Acts 27:8-10 And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea. Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them, And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

Our natural progression of growth in Christ now takes us into our next phase, toddlers. I chose this verse mainly because the Lord led me here and I discovered some spiritual applications.

Toddlers get into things they should not. We all know that and much time is spent saying no without a lot of explanation. Here is a related word Lasea. They were coming near, approaching, but had not yet arrived to Lasea. Lasea means thick; wise.

Toddlers have not yet attained to spiritual wisdom. The spiritual toddler will see things which catch their eye, and reach out to touch things they are not yet wise enough to handle spiritually. That is a difficult thing to tell a forty something toddler in Christ. They have a worldly wisdom but have not yet attained the concept of this spirit filled life. Walk they must and explore they must, but in a proper manner with appropriate things.

Galatians 4:1-3 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

While we have been freed from the shackles of sin, the scars and weight of that bondage to worldly elements are still felt. A toddler does not have the wisdom to deal with spiritual concepts.

2 Corinthians 5:7, Galatians 5:25 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Which is it? Do we walk by faith or in the spirit? In this comparison between natural birth and spiritual birth, this may be the most difficult comparison to understand. In the natural we have experience and expectations. We often see the results we expect and know exactly how to act in those moments.

Walking by faith not by sight indicates that those natural expectations and experiences no longer apply. You must trust that you have heard God and believe God and in those moments move on blindly. If you were blind folded in your own home you might well be able to feel your way around but could you cook a meal?

Walking in spirit is asked of those who already live in the spirit. Their senses have been exercised to a point where their walk would look more like a person who had been blind from birth. They are trained and have prepared a home to allow them to walk confidently as they are able to cook their own meal.

Those first spiritual steps might well be met with a certain amount of insecurity much like a toddlers first steps. We might look for someone to hold our hand but in the case of the spirit it should be God’s hand and not that of a pastor, priest or parent. This is why it is important to know the character and person of God who dwells in your heart first. It makes walking by faith so much easier.

Much like the natural world there will be those around you that will try and help you walk, will call you to walk, and will expect things of you that you might not be prepared to do in the spirit.