Why is it Important to Walk in the Spirit?

In one paragraph

This was week two of Brian's series on walking in the spirit. After a quick recap of week one, he focused on a single question: why does it even matter to walk in the spirit? He worked through that question using Deuteronomy 13, Matthew 24, and John 15, with a lot of back-and-forth from the congregation along the way. Brian opened by pushing back on the idea that a person who has been a Christian...

Read together

1. Romans 8:5 those dominated by sinful nature think about sinful things, those walking in the spirit think about things that please the spirit
2. Galatians 5:16 let the Holy Spirit guide your lives and you won't do what your sinful nature craves
3. Galatians 5:17 sinful nature wants evil opposite of what the spirit wants, and the spirit gives desires opposite of sinful nature
4. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 false prophets who perform signs and miracles but lead people to worship other gods are a test of love for the lord
5. Matthew 24:11-13 many false prophets will appear and deceive many, sin will be rampant, love of many will grow cold, those who endure will be saved
6. 1 John 4:1-3 test the spirits to see if they are from god, every spirit acknowledging Jesus come in the flesh is from god
7. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 people will follow their own desires and seek teachers who tell them what their itching ears want to hear
8. Luke 6:47-49 those who come to Jesus and obey build on solid rock, those who hear but do not obey build without foundation and collapse when floods come
9. Proverbs 14:12 there is a way that seems right to man but leads to death
10. Jeremiah 17:9 the heart is wicked and deceitful above all else
11. John 15:5 apart from Jesus you can do nothing
12. John 6:63 the spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing
13. Hebrews 11:6 without faith it is impossible to please god
14. John 15:1-8 Jesus is the vine, the father is the gardener, branches that remain in him produce much fruit, apart from him you can do nothing

Talk about it

1. Brian used the image of a cyclist who hasn't downshifted before a steep hill to describe someone who thinks they're doing fine spiritually. Has there been a 'hill' in your own life where you realized the gear you'd been riding in wasn't enough? What did that feel like?
2. Brian said that things done out of the flesh, even religious or generous ones, will not count for reward, and that only what is done in the spirit will endure. How do you personally tell the difference between doing something out of your flesh and doing it out of the spirit?
3. Deuteronomy 13 describes a prophet who performs real signs and miracles but leads people away from God, and Brian said God allows this as a test. What does it look like practically to stop and ask 'Lord, is this of you?' rather than just going by what you see or feel?
4. Brian said the word in Luke 6 is 'when' the floods come, not 'if.' Where in your life right now are you aware that a storm could expose whether you've built on something solid or just on level ground?
5. Brian gave three reasons why walking in the spirit matters: you can't trust your flesh, your flesh cannot please God, and walking in the spirit is the sweet spot where there is no burnout. Which of those three landed hardest for you, and why?