Galatians 5:16-18 WEB 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
You see, simply we cannot live in the flesh (that is for the flesh and it’s desires) and in the Spirit at the same time. If you want the fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 WEB 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Then you must crucify the flesh.
Galatians 5:24 WEB Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
Then we can live and walk by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25 WEB If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit.
Simply put if we have God’s Spirit living in us, we must let Him guide and lead us. Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness.
Matthew 4:1-2 KJV 1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Jesus fasted and then was tempted. The devil will come at you when you’re weakest. If we walk in the Spirit though we can say as Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:10 KJV for when I am weak, then am I strong. Because although our flesh may be weak, if we are praying, reading our Bible and seeking after God then the Spirit is getting stronger in our lives.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 KJV Quench not the Spirit.
To walk in the Spirit we must not quench the Spirit.
Romans 8:1-14 KJV 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in
us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
It is not only imperative that we walk in the Spirit, it should be natural if God abides in us.