How to Know If You Are Walking in the Spirit: 5 Ways
Have you ever wondered how to know if you are walking in the Spirit? Maybe you want to be used by God and live for his honor, but you wonder if you are making a difference.
Today, we’ll talk about how to know you’re walking in the Spirit and explore practical ways to stay in step with the Holy Spirit.
First, I’ll offer an everyday example of choosing between walking in the Spirit and walking in the flesh. Then, we’ll look at five ways to walk in the Spirit.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you stay in step with the Spirit.
How to Know If You Are Walking in the Spirit
Every summer, we clean our house by spraying it with a soapy, homemade concoction. Due to a malfunctioning sprayer, we had a hard time reaching the upper story of the house last summer. After volunteering to undertake the task, I had no idea that our moldy siding was about to be a lesson on how to keep in step with the Spirit of the Living God.
“No problem,” I declared, “We can pop the screens out of the upstairs windows and spray it from inside.”
On a blazing hot August afternoon, I stuck my head out my son’s open bedroom window and attempted to spray the house with a piddly stream of soapy water.
Realizing that the sprayer still wasn’t functioning correctly, I pumped it about fifty times with hopes of increasing the pressure. Mind you, I was standing in a bedroom.
Much to my shock, the pumping worked—just not in the way I was expecting. The pressure became so strong that it blew the hose straight off the jug. With the force of a firehose, soapy water sprayed the entire bedroom. By the time I’d thrown the explosive device out the window, my two-year-old son and I stood soapy, forlorn, and in shock.
Deciding to Keep in Step With the Spirit
His big blue eyes searched my face for a response as soap bubbles streamed from his matted blonde hair.
In a split second, I made a decision.
Instead of lashing out in frustration, I decided to laugh. My little boy burst into giggles, and we laughed about the explosion all afternoon.
As I reflected on the event later in the day, I realized that choosing to laugh was a victory.
Often, I’m so focused on my plans and purposes that I can’t laugh at myself. Slowly, God is teaching me to be humble enough to laugh at my imperfections and gentle enough to extend grace to myself. I’m learning to lighten up and take myself less seriously.
This joy-filled way of living feels like tapping into the childlikeness Jesus desires for us. It is also a surprisingly simple way to keep in step with the Spirit of God.
As God’s kingdom-bearers, we are the emotional epicenters of our homes and workplaces. What if we learned to laugh more freely, let go of the little things, and embrace spontaneity? What if we were known for our humility, gentleness, and patience? I believe we’d change the world—one smile at a time.
As God’s kingdom-bearers, we are the emotional epicenters of our homes and workplaces. What if we learned to take ourselves less seriously? #JOY #Jesus #EncounteringGod Share on X
Learning to Laugh Deeply
When was the last time you humbly laughed at yourself in a frustrating moment?
Do you tend to lose your patience in frustration, or are you able to laugh at life’s mishaps?
God has a sense of humor. He is also full of joy and even whimsy.
I encourage you to ask God to show you a recent moment when you reacted with anger but could have reacted with laughter. What does he want to show you about taking yourself less seriously? Is this a shift that would be healthy for you?
Watch for opportunities to cultivate joy, humility, patience, and humor today.
When situations don’t go your way, step back and let yourself laugh. Notice how this approach infuses even your most frustrating situations with joy, and notice how the people around you respond. In doing so, you will keep in step with the Spirit of God.
How to Know If You Are Walking in the Spirit: 5 Ways
Now, let’s look at five concrete ways to discern whether you are walking in the Spirit.
Walking in the Spirit involves daily surrendering to God and asking him to direct us. When we walk in the Spirit, our lives exude the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and self-control of Jesus. We seek God for guidance and follow his lead.
Here are some concrete ways to know you’re walking in the Spirit.
1. You are bearing the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Are you regularly displaying the fruit of the Spirit?
Are you laughing easily or coming unglued in anger and frustration?
The Holy Spirit works in our lives to produce the attributes listed above. If you are increasingly bearing these good fruits, you are most likely walking in the Spirit.
2. You are resisting the works of the flesh.
Galatians 5:19-21 reads, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”
Do these behaviors describe your life? If so, you are most likely not walking in the Spirit.
We all face temptations to succumb to the desires of the sinful nature. There is grace for failure; however, we are called to resist these sinful desires.
When your heart is broken over your sin (because we all sin), you are probably walking in the Spirit. If you can habitually embrace sinful behaviors without conviction, you are not walking in the Spirit.
3. You are seeking Jesus.
Jesus pursues us, and we respond to him by seeking him.
If you are seeking Jesus through prayer, worship, Bible reading, and community, you are most likely walking in the Spirit.
4. You are sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Additionally, if you are sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit during times of sin, you are most likely walking the Spirit. When we go astray, the Holy Spirit gently convicts us (without shame or condemnation).
5. Your heart is filled with love and compassion for others.
Lastly, the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with love and compassion for others. If you are growing in these areas, you are most likely walking in the Spirit.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. You can find all three books here or read more below.
Attention All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional to Help You Connect With God
God is a good Father, and he wants us to experience his healing, deliverance, and replenishment. Most of us have learned that we cannot heal, deliver, or refresh ourselves; we need God to do this work within us. I invite you to create space for God to transform your life by downloading a free copy of my devotional eBook, The Lean Into Grace Devotional: An 8-Day Devotional for Healing, Deliverance, and Replenishment. Find it for free here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here! 
