Walk by the Spirit
Date: 16 August 2026
Scripture Passage: Galatians 5:16–26 (NIV)
Speaker: Yap Koon Roy
Church Service: WMCMlk, 9:00 a.m.
Introduction
Bro. Yap Koon Roy shared from Galatians 5:16–26 on the transforming call to “walk by the Spirit.” He reminded us that the Christian life involves an ongoing spiritual struggle between the desires of the flesh and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Paul does not merely tell believers to avoid sinful desires. Instead, he calls us to walk actively and continually by the Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to change our desires, guide our decisions, and produce Christlike character in our lives.
The central Scripture is:
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
— Galatians 5:16 (NIV)
Bro. Yap highlighted that walking by the Spirit is not simply about trying harder to become a better Christian. It is about changing our dependence—from depending on ourselves and the flesh to depending on the Holy Spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit Replaces Old Selfish Desires with New Desires
Bro. Yap reminded us that there is an ongoing conflict between the flesh and the Spirit.
The “flesh” represents our old, self-centred desires and tendencies that pull us away from God. These desires can manifest themselves in many forms—selfishness, anger, pride, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, lust, greed and other attitudes that are inconsistent with God's character.
However, the Christian life is not simply about suppressing these old desires.
The Holy Spirit works within us to replace our old selfish desires with new desires that reflect the character of Christ.
Galatians 5:22–23 describes these new qualities as:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
— Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV)
Bro. Yap emphasised that the Holy Spirit replaces the old desires of the flesh with the new desires represented by the fruit of the Spirit.
The important lesson
Transformation is not merely about doing less wrong.
It is about allowing the Spirit to produce more of Christ in us.
Instead of merely asking:
“How can I stop doing this?”
we should also ask:
“Holy Spirit, what kind of person are You transforming me to become?”
2. Walking by the Spirit Means Positively Choosing What Is Good
Bro. Yap highlighted an important dimension of Galatians 5:16.
Paul says:
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
This is both a negative and a positive transformation.
When we walk by the Spirit, we do not merely avoid gratifying the desires of the flesh. We are also enabled to actively pursue and do what is good.
The sermon notes specifically highlight that walking by the Spirit means that we will not gratify the flesh, but will also positively choose and practise what is good.
This means Christianity is not simply about avoiding sin.
It is about actively living for God.
Instead of hatred, we choose love.
Instead of bitterness, we choose forgiveness.
Instead of selfishness, we choose generosity.
Instead of pride, we choose humility.
Instead of revenge, we choose grace.
Instead of following our own desires, we choose to follow the Spirit.
A Spirit-led life is therefore an active life.
We do not simply sit back and wait for spiritual growth to happen.
We cooperate with the Holy Spirit by listening, obeying, trusting and responding to His leading.
3. What Does It Mean to “Walk by the Spirit”?
Bro. Yap explained that walking by the Spirit means more than occasionally asking the Holy Spirit for help.
It means allowing the Holy Spirit to become the continual source of our direction and dependence.
The sermon notes describe walking by the Spirit in three important ways:
Be Led by the Spirit
We allow the Holy Spirit to direct our lives rather than insisting on our own way.
Before making important decisions, we learn to ask:
“Lord, what would Thou have me do?”
We become willing to surrender our plans and listen to God's direction.
Be Guided by the Spirit
The Holy Spirit helps us discern what is right and pleasing to God.
Our decisions should not be governed only by:
personal wisdom,
emotions,
experience,
convenience,
cultural expectations, or
what everyone else is doing.
Instead, we seek God's wisdom through His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Be Empowered by the Spirit
Knowing what is right is not always enough.
Sometimes we know what we should do, but we lack the strength or courage to do it.
Walking by the Spirit means depending upon the Spirit's power to live out what God calls us to do.
The Christian life is therefore not:
“I can do everything by myself.”
It is:
“I need the Holy Spirit to live the life God has called me to live.”
4. The Application: How Do We Switch Our Dependence from the Flesh to the Spirit?
One of the most practical parts of the sermon was the question:
How can I switch my dependence from the flesh to the Spirit?
Bro. Yap highlighted three practical responses.
4.1 Acknowledge Our Dependence on the Spirit
The first step is humility.
We must acknowledge:
“I cannot live the Christian life successfully in my own strength.”
Many of us naturally depend on our own:
experience,
intelligence,
personality,
knowledge,
abilities,
determination and
wisdom.
But spiritual transformation requires dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
Every day we need to acknowledge our need for Him.
“Holy Spirit, I need Thee today. Lead me, guide me and empower me.”
4.2 Believe That Christ Lives in Us by His Spirit
Bro. Yap reminded us that our Christian life is not merely about external religious behaviour.
Christ lives in us.
Paul declares:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
— Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
Because Christ lives in us, we are not left alone to fight our spiritual battles.
The Holy Spirit works within us to transform our hearts, desires and actions.
This changes our perspective.
Instead of thinking:
“I must become strong enough to overcome this.”
we learn to say:
“Christ lives in me, and I will depend upon His Spirit.”
4.3 Rely Upon God
Finally, Bro. Yap encouraged us to rely upon God.
This is perhaps the heart of walking by the Spirit.
We surrender our:
struggles,
decisions,
relationships,
temptations,
weaknesses,
fears and
future
to God.
Reliance means that we stop trying to control everything ourselves.
We trust God enough to follow His leading—even when His direction is different from what we would have chosen.
5. The Evidence of a Spirit-Led Life
Galatians 5 reminds us that the Spirit produces fruit.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
— Galatians 5:22–23 (NIV)
The evidence that we are walking by the Spirit is therefore not simply how much Bible knowledge we have or how many church activities we attend.
The evidence is increasingly visible Christlike character.
Are we becoming more loving?
More patient?
More forgiving?
More peaceful?
More gentle?
More faithful?
More self-controlled?
These are important questions for spiritual self-examination.
A Spirit-led life should increasingly become visible in the way we treat God, ourselves and other people.
Conclusion
Bro. Yap Koon Roy reminded us that the Christian life is a daily walk.
Every day we face a choice between depending on ourselves and depending on the Holy Spirit.
The flesh pulls us toward our old selfish desires, while the Spirit leads us toward a life that reflects Christ.
Therefore, walking by the Spirit is not a one-time spiritual experience. It is a daily posture of surrender, dependence and obedience.
We must acknowledge our dependence on the Holy Spirit, believe that Christ lives in us, and continually rely upon God.
The goal is not merely to avoid the works of the flesh.
The goal is to allow the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in us so that our lives increasingly reflect Jesus Christ.
As we walk by the Spirit, the Spirit changes not only what we do, but also what we desire.
Take-Away Message
Walk by the Spirit every day—depend on Him, be led and guided by Him, and allow Him to produce the character of Christ in you.
Reflection & Discussion
1. Share experiences of your own or others' struggle between the flesh and the Spirit.
Suggested Reflection:
There are many situations where we know what is right spiritually, yet our emotions or selfish desires pull us in another direction. For example, when someone hurts us, the flesh may tell us to retaliate or hold a grudge, while the Spirit calls us to forgive. When we are disappointed, the flesh may lead us to complain, become angry or withdraw, while the Spirit teaches us to trust God.
I have learned that the struggle itself reminds me that I cannot depend entirely upon my own strength. I need to bring my emotions before God and ask the Holy Spirit to change my response.
Reflection:
Am I allowing the Holy Spirit to control my response, or am I allowing my emotions to control me?
2. Are you led by the Spirit and do you entrust the Spirit to guide you all the time, or does your own wisdom and maturity usually guide you?
Reflection:
This is a challenging question because it is easy to believe that we are Spirit-led while actually relying heavily on our own experience and wisdom.
Sometimes we pray only after we have already made up our minds.
Walking by the Spirit means involving God before making decisions, not simply asking Him to bless decisions we have already made.
I need to cultivate a habit of pausing and asking:
“Lord, what is Thy will? Holy Spirit, lead me.”
This requires humility because God's direction may sometimes challenge my preferences or plans.
3. How do you know the Holy Spirit lives in you? Share an experience where you were led by the Spirit to decide or act.
Reflection:
One evidence of the Spirit's presence is the gradual transformation of our character.
When I become more willing to forgive, more patient with difficult people, more sensitive to God's Word, more convicted about sin and more willing to obey God, these can be signs of the Spirit's transforming work.
The Spirit may also guide us through:
Scripture;
prayer;
godly wisdom;
conviction;
circumstances;
the counsel of mature believers; and
an inner prompting consistent with God's Word.
However, we should always test what we believe is the Spirit's leading against Scripture. The Holy Spirit will never lead us contrary to God's revealed Word.
4. How would you advise someone struggling with addiction, unforgiveness or a broken relationship?
Response:
I would first listen without immediately judging or condemning the person.
I would remind them that they do not need to fight their battle alone. Walking by the Spirit means acknowledging our dependence upon God and allowing Him to lead us step by step.
For addiction, I would encourage the person to honestly acknowledge the struggle, seek God's help, establish healthy boundaries and obtain appropriate support and accountability.
For unforgiveness, I would encourage the person to bring the hurt honestly before God. Forgiveness does not mean pretending that the hurt did not happen. It means surrendering the desire for revenge to God and allowing Him to heal the heart.
For a broken relationship, I would encourage humility, prayer, honest communication and, where appropriate, reconciliation. At the same time, reconciliation does not mean ignoring serious wrongdoing or abandoning wise boundaries.
In every situation, the person needs to learn:
“I cannot overcome this through my own strength. I need the Holy Spirit.”
The goal is not merely to solve the immediate problem but to allow God to transform the person's heart and produce the fruit of the Spirit.
Personal Prayer Response
Heavenly Father,
Help me not to depend upon my own strength, wisdom and understanding. Teach me to walk by Thy Spirit every day.
When my flesh wants to respond with anger, pride, fear, bitterness or selfishness, help me to surrender these desires to Thee.
Holy Spirit, lead me, guide me and empower me. Produce in me Thy fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Help me to remember that Christ lives in me. May I trust Thee more, obey Thee more readily, and rely upon Thee more completely.
May my life not merely speak about Christ, but increasingly look like Christ.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord, I pray.
Amen.
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