The Holy Spirit – Part 9
(2 Corinthians 13:14 TLB) May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May God’s love and the Holy Spirit’s friendship be yours.
(1 Corinthians 12:1 BBE) But about the things of the spirit, my brothers, it is not right for you to be without teaching.
(Ephesians 5:17 AMP) …do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is.
If the Lord through the Apostle Paul is telling us to understand what the will of God is, then it must be possible for us to know the will of God for our lives.
(Colossians 1:9 MSG) Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works.
Let’s establish three things in this:
- You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body.
- God lives in you by the Holy Spirit in your spirit.
- As a child of God, you have a right to be led by the Spirit of God.
How Does the Holy Spirit Lead Me?
- God will lead you first and foremost through the inward witness.
(Romans 8:16 NKJV) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
- The second way that He will lead you is through the inward voice or the voice of your recreated human spirit.
Sometimes we call this our conscience.
Your conscience is the voice of your spirit and it is your conscience that will relate to your mind what the Spirit of God is saying to you in your heart.
Let’s look at the working of our conscience.
- The Holy Spirit does not convict us of sin. It is our spirit that convicts us of sin in our lives.
1 John 3:20-21 GNB If our conscience condemns us, we know that God is greater than our conscience and that he knows everything. (21) And so, my dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have courage in God’s presence.
- The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin.
(John 16:7-9 NLT) But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you. (8) And when He comes, He will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. (9) The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in Me.
- It is very important that we remain tenderhearted especially in the things of God.
(1 Timothy 4:1-2 NIV) The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. (2) Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. (lost all feeling)
Unless you keep a tender conscience, spiritual things will become indistinct to you.
- The third way that God will lead you is by the voice of the Holy Spirit.
This way is the more authoritative voice of the Holy Spirit versus the still small voice of your spirit. This can almost seem like it is audible but it is not. It is the Holy Spirit in your spirit speaking to you.
Acts 10:19-21 NKJV While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. (20) Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” (21) Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius, and said, “Yes, I am he whom you seek. For what reason have you come?”
1 Thessalonians 5:21 AMP (21) But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.
Always remember that the Bible teaches that the Spirit of God and the Word of God agree.
Anytime that the Spirit of God speaks to you, it will always be in line with the Word.
We are not to seek voices. We should not follow voices. WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE WORD OF GOD.
How do I become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading?
- Give the Word of God first place.
- Meditate in the Word of God. (Joshua 1:8)
- Practice the Word of God. (James 1:22)
- Instantly obey your conscience.
- Spend time praying in other tongues.