Twice in Galatians 5 the Apostle Paul tells us to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16) and “keep in step with the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25). But what does that mean? Is that just ambiguous spiritual language that we’re somehow supposed to figure out on our own? If you grew up in a church or denomination that didn’t talk about what it meant to walk in the Spirit or live by the Spirit, here’s a quick beginner’s guide to get you started:

Awareness – The first part of walking in the Spirit is awareness. Making yourself aware that the Holy Spirit is inside of you. That means reminding yourself, “Holy Spirit, you’re here with me.” We pray to God, we pray to Jesus, we should have no problem praying to the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is God. So the first step is awareness, reminding yourself that the Holy Spirit is present in your life, right there in the moment with you.

Surrender – That’s the second part. When Paul says walk by the Spirit and don’t gratify the sinful desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16), he’s asking us to make a choice between doing what your flesh wants and doing what the Spirit wants, and choosing the Spirit. It’s telling the Holy Spirit, “not only do I recognize that you’re here, but I surrender to your will and will do what you want me to do.”

Obedience – This is the third and absolutely essential part. Christians make a huge mistake because we think that agreement is the same as obedience. It’s not. If someone asks you to take the trash out, either a spouse or a parent, you can agree all you want. You can know what to do. You can agree that it’s the right thing to do, but it doesn’t turn into obedience until you actually do it. If you’re going to walk in the Spirit, you’re going to need to actually walk, to actually obey what the Spirit tells you to do.

Every time you find yourself walking during the day, use that as a cue to remind yourself the basics of walking in the Spirit: awareness, surrender and obedience.