Advancing Encouragement By:
Bishop James Jr. Hairston

Galatians: 5:25: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

This message is for every believer in Christ Jesus that needs encouragement to walk in the Spirit because I know at times we get beside ourselves and we walk out of the Spirit into the flesh. When we continue at all times to walk in the spirit we will be more peaceful, joyful, loving, kind, and happy people of God… There is a difference between living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. To live means to have life in the Spirit, we proclaim this life, we study about this life, we hear sermons about this life, we profess this life by saying I am a Christian and if you are a true Christian God have given you His Spirit! If so, then you should act like it and walk in the Spirit is what Paul is saying! In other words by looking at the text in Galatians 5 we have been set free from the yoke of bondage which is to make it plain ‘trying to live by the flesh’. You have the power and the anointing to be free to walk in the Spirit where there is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and temperance of heart, mind, body, spirit and soul, verses 22-24. When we walk this way we will attract these attributes of the Spirit in our lives as well. We should not live our lives unhappy, depressed, in anguish, in anxiety and anger. In addition, we should not attract those things in our lives as well or those kind of people who possess that life. People in this life will try to suck you in to live like that and to feel the way they feel yet, you do not have too by walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh, a conduit of the Holy Ghost that will empower you to reject the flesh. Not only that no matter what you did in the past if you have this life God has given you, there is no need to condemn yourself and beat your self up because of the sins of the past. It is written, Romans: 8:1: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. You are a wonderful, powerful, precious and mighty spiritual being in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 9) who no longer depend on the flesh and is no longer in condemnation because you are free to live and walk in the Spirit in Christ Jesus! Today my friend, you live and walk in the Spirit because of the life Christ Jesus gave you to be free from the bondage and woes of this world and no one can take that away from you in Jesus Name...

James Jr. Hairston