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                          Walking in the Spirit!

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By David Wilkerson
December 30, 1991
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          The apostle Paul said, "Walk in the Spirit, and ye
          shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians
          5:16). He also said, "If we live in the Spirit, let us
          also walk in the Spirit (verse 25).

          As Christians, we have heard this phrase throughout our
          lives: "Walk in the Spirit." Many believers tell me
          they walk in the Spirit - yet they cannot tell me what
          that truly means. Now, let me ask you: Do you walk and
          live in the Spirit? And what does that mean to you?

          I doubt there are many of us who have even the faintest
          notion of what the Spirit-walk is all about. It remains
          a vague concept to many Christians, including
          ministers. But Paul makes clear how important it is to
          live and walk in the Spirit.

          I believe "walking in the Spirit" can be defined in one
          sentence:

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                Walking in the Spirit Is Simply Allowing the
             Holy Spirit to Do in Us What God Sent Him to Do.

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          I believe you can't allow Him to do that work until you
          understand why God sent the Holy Spirit.

          Jesus said of the Father, "He shall give you another
          Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even
          the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive,
          because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye
          know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in
          you" (John 14:16-17).

          The Holy Ghost has been sent down to us from the Father
          to accomplish one (and only one) eternal purpose. And
          unless we understand His mission and work in us, we
          will make one of two mistakes:

          One, we will settle for a small portion of His work -
          such as a few of the spiritual gifts - mistakenly
          thinking this is all of Him and missing the grand work
          of His eternal purpose in our life. Or, two, we will
          quench the Spirit within us and ignore Him completely,
          believing He's mysterious and that His presence is
          something we must take by faith and never understand.

          The sad truth is that the church is often guilty of
          both of these grave mistakes! We become satisfied that
          His work in us is merely to give us one or two of His
          gifts. We think, "I must be walking in the Spirit,
          because His gifts operate in me." Yet we can operate in
          the gifts without walking in the Spirit. Paul says we
          can prophesy, heal and speak with tongues - but if we
          do not have love, we are nothing. We are not operating
          in the Spirit!

          Many Christians today are convinced they are walking in
          the Spirit simply because they pray in tongues. They
          reason, "How could I pray in tongues and not be walking
          in the Spirit?" But praying in tongues is not
          necessarily praying in the Spirit. Many who desire to
          pray in the Spirit immediately launch out in tongues -
          and yet their minds are totally elsewhere!

          The Bible says if you're speaking in tongues, your
          understanding is not fruitful. If we speak with
          tongues, let us also pray with our understanding.
          Praying in the Spirit can include praying in tongues -
          but it is so much more then that!

          How many believers have been stunted in their spiritual
          growth because they focused on one or two particular
          gifts of the Spirit, yet went no further? They were
          somehow convinced that the Holy Spirit's only work was
          to hand out gifts!

          Yet many other Christians experience the second
          mistake: The Holy Spirit is quenched inside them -
          seldom acknowledged, rarely consulted, and unable to do
          in them what God sent Him to do!

          We acknowledge the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross,
          and we believe He abides in us and we know His
          presence. But we do not acknowledge the work and
          ministry of the Holy Spirit within us. I ask you - do
          you talk to the Holy Spirit as you do Jesus? Do you
          acknowledge Him daily?

          I admit, this has been a problem for me. I had an
          experience recently in which the Holy Spirit spoke to
          me in my prayer closet. He said, "David, acknowledge
          Me. Don't keep Me in some dark corner of your mind and
          heart. Acknowledge that I am manifesting Myself to you
          right now!"

          A time must come when you get serious about why the
          Holy Spirit has been given to you. You must be able to
          say, "Holy Spirit, the Bible says You were sent to me
          as a gift from my heavenly Father. The Word says You
          live in me. Tell me - why have You come? What is Your
          eternal purpose? What are You trying to accomplish in
          me?"

                     ---------------------------------

                   The Eternal Purpose of The Holy Spirit
                 In Us Is To Bring Us Home to Jesus Christ
                      as His Eternal, Spotless Bride.

                     ---------------------------------

          The Holy Spirit has come to dwell in you and me to
          seal, sanctify, empower and prepare us - all for the He
          has been sent into our world to prepare a bride for
          marriage to Christ!

          An Old Testament type of this relationship between
          believers and the Holy Spirit is found in Genesis 24.
          Abraham sent his eldest servant Eliezer to find a bride
          for his son Isaac. Eliezer's name means "mighty, divine
          helper" - a type of the Holy Spirit And just as surely
          as this mighty helper came back with Rebekah to present
          her as a bride to Isaac, likewise the Holy Spirit will
          not fail to bring back a bride for our Lord Jesus
          Christ

          God chose Rebekah as a bride for Isaac - and the Lord
          led Eliezer right to her. The servant's entire mission
          and purpose was focused on one thing: to bring Rebekah
          to lsaac - to get her to leave all she had, and to be
          enamored of Isaac and espoused to him Rebekah's parents
          said to Eliezer, "This is from the Lord. Take her and
          go - let her be the master's son's wife" (see Genesis
          24:50-51).

          And, beloved, so it is with you and me! God chose us to
          be His bride. Our salvation - our being chosen for
          Christ - was done by the Lord. He sent the Holy Spirit
          to lead us to Jesus -and if we trust Him, the Spirit
          will bring us safely home as Christ's eternal bride!

          Don't think for a moment you chose Christ first. You
          were a stranger, an alien - and God chose you. "Ye have
          not chosen me, but I have chosen you" John 15:16). 'But
          I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world
          hateth you" (verse 19). "He hath chosen us in him
          before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 14) "God
          hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
          sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth"
          (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

          Moses told Israel they were a special, chosen people:
          "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; the
          Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people
          unto himself, above all people that are upon the face
          of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6).

          Oh, how the lsraelites loved this message! They loved
          being chosen, being special in God's eyes But they
          wanted to enjoy the benefits of this without taking on
          the obligation and discipline of becoming worthy of
          their Master!

          You see, Eliezer had told Rebekah, "You've been chosen.
          Now I will bless you with many blessings!" And Rebekah
          put on the gold bracelets and earrings, jewels, silver
          and expensive clothes he'd provided for her. Then
          Eliezer said, "Come, go with me!"

          Yet suppose Rebekah had answered, "Thank you for
          choosing me, and for all these blessings. But I can't
          go now - I'm enjoying my present place too much!"

          I ask you, don't we respond the same way? We take all
          the blessings - all the gold and silver - and we accept
          the "chosenness." But there comes a time when we must
          get up and go! We have to go with our Eliezer, the Holy
          Ghost. He tells us, "I have a divine purpose. I came
          with a mission from God - and I'm going to complete
          it!" And just as Eliezer came home with a bride for
          Isaac, the Holy Spirit will not come back empty-handed.

          The nation of Israel never got up and followed the
          Lord's leading to the Promised Land. They never
          followed the Spirit at all costs. They continued in
          stubborn rebellion, backsliding, spiritual harlotry and
          idolatry. They were chosen, but not cleansed! They were
          special, but they never separated themselves unto Him.
          And when it was time to go into Canaan, they were not
          ready. Instead, they were turned aside, having learned
          nothing in the wilderness. They were as backslidden as
          they had been at the beginning. What a tragedy! Forty
          years of no growth - of only living for self!

          This is truly a picture of modern-day Christianity. We
          gloat in being chosen and called of God, but we do not
          want the discipline of the Holy Ghost to prepare us for
          the holiness of the bridehood. We take all His
          blessings, His gold and silver and His great provision.
          But when the Holy Spirit says, "Let's get up and go,
          it's time to get prepared as a bride for the Master" -
          then it's a different story!

          If you were to tell me you are saved, that you are
          chosen in Christ and that you love Him, I would have to
          ask: "Do you have a 'Rebekah heart'? Is Jesus the Lover
          of your soul? Is your love for Him growing and
          consuming your heart?" Rebekah was asked, "Wilt thou go
          with this man? And she said, I will go" (Genesis
          24:58).

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                   Everything the Holy Spirit Does in Us
                        Is Related to His Mission.

                     ---------------------------------

          The Holy Spirit does not perform His work in us in some
          disjointed, haphazard way. He doesn't exist simply to
          help us cope with life, to get us through crises and to
          see us through lonely nights. He isn't there just to
          pick us up and pump in a little more strength before
          putting us back into the race.

          No, everything the Holy Ghost does is related to His
          reason for coming - to bring us home as a prepared
          bride. And He acts only in keeping with that mission!
          Yes, He is our Guide, our Comforter, our Strength in
          time of need. But He uses every act of deliverance -
          every touch, every manifestation of Himself in us - to
          make us more suitable as a bride.

          Neither is the Holy Ghost here just to give gifts to
          the world. No, His every gift has a purpose behind it.
          If you prophesy, that prophecy has one purpose: to
          glorify Christ and to make the world and His church
          fall in love with Him! Every time some one is healed,
          the Holy Ghost is saying, " Take a look. That's your
          Jesus! Isn't He wonderful? He is healing - and you're
          just seeing the manifestation of who He is!"

          Those gifts are our Eliezer, saying, "Do you love Him?
          Look at what He's done for you!" Everything He does
          points to Jesus, for the Spirit "shall not speak of
          himself" (John 16:13). "But when the Comforter is come,
          whom I will send unto you from the Father... he shall
          testify of me" (John 15:26).

          The Holy Spirit has only one message; everything He
          teaches leads to one, central truth. He may shine in us
          like a many-splendored jewel, but every ray of truth is
          meant to bring us to a single truth, and it is this:

          "You are not your own - you have been bought with a
          price. You have been chosen to be espoused to Christ.
          And I, the Spirit of God, have been sent to reveal to
          you the truth that will set you free from all other
          loves. My truth will break every bondage to sin and
          deal with all unbelief. For you are not of this world;
          you are headed for a glorious meeting with your
          espoused and are being readied for His marriage supper.
          All things are now ready and I am preparing you! I want
          to present you spotless, with a passionate love in your
          heart for Him."

          That's the work of the Holy Spirit - to manifest Jesus
          to the church, so that we will fall in love with Him.
          And that love will keep us! The Bible says if you walk
          in that kind of spirit, you'll not fulfill the lusts of
          the flesh. Why? Because the Spirit is enamoring your
          heart to Christ. The Holy Spirit comes to open Jesus to
          us - to show us the beauty of His holiness.

          We talk a lot about Holy-Ghost guidance. We cry out,
          "Lead me, Lord. Show me the way to go." Yet we do not
          yield to His guidance! Instead, we spend our time
          trying to decide, "Did I hear the right voice? Or did I
          miss it? Was it just my flesh? Why didn't it work out
          the way I thought it should?" We become so concerned
          about "getting it right" that we end up not trusting
          the Holy Ghost at all! We do not believe He abides in
          us, that He has an eternal purpose, that if we'll just
          yield to Him, He'll guide us into God's plan.

          I ask you: Why are the manifestations and gifts of the
          Spirit given? Paul said it was for our profit: "But the
          manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to
          profit withal [with the rest]" (1 Corinthians 12:7).
          The gift of wisdom has nothing to do with the wisdom of
          this world. Rather, it is wisdom in the things of
          Christ. Faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning
          of spirits, tongues, interpretations - what is the
          profit of these gifts "withal"? It is to bring us to
          Christ as a bride!

          Everything He does aims in that direction - and
          although we may forget this, the Holy Spirit never
          does. Not one of these gifts has any meaning whatsoever
          if it is separated from the Holy Spirit's eternal
          purpose. Instead, it becomes only a "clanging cymbal."
          The operation of spiritual gifts have meaning only as
          they conform us to the likeness of Jesus Christ!

          Have you ever been to a miracle or healing meeting? Did
          what you see humble you? Did it show you the "exceeding
          sinfulness of sin"? Did it flood your soul with love
          for Jesus? Did it make you long for His return? If not,
          then the Holy Spirit was not present - because that is
          His work!

          His purpose is to draw the bride nearer to the
          Bridegroom. And if that didn't happen, then what you
          saw was of the flesh!

          The Holy Ghost does not come to entertain, to provide
          signs and wonders and miracles just to thrill us or
          make us feel good. No, every one of His workings has
          this divine purpose: "I'm preparing a bride."

          The work, ministry and mission of the Holy Spirit is
          singular: It is to wean us from this world... to create
          a longing in us for Jesus's soon appearance... to
          convict us of everything that would blemish us... to
          turn our eyes away from everything but Jesus... to
          adorn us with the ornaments of a passionate desire to
          be with Him as His bride!

          The Holy Spirit must grieve as He beholds pastors and
          evangelists today turning His ministry into a circus.
          The Spirit cannot bear the manipulations and fleshy
          showmanship, all done in His name! I couldn't begin to
          explain to you some of the recent gimmicks I've heard
          about that are used to try to create a sense of His
          presence. How grievous that must be to God's heart. And
          it is blasphemy against the Spirit of God!

          In every healing, prophecy and manifestation of God's
          glory in His house, the Holy Spirit is at work, saying
          to us, "This is the love of your espoused - this is
          what He is like. Isn't He wonderful? Isn't He kind,
          gentle, considerate, merciful? Yet you're seeing only a
          glimpse of Him to whom I lead you!"

          If the Holy Spirit is at work in a church, then every
          song, every word of praise, every note of every
          instrument are all given unction by the Spirit to exalt
          Christ. The Spirit is doing what He has been called to
          do - presenting us to our Bridegroom in all His glory
          and majesty.

          Now let me show you one of the most glorious works of
          the Holy Spirit:

                      -------------------------------

                       The Holy Spirit Has Been Sent
                     To Give Us a Foretaste of Christ!

                      -------------------------------

          A foretaste is an advance taste or realization. The
          Bible calls it an earnest - "the earnest of our
          inheritance" (Ephesians 1:14). It means to bring a
          taste of the whole before we have the whole. Our
          inheritance is Christ Himself - and the Holy Spirit
          brings us into His very presence as a foretaste of
          being received as His bride, enjoying everlasting love
          and communion with Him.

          Paul describes a people of God who are "sealed with
          that holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13). This speaks of a
          people specially marked by a work of the Spirit. The
          Holy Spirit has produced in them a distinguishing mark,
          a glorious inner work - something supernatural that has
          changed them forever.

          They are not ordinary believers anymore. They are no
          longer "of this world," since they have set their
          affections on things above, not on the things of this
          earth. They are not moved by the world's events;
          rather, they are unshakable. They are no longer
          lukewarm or halfhearted. Instead, their hearts cry out
          night and day, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus...."

          What happened to change them? What did the Holy Spirit
          do in these believers? What marked and sealed them
          forever as the Lord's possession? Simply this: The Holy
          Ghost gave them a foretaste of the glory of His
          presence! He came to them, rolled back heaven - and
          they experienced a supernatural manifestation of His
          exceeding greatness!

          This is why it is so necessary that God's house be holy
          - why our hearts and hands must be clean, why we can
          have nothing in us to hinder the Spirit's work. It is
          because the Spirit of God delights in pulling back the
          veil, to give us a foretaste of what is coming!

          Right now the Holy Spirit is opening the eyes of His
          chosen ones - "the eyes of your understanding being
          enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18). The Holy Spirit comes to
          a church that wants Him and is praying... to shepherds
          who are broken before God... to believers who have no
          concern other than to see the body of Christ conformed
          to the image of heaven.

          God is sealing such people right now! You can go to
          meetings where Jesus is so real that you taste a little
          bit of heaven in your soul. You come away with such a
          sense of eternal reality that your problems no longer
          bother you, the lapsing economy doesn't shake you, and
          you're especially not afraid of the devil. God puts a
          holy fire in your soul, and you say, "This is
          supernatural. This isn't me - this is God's Spirit
          working in me!"

          He gives us "a little heaven" to go to heaven with - a
          whetting of our appetite. He opens the windows of
          heaven and lets us look into the glory that will be
          ours. We get a taste of His holiness, His peace, His
          rest, His love - and we are forever spoiled for this
          earth, because we yearn for the fullness of what we
          have tasted!

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                     The Spirit's Mission Is Not
                     Complete Until He Creates In
                   Us a Passionate, Ever-Increasing
                         Yearning For Christ!

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          What kind of bride do you think the Spirit will present
          to Jesus Christ on that day of Revelation? One who is
          halfhearted? Whose love is lukewarm, or cold? Who is
          not devoted to Jesus? Who does not want intimacy with
          Christ?

          If you truly love Jesus, He's never out of your mind.
          He is present in your every waking moment. Some
          Christians think, "That will happen after I die. When I
          get to heaven, everything will change. I'll become the
          special bride of the Lord then." No, dying doesn't
          sanctify anybody! The Holy Ghost is here today, He's
          alive and working in you - to produce in you a
          passionate love for Christ on this side of death!

          Romans 8:26 describes one of the most powerful works of
          the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer: "Likewise
          the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know
          not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
          itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which
          cannot be uttered."

          What is this groaning of the Holy Spirit deep inside
          the heart? What is this emotion that is so profound
          there are no words to express it?

          The Hebrew word used for groaning means a yearning - a
          longing for more of Christ. You can yearn after Jesus
          so much that you sit in His presence and nothing comes
          out but a deep groaning - something that cannot be
          uttered. It says, "Jesus, You're the only happiness
          there is in this world. I've tasted and seen that
          You're good - and I want all of You."

          This is the deep, inner cry of someone who hungers for
          holiness and is anguished over his iniquities. Yet he
          admits, "I don't know how to pray. I don't know what to
          pray for, or as I should." His heart's cry is: "Holy
          Spirit, come! You know the mind of God. You know how to
          pray according to the will of the Father. Walk with me
          - take control!"

          This is the mark of one who is walking in the Spirit:
          He has an insatiable appetite for Jesus. Yet it's not
          just because he's sick of all the garbage he sees in
          the world -all the filth, crime, drugs and
          unemployment. No, rather, it's something very positive.
          Like Paul, he's just anxious to depart and be with the
          Lord!

          This person is being moved upon by the Spirit to go
          after Christ with such passion and emotion that He is
          overwhelmed. His heart so longs for Christ, no words
          can express his hunger and love. It is a marvelous,
          powerful experience - yet it is also painful, because
          he cannot yet come into the fullness that awaits him!

          Sadly, few today have this passionate groaning after
          Christ. There is no hungering or thirsting, and so
          little passion. Each Sunday churches are packed with
          Christians who never question or examine their love for
          Christ!

          But the Holy Ghost has found His people! They're
          allowing the Spirit to take control. They're beginning
          to yield to Him - and the more they do, the more His
          inner groaning comes forth.

          Dear saint, what has happened in your life since you
          got saved? Are you just going through the motions? Are
          you lukewarm? Are you afraid to get "on fire" for the
          Lord because you'll be considered a fanatic?

          Ask the Holy Ghost to so reveal Christ to your heart
          that you'll be totally weaned from this world. That's
          what happened to Abraham. He said, "I'm only passing
          through here." He was looking for a city whose builder
          and maker was God. He had a vision, and his eyes were
          opened to eternity.

          Can you say right now you're ready to go be with Him,
          that you want Him more than your very life? You may say
          that often - but do you mean it when you sing, "He's
          more than life to me"? Are you more passionately in
          love with Jesus than when you first met Him?

          Right now, the Holy Spirit is poking at the dying
          embers of your love. It is because He is desirous of
          setting your heart on fire. Are you allowing the Spirit
          of God to convict you of sin and unbelief? If so,
          rejoice! He wants you to be cleansed from every spot or
          wrinkle on that day when you meet your Bridegroom!

          So yield to His leading. Let Him do His work in you
          completely - and you truly will know what it means to
          walk in the Spirit!

          ---
          Used with permission granted by World Challenge, P. O.
          Box 260, Lindale, TX 75771 USA.

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