S204P4 – Our spiritual fuel: the Holy Spirit
Gal. 5:22-25
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
He had been a lifetime woodsman and hiker, and he always expected his treks to be rather uneventful. Even though he was on a new journey on a new mountain, he had full confidence in his abilities to make his way with ease. After some time, he realized that he must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. The natural signs he expected to see were not there, and he was walking with no direction. Being in an unfamiliar place with no point of reference, he had to get creative. Knowing the points in the compass did not help if he did not know where he was. He waited and listened. Eventually, he located someone who knew the way. It took longer than expected, but waiting for and following someone who knew the way was the only option for him.
God has a route in place for us to follow so that we can get from where we are now to where He wants us to be. We do not all have the same route, although there are distinct similarities between our paths. We are all founded in Jesus Christ, and we are all working toward fulfilling God’s will for us. Our individual steps, however, can be very different. In order for me or you to know where those steps are and where they should lead us, we must rely on the direction of the Holy Spirit. We must walk in step with him so that our paths are as God has intended. When we see evidence that we are on the right path and walking in the right direction, that becomes fuel for our spirit as it encourages us to continue. It also is fuel for those who see the evidence of a Godly life through us.
Walking in step with the Spirit indicates partnership. It is not merely a matter of following the Holy Spirit, but it is also a matter of cooperating with him. We are going in a specific direction, and we are doing specific things. God’s will can be specific as well as general. We all know that He wants us to do things like obey his commands and love one another, but He also has distinct things for each individual to accomplish. As we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we will be fueled for accomplishing the things God has before us that we could not possibly accomplish on our own. Father, thank You for providing your Holy Spirit to show us the steps we should take, and make us sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting that we would remain on the right path.