How to Walk in the Spirit

You were designed to be spiritual. You were created to walk in the spirit. Yet many people walk after the flesh. They make judgments based on what they hear, see, and understand, rather than listening to what their spirit is sensing the Lord is saying.

To be led by the Spirit is to live with our eyes fixed on the Lord. It’s looking to the Lord as our source and supply and asking, “What does God want? What does he say?” When we make this our habit, we are acting like mature sons of God.

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (Romans 8:14)

To follow the Spirit we need to sense the Spirit. How do we do that? The Bible provides numerous examples but in this article I will focus on just three ways we can sense the Spirit.

Troubled in the spirit

When Jesus had said this, he became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray me.” (John 13:21)

If you have ever known the stabbing pain of betrayal, you will know how Jesus felt when Judas betrayed him. The difference is that Jesus felt the sting of betrayal before he was betrayed.

His spirit was troubled because he knew what was coming.

To be troubled or agitated in your spirit is to know something is wrong even when everything appears normal.

Some might say “I felt a check in my spirit,” or “I was heading in a certain direction but stopped because something didn’t sit right inside.”

I have had many experiences like this, and I have learned that if your spirit is troubled or agitated, you need to pay attention. Especially if everything seems fine in the natural. If your spirit is sensing something is a little off, you would do well to heed it.

An example: Maybe you are considering an intern or job applicant who ticks all the boxes, but your spirit is troubled. Don’t hire them. Stop and pray. Ask the Lord to give you wisdom to know what to do.

Provoked in the spirit

Stronger than the feeling of being troubled is the sense of being provoked or distressed in our spirits.

Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. (Acts 17:16)

In every city Paul visited there were idols and temples. But when he came to Athens, his spirit reacted with anger. “The longer Paul waited in Athens, the angrier he got – all those idols!” reads the Message Bible.

Idol worship destroys those Jesus loves, and this affected Paul so deeply that he preached one of his most memorable sermons (see Acts 17:22–31).

It would be nice to hear God speak in a burning bush, as Moses did. But sometimes he gives us a burning heart. God help me if I don’t speak up. That’s what Paul experienced in Athens.

Sometimes you hear or see something that doesn’t trouble anyone but you. This isn’t right. Something must be done.

I’m not talking about something that just makes you emotional and upset, but if there is some situation that troubles your spirit, that is a sign of spiritual significance. You need to bring that to the Lord.

“No rest for my spirit”

Another sign that something is off is we feel no peace. When Paul said “I had no rest for my spirit” (2 Cor. 2:13), he was saying he had no peace. For the spirit-filled believer, a loss of peace is a sure sign that all is not well.

This is a lesson I learned the hard way.

While we were living in Hong Kong, I convinced Camilla that I should buy a Honda Shadow 750 motorcycle. “We’ll go cruising down the highway just like old times.”

Camilla has ridden with me many times, but on this occasion she was unsettled. “I don’t have a peace about it.”

I dismissed her concerns – “You’re being a wet blanket” – and bought the motorbike.

A week later, we were cruising down the highway and livin’ the dream when we were hit from behind by a boy racer going 100+ miles an hour. His car and my bike were smashed to bits, and Camilla and I were sent flying.

I picked myself off the concrete and saw Camilla’s motionless body lying in the middle lane. For a long moment I was struck with the fear that she was dead and I had killed her. Miraculously, we survived but it was weeks before either of us could walk again.

I should’ve listened to my wife, because, unlike me, she was listening to her spirit.

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For more stories and tips on how to walk in the spirit, check out my new book, Spirit, Soul & Body: How to Walk in the Spirit, available now on Patreon.

Read this article in Portuguese.