution, Paul says, isn't about trying harder or looking holier. It's about being led by the power of God's Spirit. Instead of reacting to life as it happens, we need to begin responding to the Spirit.
But what does it mean to be empowered by the Spirit of God? To keep in step with Him? To pursue what He wants versus what we naturally want?
Years ago, my wife had the opportunity to go on a two-week trip to Israel. During the trip, she would serve as a representative for her university at a conference. While she was away, I decided to surprise her by repainting the entire interior of our home – a project we'd been planning for a while. I spent every free moment working on it, often staying up until 2 AM. I was not driven by obligation or a desire to earn more love from my wife. Instead, because I love her, I naturally wanted to do something that would make her happy.
This is the heart of what Paul is describing. Our behavior change should come not because we're trying to address our own flaws, but because as we fall more in love with Jesus and recognize what He's done for us, our motivations change. We naturally want to do what the Spirit wants because we recognize that it's only through Him that we experience the true life God desires for us.
Not everyone will understand this way of living. Some might see your sacrifices or choices as nonsensical. But while from the outside looking in, it doesn't make sense to deny yourself in these ways, the more you fall in love with Jesus, the more you realize it's not really a sacrifice at all.
Think about it: If you had to choose between freedom or bondage, a clear conscience or guilt, regret or joy – which would you choose? These are no-brainers. No one would choose the worst way of living. If following Jesus is the path towards living free from guilt, towards living with peace and joy that don't make sense in our circumstances, then it's not really a sacrifice to keep in step with where He's going.
So how do we move from simply accepting the forgiveness Jesus offers to living according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit? Paul's solution hinges on belief – belief in who God says He is and who He says you are.
Imagine how different life would be if you constantly kept in perspective that the God of the universe – the One who existed before time, light, earth, and matter – has not only forgiven you but chosen to call you His child. Even before we knew ourselves, He was already working to craft our lives, to instill in us talent, purpose, and intention that goes beyond what we could think or imagine.
If we keep this as our focus, it transforms not just how we see God, but how we see ourselves. Instead of saying, "I'm a product of my past," we can say, "Who I am is defined by who God says I am, by what Jesus has done on my behalf."
Paul puts it this way in Galatians 3:13-14, 26: "Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith... for you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
Regardless of your past decisions or current circumstances, today is a new day. God isn't surprised by your past, present, or future. It only makes sense to take that step of surrender, to say, "I want to keep in step with where the Spirit of God is moving."
Yes, it might look like sacrifice to other people. It might look like unconditional surrender that confuses them. But ultimately, what we're after is what our Heavenly Father wants for us. When we view our lives through the lens of Him being our creator and designer, who knows what we need most, suddenly that thing that looks like sacrifice isn't really sacrifice – it's just a smart decision. It's taking a step towards inviting Him to work in our lives in a more powerful way.
Whether you feel like you're chest-deep in water with a waterfall approaching, burdened by guilt, stress, disappointment, or loss – the amazing truth is that God hasn't abandoned you. He's called you His own. You can trust in your Heavenly Father even when you can't trust in yourself or the predictability of life.
Today, you can choose to take a fresh step of surrender. To say, "Wherever Your Spirit wants to lead, that's where I want to go." To begin operating not by the definitions of your past, but based on the definition that you are God's child. To walk in confidence, knowing that when you are weak, you can experience His strength. To trust in Him and experience what can happen when His Spirit guides your life.
This is the journey of keeping in step with the Spirit – a journey of transformation, freedom, and experiencing the true life God has for you.
Life has a way of teaching us that small decisions upstream can lead to radically different experiences downstream. The question is: where is the focus of our decision-making? Are we simply reacting to what we experience downstream in life? Or are we making intentional efforts to make better upstream decisions so that we experience a very different story as we progress?
The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, addresses this very issue. He writes with urgency and concern to a church that had strayed from the true message of Christ. The Galatians had accepted the gospel but were struggling to live it out. They had fallen prey to the distorted teachings of a group called the Judaizers, who insisted that believing in Jesus was just the first step – to truly earn God's love and approval, one needed to follow a laundry list of religious rituals and restrictions.
This struggle isn't unique to the Galatians. Many of us, even after accepting Christ, feel like we're still missing something. We expect radical changes in our personal lives, relationships, or struggles with temptation. When these instant transformations don't materialize, we start questioning if something is lacking. We try to treat the symptoms, thinking that if we can just look more "Christian" or exercise enough self-control, we'll finally experience what God has for us.
But Paul addresses the root of the problem in Galatians 5:16-17: "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions."
The solution, Paul says, isn't about trying harder or looking holier. It's about being led by the power of God's Spirit. Instead of reacting to life as it happens, we need to begin responding to the Spirit.
But what does it mean to be empowered by the Spirit of God? To keep in step with Him? To pursue what He wants versus what we naturally want?
Years ago, my wife had the opportunity to go on a two-week trip to Israel. During the trip, she would serve as a representative for her university at a conference. While she was away, I decided to surprise her by repainting the entire interior of our home – a project we'd been planning for a while. I spent every free moment working on it, often staying up until 2 AM. I was not driven by obligation or a desire to earn more love from my wife. Instead, because I love her, I naturally wanted to do something that would make her happy.
This is the heart of what Paul is describing. Our behavior change should come not because we're trying to address our own flaws, but because as we fall more in love with Jesus and recognize what He's done for us, our motivations change. We naturally want to do what the Spirit wants because we recognize that it's only through Him that we experience the true life God desires for us.
Not everyone will understand this way of living. Some might see your sacrifices or choices as nonsensical. But while from the outside looking in, it doesn't make sense to deny yourself in these ways, the more you fall in love with Jesus, the more you realize it's not really a sacrifice at all.
Think about it: If you had to choose between freedom or bondage, a clear conscience or guilt, regret or joy – which would you choose? These are no-brainers. No one would choose the worst way of living. If following Jesus is the path towards living free from guilt, towards living with peace and joy that don't make sense in our circumstances, then it's not really a sacrifice to keep in step with where He's going.
So how do we move from simply accepting the forgiveness Jesus offers to living according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit? Paul's solution hinges on belief – belief in who God says He is and who He says you are.
Imagine how different life would be if you constantly kept in perspective that the God of the universe – the One who existed before time, light, earth, and matter – has not only forgiven you but chosen to call you His child. Even before we knew ourselves, He was already working to craft our lives, to instill in us talent, purpose, and intention that goes beyond what we could think or imagine.
If we keep this as our focus, it transforms not just how we see God, but how we see ourselves. Instead of saying, "I'm a product of my past," we can say, "Who I am is defined by who God says I am, by what Jesus has done on my behalf."
Paul puts it this way in Galatians 3:13-14, 26: "Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith... for you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus."
Regardless of your past decisions or current circumstances, today is a new day. God isn't surprised by your past, present, or future. It only makes sense to take that step of surrender, to say, "I want to keep in step with where the Spirit of God is moving."
Yes, it might look like sacrifice to other people. It might look like unconditional surrender that confuses them. But ultimately, what we're after is what our Heavenly Father wants for us. When we view our lives through the lens of Him being our creator and designer, who knows what we need most, suddenly that thing that looks like sacrifice isn't really sacrifice – it's just a smart decision. It's taking a step towards inviting Him to work in our lives in a more powerful way.
Whether you feel like you're chest-deep in water with a waterfall approaching, burdened by guilt, stress, disappointment, or loss – the amazing truth is that God hasn't abandoned you. He's called you His own. You can trust in your Heavenly Father even when you can't trust in yourself or the predictability of life.
Today, you can choose to take a fresh step of surrender. To say, "Wherever Your Spirit wants to lead, that's where I want to go." To begin operating not by the definitions of your past, but based on the definition that you are God's child. To walk in confidence, knowing that when you are weak, you can experience His strength. To trust in Him and experience what can happen when His Spirit guides your life.
This is the journey of keeping in step with the Spirit – a journey of transformation, freedom, and experiencing the true life God has for you.
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