Keep in step with the Spirit

Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. NIV

Keeping up with(hold the pace, don’t fall behind or get ahead) the Spirit

keeping in step could mean in harmony with or that we are all marching to the same drum beat)

The military has a certain marching command, it was instituted in long ago to minimize the force of a unified marching step on a bridge so as not to cause it to fall.

i. "Route step" - Individuals walk normally without being in step. Often used on long marches or when crossing a bridge to avoid creating harmonic rhythms.

ii. Side note: when we are in the same rhythm we can shake things when all doing our own thing, not harmony, no power, nothing is shaken.

Also it could be seen as out of balance, off course. Have you ever gotten sick for a long time and was not able to eat? Or had to work real long hours and was deprived of sleep? Maybe traveling for 24 – 48hrs? These are all conditions where we are out of balance, where we are the lack of one thing causes our whole system to function differently and we are we weakened.

We are not complete, all of creation is fallen. We have been deceived to think that physical comfort and health is the highest that we can attain to. All of creation is in a fallen state. There is so much more that we have not experienced, that we lack…

We constantly live below the original plan of God and therefore unless we keep up with the Holy Spirit we fall far behind very quickly.

Romans 8: 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. NIV

Frustration, a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs

20. For the Creation was subjected to frustration. The Greek word mataiotēti (“futility, frailty, purposelessness. This was not a voluntary subjection because the created world as such had no choice. Instead it was a decree of God, the sovereign Creator, who subjected it. (This probably refers to God, not, as some have suggested, to Adam.) And yet it was in hope, that is, in anticipation of a coming day when the “frustration” would be removed.

Message:v:20-21 Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead.

God limited and shut down the full capabilities of his creation for a purpose (Remember the tower of babel?) but he did it with a hope of a new day. Till then he has given us Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The spirit of God was given to us to help us in our weaknesses…

Weaknesses

Don’t know what to pray for.

I think this is not caused by a simple lack of knowledge, but also a lack of ability.

Ability to love enough to pray.

Sin – If we will walk in the spirit we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. In other words keep in step with the spirit.

If we don’t we will fall out of step, miss the mark, return to a state of frustration and purposelessness.

How many want the Holy Spirit’s leading in their lives?

Acts 3: 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, NIV