by Charleine Fenn

Created on: December 30, 2008   Last Updated: June 11, 2010

To live in the spirit we must walk our every day life in the spirit. Some people may feel it is impossible or something that would simply be too difficult to achieve. In the book of Galatians chapter five, the Bible tells us, "Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." If we look into the Greek the word walk is the Greek word peripateo. This word appears ninety five times in the New Testament and it has a very clear meaning.

The word peripateo is a compound of the words peri and pateo. The word peri means around and suggests the idea of something that is encircling. The word pateo means to walk. It denotes the movement of the feet. It can be translated to walk, to step, to stride, or to tread. When the two words are compounded into one such as they are in Galatians 5:16, it means to habitually walk around in one general vicinity. Thus this word peripateo was often translated as the word "live."

This means that instead of being translated "walk in the spirit," the phrase could be translated "live in the Spirit." This is a good rendering of the word peripateo, for indeed it suggests a person who has walked in one region for so long that it has now become his environment, his place of daily activity, the sphere that encircles his existence. It could be best explained by thinking of a person who has walked one path so habitually that he would be able to walk that path blindfolded.

Why? Because it is his path, his sphere, the place where he has habitually lived and functioned. Like an elderly friend of mine once said, "It is better if I stay home, my eye sight is poor and even though I can't see too well, I know where everything is and I can still walk around in comfort and safety.

In secular literature of New Testament times the word often means to stroll. To stroll is a leisurely walk. A person who strolls is not an anxious, frustrated person who is fighting to do something or get somewhere; rather he is restful, relaxed, unhurried, peaceful and calm. This wonderfully describes what it should be like for us to walk in the Spirit or live in the Spirit. When a person walks and lives in the Spirit, the stress and anxieties of life are removed.

The person moves into a realm where he can stroll along in continual rest, peace and calmness. So make the path of the Spirit the place where you habitually live and walk. Become so comfortable on this Spiritual path that you learn to leisurely and peacefully stroll. Living your life in this Spiritual realm is the best way to guarantee that God's plan and intentions for your life will not be over ruled by the flesh or your own will.

Develop your own human spirit, do what you can to become more sensitive to the Spirit of God. When you become more spiritually sensitive, it will be easier for you to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. As you follow Christ and live to please the Lord, you will find that walking and living in the Spirit becomes a habit, so that the flesh will no longer have authority in your life. Seek the higher realm where you will experience the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Walking and living in the Holy Spirit always produces life!

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