What does it practically look like to walk in the Spirit? There is a short passage in Kenneth Berding’s book entitled Walking in the Spirit, in which he tries to imagine walking through a normal day in the Spirit. It gives us a simple sketch of following God in everyday life:
“Your alarm goes off, and the first thing you pray is: 'Lord, I want to walk with you during this day.' You pull your tired body off of the mattress with the prayer, 'I need your help even to get going today.' Your first spiritual action of the day is to tangibly express love to each member of your family using a hug, a touch, or a word of genuine care. You spend some time meditating on a section of Scripture and take a walk (or sit or kneel) for prayer where you cry out to God for his grace in the day ahead. You get into your car with the awareness that one of your weaknesses is the way you respond to bad drivers — slow, inconsiderate, idiotic(!) … but before your mind gets carried away you breathe a prayer for God’s grace to give you patience on the road. You forgive your boss (teacher, colleague, co-worker, brother) with the help of the Spirit as that so-very-difficult person once again says you-know-what to you. You suppress a word of gossip that is trying to creep from your heart toward your mouth and turn your eyes away from something you shouldn’t gaze upon. At some point during the day, you express a spontaneous moment of thanksgiving to God for the presence of his Spirit within you. You think about concrete ways you can serve your family during your drive home, and ask the Spirit to fill you with strength to live out your convictions even at the end of a long day. You end your day with thankfulness for the Spirit’s sustaining grace throughout the day that has just passed. I’ve heard it said that a person’s character is the sum total of a lot of little choices. Similarly, the Spiritual walk is the sum total of a lot of little steps taken in submission to God’s Holy Spirit.”[1]
Of course, each day following God is a unique adventure and holds unforeseen details. I simply hope you are encouraged to follow God today in your own life.
[1] This section was taken from pages 22-23 in Walking in the Spirit, Kenneth Berding.