Benefits of walking in the Spirit
- Freedom from condemnation and law. Romans 8:1 says that those who are in Christ Jesus and walk according to the Spirit will have no condemnation in their lives.
- Freedom from “the body of death”, which is the flesh. Romans 7:24 says that Christ Jesus delivers from “this body of death” which the context suggests that this body of death is our flesh and its desires. Immediately after he says this, he explains walking in the Spirit in Romans chapter 8.
- Able to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, etc. (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Able to have a renewed mind. Walking in the Spirit is setting our minds on the things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5), which is the exact process that is required for us to renew our minds. [Related article: How to Walk/Live in the Spirit (Complete Guide)]
- Unbelief will be less prevalent in your life. When the disciples couldn’t heal a young boy and Jesus could, they asked Him why they couldn’t do it in Matthew 17:20-21. Jesus replied by first saying because of your unbelief, then after this, he explained to them that they need to consistently be in a place of fasting and prayer to rid unbelief in their lives. Fasting and prayer are activities that cause us to walk in the Spirit.
- Faith will grow. One of the fruits of the Spirit is faith (Galatians 5:22). Many people don’t know this because the translators translated pistis to “faithfulness”, but everywhere else in the Bible, it translates to faith.
- Walking in love becomes easier. The first fruit of the Spirit is love. The reason for this is to walk in the Spirit you have to be walking in a relationship with God, and God is love. So when we grow in knowing the God of love, loving people becomes easier.
- You will find good success. God told Joshua to meditate on the Word of God day and night then he will have success (Joshua 1:8). Meditating on the Word of God simply means to ponder over the word of God, this is an act of setting our minds on spiritual things, which is walking in the Spirit.
- You will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
- You will grow closer to God. Walking in the Spirit is the process of a relationship with God, for you cannot set your mind on the things of God without also knowing Him.
- You will be satisfied with long life. (1 Peter 3:10 and Psalm 91:16)
- You will have the fear of the Lord, thus producing wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)
- You will be filled with the Spirit. As you walk in the Spirit you will also be obeying Ephesians 5:18-20. You will be singing to the Lord and thanking Him which causes you to be filled with the Spirit. (Related article: Filled with the Spirit: Does it Happen Once or Multiple Times?)
- You will be edified in the Spirit because praying in tongues is an aspect of walking in the Spirit. (Related article: Praying in the Spirit: What it is & How to do it).
- You will grow in the knowledge of God which gives you access to God’s Power (2 Peter 1:1-3).
- The gifts of the Spirit will flow through you more often because as you walk in the Spirit, His manifestations will begin to happen through you. (1 Corinthians 12:7) (Related article: How to receive/activate the gifts of the Spirit).
- You and your family will have divine health because you will be dwelling in Him (Psalm 91:10). (Related article: Dwelling in the Secret Place: What it is & How to do it)
- Your prayers will be answered. (John 15:7)
- Every need of yours will be supplied because walking in the Spirit produces love (Galatians 5:22), which in turn produces giving (1 John 3:17), and giving produces God’s supply for our needs (Philippians 4:19).
- You will be transformed into the image of God. (2 Corinthians 3:18)
- You will release a fragrance of Christ’s presence everywhere that you go. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)
- You will have boldness to preach the Gospel. All the apostles and early disciples had boldness as they preached the Gospel (Acts 4:31). This was due to their consistent walk with Him and because of His power down inside of them.
- You will grow in the knowledge of the Bible. To walk in the Spirit is to set our minds on the things of the Spirit. The Bible is the most spiritual book out there. As you walk in the Spirit, you will read it and increase your knowledge of it.
- You will have a closer relationship with believers because love will begin to rule your conduct.
- You’ll have forgiveness for those who have wronged you so you will no longer carry the burden of unforgiveness. Since the first fruit of walking in the Spirit is love, you will have the desire to forgive those who have wronged you.
- You will be led by the Spirit of God to fulfill the calling of God on your life. Walking in the Spirit is used interchangeably with being led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18).
Consequences of NOT walking in the Spirit
Some consequences of not walking in the Spirit are the manifestations of the lusts of the flesh, which will cause their own consequences and issues in this life.
But more importantly than this, if you continue to not walk in the Spirit and instead fulfill the lusts of the flesh, there comes a point where your heart will grow so hard toward God that you will end up walking away, and you will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is mentioned in multiple passages of scripture.
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27).
I am not saying that you have to be perfect, but I am saying that you should not live in sin. A true Christian may stumble into sin every once in a while and then immediately repent and come back to the Father.
But someone who lives in sin consistently and is not in a relationship with God, but then claims to be a Christian, is in a very dangerous place. If this is you, turn away from your sin and come back to Jesus and learn to walk in the Spirit. (Related article: Living in the Spirit vs. Walking in the Spirit: What is the Difference?)
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