Here is the key to walking in the Spirit of God. It does not often come easily but it is necessary. Jesus told the rich man to sell all he owned and come follow Him. (LK 18:22, MT 19:21. MK 10:21) What this means is that we must be willing to leave all material things behind to have the spiritual life. It also means that when the things of this life become more important than the spiritual walk, the spiritual walk is all but impossible. The church martyrs knew this in the extreme. They gave their life for the walk in the Spirit. (Except in rare cases this is not the norm so do not balk at walking in the Spirit.) This does not mean there will be no trials or difficulties. We are not accustomed to the spiritual life. It is hard to give up those things we grew up thinking were important. After all they are things that can be seen, held, touched, tasted and generally are material. They are a distraction that, if coveted, will prevent us from experiencing the joy that a walk with Christ will bring. Again, material things are required for our material bodies to survive in this world. Much of this world would distract us if possible from being spiritual with sensual pleasures or material wealth. Be assured this will bring pain and suffering in the end.
At this point it sounds like all of the fun will be taken out of our lives doesn't it? That is not so. Life goes on regardless. much of the joy and happiness happens while walking in the Spirit. The difference is in the vision of what life really is. This life is not a game but a preparation for the life to come. Sure we can have fun but the focus must be always on our walk. Like a child in it's mothers womb, any deviation from the growth process can be disastrous. It is no different here. What is different is that we are the ones in control of our end result even if we are not in control of our physical lives. A spiritual walk is not dependent on our physical being but our spiritual well being.
