How to Yield to the Holy Spirit
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16 KJV)
The Lord has given us His Holy Spirit to be our Helper, but He will not be of practical help to us until we yield ourselves to Him. In Romans 6:13, Paul urges believers to “yield yourselves unto God.” Today, the God we yield to at home, work, in our neighborhoods, or church is the Holy Spirit. Let’s closely examine the words “yield” and “walk” in the context of our relationship with the Spirit.
The term “yield” in Romans 6:13 means to offer or make ourselves available to God. It is like presenting ourselves to the Holy Spirit to use our bodies and souls as He chooses (Romans 12:1). Similarly, the term “walk” uses the metaphor of walking to convey the idea of living: the paths of life we choose with our actions and words, guided by our thoughts, feelings, and will. If we live in love and righteousness, we are walking on the path of love and righteousness. Conversely, if we choose to live in bitterness, fear, or sin, we are walking on those paths. Picture the Holy Spirit as our Helper, holding our hand and guiding us to walk on the paths of love, peace, power, wisdom, health, and prosperity. But for Him to lead us, we must allow Him to guide us—we must yield or present ourselves to Him.
Three fundamental truths are encapsulated in the idea of yielding to the Spirit: surrendering, trusting, and following.
The first step to yielding to the Spirit is surrendering our will to Him. When we surrender, we choose to do what He wants, even if His will contradicts what we want. We surrender to God in love, knowing He loves us more deeply than we love ourselves; therefore, He desires our best, and we will be happiest when we do what He wants. No other Christian action is more important—and more difficult—than surrendering our will to Him.
Once surrendered, we yield further to the Spirit by trusting in His abilities rather than our own. Few things will quench God’s power or activity in our lives more than trusting in our own efforts. It is truly not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of God. We yield to the Spirit when we depend on His wisdom and power to do what He desires. For instance, if we trust in our own righteousness rather than the gift of righteousness that Christ has given us, it will be difficult for us to yield to the Spirit.
Lastly, yielding to the Spirit means following His leadership. He holds our hand on the paths of life and leads the way—showing us how we should act, speak, or minister, and we follow. His primary method of leading us is His Word, the Bible. His Word, stored in our hearts, is His principal tool for shaping our character and ministry. He can also use other methods, such as the gifts of the Spirit or godly counsel. Whatever the method, we yield to Him whenever we follow what He tells us to do.
The Lord wants us to yield to Him in our daily Christian living and ministry. Surrender, trust, and follow His leadings.
Meditate
What are the three key concepts discussed above for the term “yield”?
Apply the Word
What will we do with what we have just read? Will we yield to the Spirit today? Which aspect of the three truths discussed above is working in our lives, and which is not? Progressively yield more and more to Him, and our lives will glow with God’s glory.
Pray
Ask the Father to help us become willing to yield to Him.
Recommended Read
- Surrendering to God by love
- What is the leadership of the Holy Spirit?
- Trust and Obey
- The Difference Between Living and Walking in the Spirit
- All Deshen Daily Devotionals
Free Mini E-book: From Spiritual Dryness to Flourishing
Your daily bible has been helping me every day in my walk with the Lord thank you very much
Praise the Lord! Pleased to know, and than you for sharing the with me. the Lord continue to use His Word to work mightily in your life every day.
Very well said. This is the subject that I will be sharing this morning.
Your post is right in line with the teaching of the Word of God. And for that , I am very thankful.
Amen, praise the Lord!!