Spiritual Hypoxia

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Ga 5:25 AV)

 

This can be a confusing statement.  After all, if I live in my flesh, how can not I walk in my flesh?  Don’t the two go hand-in-hand?  I cannot come out of my body and walk independently of it.  So, how is it possible to live in the Spirit while walking contrary to the Spirit?  Word definitions are important here.  To live here does not mean to exist.  IT means to have life.  When we accepted Christ as our Saviour, we were made alive in the Spirit.  We were made spiritually alive.  We have life.  Spiritual life.  However, just because one has spiritual life does not guarantee we always abide by that which gives us life.  This life is eternal and it will never be taken away nor lost.  We possess eternal life by the grace and power of God through faith.  What that does not mean is we automatically live under the expectations of that life.  As we yielded to the gift of salvation in Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was a result, we must continue to yield to the control of the Spirit.

I know this may come as a shocker, but we need oxygen to live.  Every person alive needs this life-giving and essential element for life.  We can adventure into environments that have none, but we have to bring our own.  Those venturing under the sea must take tanks with them.  There is apparatus that is needed so oxygen can be taken in.  If a pilot takes a plane above a certain altitude, supplemental oxygen is mandatory.  We cannot live without oxygen.  One might say that we live by oxygen.  Hypoxia is a serious condition wherein the brain is deprived of oxygen.  This can happen suddenly, or over time.  A diver may consume all his oxygen and drown as a result.  An astronaut may puncture his suit and immediately suffocate for lack of oxygen.  However, there are times when hypoxia might be gradual.  Severe asthma, poor air quality, or an obstructed airway can cause gradual hypoxia.  In these cases, the victim of this serious and life-threatening situation may not be aware of it until it is too late for him to solve his own problem.  He may be alive by oxygen, but he is not walking in oxygen.  Sickness and loss of function are a result.  In some cases, irreversible damage can occur.

It may be we are spiritually becoming hypoxic.  When we are saved, yet walk in the flesh, we are quenching the Spirit.  When we quench the Spirit, deny ourselves life-nourishing our souls.  How do we know?  Have some of the same symptoms.  We cannot make sound and wise decisions.  We are led by the temporal need of the moment rather than a concern over the eternal.  We please the flesh and self before we please God.  Our judgment is skewed.  We have little joy or connection to godly emotions.  We are lethargic.  We can not plug into the scriptures as they course through our minds.  We have little zeal for anything.  We become unaware of our surroundings often falling victim to the threats that derail us.  If we live in oxygen, let us also walk in oxygen.  If w live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.