Life in the Spirit

What is life in the Spirit? Is it knowing salvation is of the Lord? Is it knowing that when we face temptation God provides us a way of escape or that our Lord walks with us thru the valleys? For me life in the Spirit is so much more than these. Don’t get me wrong, these are very important; in fact, they are necessary steps that lead to a life in the Spirit. Does life in the Spirit mean one will speak in tongues? Not necessarily, Billy Graham lives life in the Spirit and I do not think he ever claimed to speak in tongues. Is it working miracles? Yes, but not in the sense you’re thinking of right now. Mother Teresa was perhaps the most Spirit-filled person of the last couple of decades, and while she never laid hands on anyone to heal them, she was used by God to heal many. I would define life in the Spirit as a life that loves to do the will of God…a life that is not only transformed, but also transforms others…a life that is love. Here’s the problem with life in the Spirit…too many people settle for much, much less. Believers are satisfied with the hope of salvation, yet struggle with knowing they are saved. Followers settle for the mediocre, lacking the abundant life Christ promises. Some even accept the shackles of religion, missing out on the freedom Christ offers! In short, we stop our journey long before we have arrived. Wesley talked about ‘going on to perfection’ and too many have understood that as us being made perfect…I am of an opinion he was actually referring to us moving toward living life in the Spirit…the perfect Spirit of God. It doesn’t happen the day you profess Jesus as your Savior and Lord, when you are baptized, or become a member of some church. It comes by daily moving forward with the Spirit of God living in you…guiding you…loving thru you.