Are We Living by The Spirit?

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please… Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:16-17,24-26 NASB1995)

The whole purpose of Jesus dying on that cross, putting our sins to death with him, and being resurrected from the dead, was so that, by God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, we might now die to sin and live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, for the glory and praise of God, and in the power of God, as led by the Spirit, and not in our own flesh. Sin is to no longer have mastery over our lives, but Jesus Christ is now to be Lord and Master of our lives, as we submit to him.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

So, what should that look like to “walk by the Spirit”? And to “live by the Spirit”? Certainly it involves daily denying self, putting sin to death, by the Spirit, and walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. But it isn’t all just about putting sin to death and obeying God’s commands. It is also about answering God’s call upon our lives to go where he sends us, and to say what he commands, and to do what he has gifted and called us to do as members of his body, the body of Christ. It is about ministering to others.

For Jesus Christ did not give his life up for us on that cross just to save us out of our bondage to sin and to promise us eternity with God when we die. He gave his life up for us to change us and to conform us to the likeness of himself and to make us into the people of God fit for his service. Our lives are no longer to be our own to be lived for our own purposes, but our lives are to be surrendered to the will of God for his purposes. And he has something very specific that he has for each one of us to do in this life.

Our callings from God, although the same in some respects, are also very different from one another. For although we may have similar gifts of the Spirit, we won’t all be the same body parts, and we may not all use our gifts in all the same ways. For God made us all different, and he uniquely designed each one of us specifically as he had planned for our lives. And so we are not all going to fit into some organized standard created by other humans as to how our body parts are to operate within the church.

And let me give you an example of this. I was on a Christian discussion site a few years back where there were these two women who opposed me on a regular basis. One of their criticisms was that I had songs posted at the end of most all of the writings given me by the Lord. They felt that wasn’t biblical for some reason. For it just didn’t fit with what they were used to. But the Scriptures instruct us Christians to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.

[Ephesians 5:15-21; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25]

So, in 2004, the Lord called me to write down what I am learning from him during my times spent with him in the word each day and to post these writings on the internet so that a herald could “run with it” (the name of my blog). In 2011 he started me writing simple songs of faith. In 2018 he started me writing poems. And in 2020 he started me making video talks. And these he has me post on the internet on various sites on a daily basis. This is my calling from God, which may not be the same as everyone else.

Your calling of God may be something similar as mine, or it may be something completely different from the calling of God on my life. And that’s good that we are not all the same. But all of us should share one common denominator, and that is that we are being led by the Spirit, and that we are walking by the Spirit, and that we are living by the Spirit and no longer according to our sinful flesh. And what we are doing should be in line with the Spirit and with the Scriptures and it should not be against the Scriptures.

[Acts 2:14-18,42-47; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

Fully Ready!  

Based off Acts 20-22,26; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8

An Original Work / June 19, 2013

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?

I’m fully ready to suffer for Christ.

If I must die for the sake of His name,

I am convinced it will not be in vain.

Glory to God and to His Son Jesus,

Who has redeemed us; bought with His blood.

May I speak to you? Jesus came to me;

Asked of me, “Why do you persecute me?”

He said, “Now get up and stand on your feet.

Go, and you’ll be told all I have for you.

I have appointed you as a servant,

And as a witness; you have been sent.”

“Go into the world and preach the gospel.

Open the blind eyes. They will receive sight.

Turn them from darkness to the light of Christ;

From power of the evil one to God,

So they may receive forgiveness of sins,

And a place among those who’re in heav’n.”

https://vimeo.com/115439432

Are We Living by The Spirit?

An Original Work / March 19, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love