Live by the Spirit and you will not be driven by human desires. Galatians 5:16, (Becky’s No-nonsense Paraphrase).

Distraction by Books

As a child, I loved car rides for a single reason: I could read chapters at a time without interruption. Books were my escape. Hundreds of books terraformed 3-D maps of imaginary lands, painted incredible vistas, and built my worldview. Occasionally, I looked out the window, but the scenes on the other side of the glass couldn’t compete with the vivid colors in my head. I loved road trips.

Until I needed to learn to drive. 

I hadn’t paid attention to the road for years, so I couldn’t navigate. I understood the car required gas but had never realized how much refueling was necessary. Sharing the road with other vehicles wasn’t a surprise, but I hadn’t previously considered other drivers on the road. 

Definitions

By is one of the smallest words in our language, but the number of dictionary definitions for these two letters runs into double digits. 

The car ran by (through means of) gas. I needed to drive by (following) the road signs. Cars by (near) my side affected my choices about speed and lane changes. I had a license by (with sanction from) permission of the court. If I neglected any of these, my driving might end—for the moment, or permanently. 

Live by the Spirit

Galatians 5:16 urges us to live by the Spirit so we won’t be driven by our whims. For much of my life, the statement felt nebulous. What does “walk by the Spirit” even mean? Maybe walking by the Spirit is like driving. 

Drive by the Spirit

As a car runs by (through means of) fuel, so the Spirit gives us the power to keep moving and make the right choices. We have access to a supply of gas, but we must take time to refuel the car. We have access to an infinite supply of God’s power, but we can’t expect to keep going if we don’t take time to connect with his Spirit by reading his Word and praying. 

In order to arrive at the intended destination, we have to travel by (following) maps and road signs—and in order to follow them, we need to understand them. Understanding comes with practice. When we spend time reading God’s Word and learning to recognize the signs with which he directs us, our journey becomes more focused. 

When we drive by (next to) a car, we can’t immediately move into that lane—we have to wait for it to move out of our way. If we live in constant proximity with God, we’ll notice when he’s blocking a path and when he moves to allow us passage. 

Holding a license granted by (sanctioned through) the court allows us to drive as long as we follow the rules of the road—and if we refuse to follow the rules, that license might be suspended or even revoked. Similarly, God provides rules and guidelines for living in ways that honor him. Our lives are literally sanctioned by God. In general terms, deciding not to follow his rules can result in suspension of privileges, while obedience brings positive consequences. 

Journey by the Spirit

Following his rules and staying close to God doesn’t mean we’ll never experience hard things, but he’ll never leave us alone through the difficult circumstances when we’re living by the Spirit. In order to learn to drive a car and have true freedom, I needed to learn how to drive by fuel, maps, other vehicles, and the rules. Today, let’s consider what we’re allowing to distract us from living by the Spirit. Escaping occasionally isn’t a problem—unless it affects our ability to travel toward the destination where God has called us. What’s our favorite escape from reality? Are we distracting ourselves too often? Rather than fall into our human tendency to escape reality through distraction, let’s focus on living by the Spirit to truly experience life’s journey with Jesus.