To “walk in the Spirit” is to maintain continual awareness of the risen Jesus. The first step toward Christian growth is awareness of the risen Jesus. The second is obedience to Him.
I love to maintain awareness of the living Jesus through out the day. It’s such an exciting way to live! Continual awareness of the risen Jesus is the most amazing experience of my life! These things help me maintain that awareness:
- Reading the Bible with an open heart awakens my awareness of the presence of Christ. I love how it connects me with Him!
- Praying with one or more people, in a free-flowing, heart-felt, Spirit-led way, makes me deeply aware of the risen Jesus.
- Singing worship songs from my heart, directly to the risen Jesus, intensifies my awareness of His presence.
- I continually try to avoid any thoughts, words, or behaviors that diminish my inner awareness of the living Jesus Christ.
- Obeying the Holy Spirit’s inner promptings (and asking for forgiveness when I disobey) makes Jesus more and more real to me!
- Praying in tongues through out the day makes me intensely aware of the living Jesus and His presence.
It requires training and effort to learn to keep your focus on the presence of Jesus, but it’s a wonderful habit to develop. Since Christ works inside of us, to be aware of Him, we must be aware of what He is saying and doing in our individual heart.
If you are unaware of the risen Jesus, you’ll fail to observe Him in action, even when He’s working in your own heart and life. However, when you becomes acutely aware of the presence of resurrected Jesus, everything changes for the better.
To grow in your awareness of the risen Jesus, is to experience ever increasing amazement, awe, and glory. To be unaware of the presence of the living Jesus, is to miss out on the reality of Immanuel, “God with us.”
When Christians meet to be aware of and focus on the presence of Jesus, God’s light shines within and among them. Without inner awareness of God, religion is just an outward form.
