A Step by Step Guide to Walking in the Spirit

In one paragraph

This message was the fourth week in Tribe's series on walking in the spirit, and Brian focused on four practical steps for doing that in everyday life. He opened with an extended picture about the fishing pond at a church carnival, using it to frame how prayer and faith actually work together. The whole service had a conversational feel, with several people contributing from the floor. Brian...

Read together

1. Matthew 18:20 opening prayer, wherever two or more are gathered he is there
2. Philippians 4:6-8 worry about nothing, pray about everything, peace of God guards heart and mind
3. Ephesians 2:8 it is by faith you have been saved through grace, key principle of the kingdom
4. 2 Corinthians 13:14 grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, love of God, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all
5. Amos 3:3 how can two walk together unless they be in agreement
6. Romans 8:5 those dominated by sinful nature think sinful things, those controlled by Spirit think on things that please the Spirit
7. Galatians 5:16 let the Holy Spirit guide your lives and you won't do what your sinful nature craves
8. 1 John 1:9 those who confess their sin, God is faithful and just to purify and forgive
9. Psalm 119:11-16 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you
10. Psalm 116 read aloud in full, parallel tracks of hard circumstance and trust in the Lord
11. Isaiah 30:21 your ears will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way you should go
12. Matthew 6:16 Jesus says when you fast, not if, fasting as normal practice
13. James 3:3-5 small bit controls a horse, small rudder steers a ship, tongue makes grand speeches
14. Ephesians 6:18 pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion
15. 1 Corinthians 14:2 speaking in tongues you speak only to God, speaking mysteries by the Spirit, person is strengthened personally
16. Romans 8:26 Holy Spirit helps in weakness, prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words

What was said

• Pick one verse this week, write it on a card, carry it in your pocket, and read it every time you reach for your phone.
• When the Holy Spirit prompts you to do something small and ordinary this week, do it without reasoning your way out of it.
• Replace one worry that keeps coming back with a spoken prayer about it, out loud, every time it surfaces.
• Try a fast from one thing your flesh reaches for habitually, even for a single day, and notice what your spirit does with the space.
• Find a quiet moment this week, ask the Holy Spirit to pray through you, open your mouth, and just try it.

Talk about it

1. Brian described grace as God's 'supernatural enabling empowerment on your life to do what he's called you to do,' not just something given at salvation. How does that change the way you think about asking God for grace in everyday situations?
2. The fishing pond picture was used to show that faith is the line that connects our need to God's provision, and that we have to keep reeling even when nothing seems to be happening. Has there been a time when you nearly gave up reeling before the answer came, and what kept you going?
3. Brian said that obeying the Holy Spirit in small, seemingly trivial things is what trains you to recognize his voice when something big is on the line. What does that kind of small-scale obedience actually look like in your week?
4. Isaiah 30:21 says the voice comes from behind, which Brian connected to the fishing pond curtain and to following someone you cannot see. What makes it hard to follow a voice you cannot see, and what has helped you learn to trust it?
5. Brian described praying in the spirit as encrypted communication the enemy cannot understand, a way to strengthen your spirit man, and a way to pray in harmony with God's will when you have run out of words. Which of those three aspects is most meaningful to you right now, and why?