The proof of our life in the Spirit is our walk in the Spirit. We have inner life in the Spirit from the moment of regeneration, but that life must show itself; the Spirit was never given to a believer to remain hidden and inactive within us. There should be no separation between the new nature and the good works that come from it, but inconsistency can arise. This inconsistency is something that the believer must be aware of and must resist with all the strength God gives him. He is to detect the first beginnings of it and all the twists and turns of the soul that are likely to lead to it. He must strive to be what he is, for God has made him a new man in Christ. He must continue to identify wholly with the new nature and to repudiate the old; he must feed the new nature and starve the old, and he must direct his spirit to walk in the Spirit.
How does the Spirit of God interact with our spirit? Not by taking over from us, nor by fusing with our spirit so that we lose our separate identity. Amazing though it seems, the Spirit of God acts gently within us with a still small voice and can be grieved by our sinful attitudes and behaviour. He who is all-powerful and could force his will upon us, instead waits patiently and adapts himself to our strength, delighting to see us voluntarily conforming to his will. The believer is aware of the Spirit’s presence because he finds his own desires and thoughts moving in a new direction that was not characteristic of his old nature. There is grace in our hearts that was not there before; there is energy and desire to do good that was not present before, and we have understanding of things we never had before. As we meditate on the promises of God we see their beauty and power as we have never seen it before. What we are seeing is truth. That attractiveness of Christ is not coming out of our imagination but results from our gazing upon him who is alive for evermore.