"If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25
Let's discuss staying in step with the Holy Spirit from an experiential point of view.
"...immediately the Spirit *brought Him [Jesus] out into the wilderness." [Mark 1:12]
The Holy Spirit led our Christ into the wilderness. The Holy Spirit led Him throughout His earthly ministry. Every recorded act was Christ simply following the Holy Spirit's leading. There is an inward knowing when we are walking with God's Holy Spirit, when our spirit unites with His. Very similar to marriage, because He lives within me and has His own thoughts and directions for me hour to hour to follow. Have you become intertwined with God's Holy Spirit yet? He seeks to lead us in walking as our Christ walked on this earth minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day for Christ Glory and that of our heavenly Fathers. However firstly you must be broken, your very self-strength and life you depend on must be shattered. For "can two walk together, except they be agreed?" [Amos 3:3] Of course not, so first our precious Father will kill off your flesh life, then and only then can your spirit and God's Spirit coexist in a cohesive way.
"For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." [2 Tim 1:7]
It is God's precious Holy Spirit who gives us power, agape love, and self-discipline! We of ourselves can't, but God.... May God open our eyes to our utter dependency on His precious Holy Spirit! So, the world can see our Christ within our very walk, as He walks His life through us, directing us lovingly from within us. Beloved we can't live rightly by our own means, strength, thoughts, etc. and at some point, our heavenly Father will graciously reveal this to you, but I'm here to tell you that once He kills you to yourself Christ will live His life through you, through the Holy Spirit, and it will be beautiful! To live in union with Christ Spirit is tenderly precious to me. He is my beloved and He lives within me, sharing with me in all things of His for His and Fathers glory and praise alone.
"I [God Almighty] will put My Spirit within you and bring it about that you walk in My statutes [laws or decrees] and are careful and follow My ordinances [decrees or directions]. " [Ezek 36:27]
Power: The ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality. Christ likeness, the very power Christ walked in on this earth.
Love: An underserved love ushering out from us. Unwavering, without merit, and sacrificial, seeking nothing from those it touches.
Self-discipline: Correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement. In this case the Spirit keeps us in Christ likeness! Such a blessed truth.
When God brings us to the end of our own strength, then and only then can we become one with His Holy Spirit as He desires. Experientially this is the death to our self-sufficiency, this is the old men finally becoming crucified. This is the seeds death, the very breaking of the perfume bottle, and in exchange the very life of Christ taking over and directing our steps through His Spirit daily.
Beloved your death to self must come, before you can become one with Christ Spirit. However, it will come in God's timing! We can yell at ourselves to hurry up and die, we can cry out to be broken for years and years, and still such a death will only come in God's timing and planning. Fret not though, God has planned a time for each of His precious children to walk through the crucible of death into real life, His life! To walk from death into Christ likeness, His very life living through us.
I want to yell this truth from the rooftops! To through Him bring forth Hope! So, some through the Spirit will catch it, and begin an intimate walk with Christ's Spirit, and through Him become those who bring change within this world, the very kingdom of our God, ushered in through Christ Spirit who lives within all twice born! However, this is all in Fathers timing. He has to reveal our true inability to us, our total lack of being able to please Him. It is God alone who will accomplish His work through His blood bought ones. Mere paper vessels infilled with the very life of Christ. Because our heavenly Father is pleased with Christ and those it will be the very life of Christ within us that brings us to victory in all things.
"...we have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." [2 Cor 4:7]