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WALKING BY THE SPIRIT
Based on the message by Blake Bradley
OVERVIEW
What is leading your life?
In Walking by the Spirit, Blake Bradley takes us to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus models complete surrender to the Father’s will. Knowing the suffering that lay before Him, Jesus honestly expressed His anguish to the Father, yet willingly prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will.” His obedience became the pathway to our salvation and the perfect example of what it means to trust God completely.
From Gethsemane, Blake leads us into Romans 8 and Galatians 5, where Scripture reveals the ongoing battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Every believer faces a daily choice. Will we follow our own desires, opinions, emotions, and comforts, or will we surrender to the leadership of the Holy Spirit?
Walking by the Spirit is not simply avoiding sin. It is learning to submit every part of our lives to God. It means remaining spiritually awake through prayer, filling our minds with the truth of God’s Word, rejecting the works of the flesh, and allowing the Holy Spirit to produce His character within us.
Jesus never asked the Father to bless His own plans. Instead, He surrendered Himself to the Father’s will. Blake challenges us to do the same. As we surrender our thoughts, desires, relationships, and decisions to God, the Holy Spirit empowers us to walk in obedience and become more like Christ.
“There’s actually a higher way to live. It’s to live with the Spirit of God leading our lives.” — Blake Bradley
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Read → Respond → Reflect
Read each passage carefully before answering the Respond questions. Keep your Bible open and allow Scripture to answer the questions directly.
Then use the Reflect questions to wrestle with how God’s Word applies to your everyday life. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas where your own will, emotions, or preferences may be leading you instead of Him.
The goal is not simply to understand what it means to walk by the Spirit. The goal is to surrender your life to Jesus and learn to follow the Holy Spirit more faithfully each day.
This guide is designed for individual study, family discipleship, and Roads Groups.
SECTION 1 — NOT MY WILL, BUT YOURS
Focus
Jesus entered Gethsemane knowing what lay ahead. Although He expressed the weight of His sorrow, He ultimately surrendered His will to the Father. Every believer is called to follow His example of complete surrender.
Read
Matthew 26:36–39
Respond
- Where did Jesus go with His disciples?
- How does Matthew describe Jesus’ emotional condition?
- What did Jesus ask Peter, James, and John to do while He prayed?
- What request did Jesus bring before the Father?
- How did Jesus conclude His prayer?
Reflect
- Is there an area of my life where I want God to bless my plans instead of seeking His will?
- What is one desire, relationship, or decision that I need to surrender to the Father?
- How would my week look different if I truly prayed, “Not my will, but Yours”?
Further Scripture Reading
Philippians 2:5–11
SECTION 2 — WATCH AND PRAY
Focus
Jesus warned His disciples that temptation was coming. Instead of becoming spiritually comfortable or distracted, believers are called to remain awake through prayer and dependence on God.
Read
Matthew 26:40–41
Respond
- What were the disciples doing when Jesus returned?
- How long did Jesus ask them to watch with Him?
- What two commands did Jesus give the disciples?
- Why did Jesus tell them to watch and pray?
- What did Jesus say about the spirit and the flesh?
Reflect
- Where have I become spiritually distracted or comfortable?
- What area of my life do I need to bring before God in prayer so I can depend on His strength instead of my own?
- What practical habit could help me become more spiritually alert this week?
Further Scripture Reading
1 Peter 5:8–9
SECTION 3 — SET YOUR MIND ON THE SPIRIT
Focus
Our thoughts shape our lives. Paul teaches that a mind governed by the flesh produces death, but a mind governed by the Spirit produces life and peace.
Read
Romans 8:3–8
Respond
- What did God accomplish through His Son that the law could not accomplish?
- What do those who live according to the flesh set their minds on?
- What do those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on?
- What is the result of a mind set on the flesh?
- What is the result of a mind set on the Spirit?
Reflect
- What has been influencing my thinking more than God’s Word lately?
- Are my daily thoughts producing life and peace or anxiety, frustration, and selfishness?
- What can I intentionally do this week to set my mind on the things of the Spirit?
Further Scripture Reading
Romans 12:1–2
SECTION 4 — WALK BY THE SPIRIT
Focus
The Christian life is not lived by human effort alone. As we surrender to the Holy Spirit, He enables us to overcome the desires of the flesh and produce Christlike character.
Read
Galatians 5:16–25
Respond
- What promise does Paul give to those who walk by the Spirit?
- How does Paul describe the relationship between the flesh and the Spirit?
- Name several works of the flesh found in this passage.
- What qualities make up the fruit of the Spirit?
- According to verse 25, how should those who live by the Spirit also live?
Reflect
- Which work of the flesh do I most need to surrender to God?
- Which fruit of the Spirit do I most desire to see grow in my life?
- What specific step can I take this week to keep in step with the Holy Spirit?
Further Scripture Reading
John 15:1–8
SECTION 5 — WALKING IN OBEDIENT SURRENDER
Focus
Jesus remained faithful even when obedience led to suffering. Walking by the Spirit often requires obeying God when it costs us something, trusting that His way is always best.
Read
Matthew 26:63–66
Respond
- What question did the high priest ask Jesus?
- How did Jesus answer him?
- What did the high priest accuse Jesus of after His response?
- What judgment did the council make about Jesus?
- How does this passage demonstrate Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will?
Reflect
- Is there an area where I am tempted to compromise instead of obeying God?
- Have I delayed obedience because I am afraid of what it might cost me?
- What step of faithful obedience is the Holy Spirit asking me to take this week?
Further Scripture Reading
Acts 21:10–14
FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT
Jesus did not simply teach surrender. He lived it.
In Gethsemane, He willingly submitted Himself to the Father’s will. Before the religious leaders, He remained faithful to the truth even when it led to suffering. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus made it possible for us not only to receive forgiveness but also to live a new life through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Every day we choose who will lead us. Our flesh will always pull us toward comfort, self-interest, and compromise. The Holy Spirit leads us toward truth, holiness, obedience, and the character of Christ.
As you continue walking with Jesus, stay awake through prayer. Fill your mind with God’s Word. Surrender your will to the Father. Keep in step with the Holy Spirit, trusting that He will strengthen you to obey God even when obedience is difficult.
There is a higher way to live. Walk by the Spirit.