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In case you haven’t noticed, we live in a world filled with chaos, confusion, hopelessness and loss of direction. People run to and fro trying to find out what life is all about, searching for answers in all the wrong places. Many of them are led by a “different spirit” or by their own emotions and lusts. They have no idea what it means to live for God and be lead by divine guidance.

Is it possible to teach someone how to be led by the divine guidance of the Holy Spirit?

In order for one to be led by the Spirit of God, one must first know the Lord in a personal way. Upon accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, regeneration takes place in the inner man causing new life to come forth within the spirit of an individual. Since communication between God and man is spirit to spirit communication, it is imperative that the spirit of man be alive unto God so that the channel for divine guidance is open.

Even though many are saved and filled with the Spirit, they are still making bad choices and decisions that will lead them to possible death and destruction. They have neglected to receive knowledge and understanding in this vital area of their spiritual well being.

Why and how are Christians misled?

Listed below are some of the motives that are used by the devil to cause people to make wrong decisions:

A.) Emotions – Emotions come from the soul realm. Decisions made through emotional excitement or feelings can result in chaos, hurt, etc.

B.) Human Ego – This is an area which involves our pride. Our ego can become over-inflated if we are not careful. We can begin to think that all of our accomplishments were a result of our own efforts, setting ourselves up for a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

C.) The Desires of the Natural – The natural desires or pleasures of this life fall into this category. If we become imbalanced with our desires and pleasures, we will eventually find ourselves in a state of poverty, impoverished in mind and body. If we become covetous, we will be guilty of idolatry.

D.) Works or Lusts of the Flesh – This is probably the most targeted area by the devil. The lusts of the flesh bring temptation and destruction.

James 1:14-15 – “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”

E.) Human Logic – Conscious, natural logic cannot fathom the supernatural. This type of logic has a tendency to limit God.

Psalms 78:41 – “Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.”

F.) Outside Voices – These are voices that speak to the conscious mind. One must be very careful if they are hearing outside voices. God speaks from within, not from without.

G.) Guilt in the Human Conscience – One’s conscious must be cleared of any “dead works” mentality.

How does God lead people today?

In the Old Testament, we find that God led his people mostly through signs and wonders. In the New Testament, God leads his people by speaking directly to them. We don’t have to go through an earthly priest to find out what we are supposed to do. We can go right into the presence of God, speak with Him directly and receive divine instruction.

John 10:27 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

God doesn’t guide His people with a dictatorial kind of leading, but leads them as a shepherd leads his sheep. The shepherd calls and the sheep respond to the voice of the shepherd.

God’s plan for our lives is to do His will. As we seek Him and draw close to Him in prayer and in faith believing, He makes His will known to us. He leads us in the right direction. He places us in the right place at the right time meeting the right people. There’s a “knowing” on the inside that we have heard from God. There is a yes and amen in our spirit.

How can people be trained to hear God’s voice and learn how to be led by the Spirit?

A.) The first step is the most important step of all. The believer must renew his mind with the word of God and prayer.

Philippians 2:5 – “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

When the believer gets filled with God’s word, they will be filled with His will. God’s word is His will.

Romans 12:2 – “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

B.) We must learn how to prove God’s will. We must be sure we are being led by God’s Spirit and not another spirit.

Guidelines for Proving God’s Will:

A.) Make sure that it lines up with God's written word.
B.) Is what you think is God’s will causing confusion?
C.) Are the circumstances lining up in your environment? Are things falling into place?
D.) Have you received confirmation through the witness of others?
E.) Do you have peace inside your heart?

These guidelines are a protection for the believer. If we will follow these simple instructions and continue to seek the Lord’s counsel, we will not be led astray.

How will God lead His children?

Scriptural Ways God Leads:

A.) God's Written Word
B.) The Holy Spirit
C.) Spiritual Gifts
D.) Angelic Messengers
E.) Visions and Dreams
F.) Signs and Wonders

God has many ways to speak to His people. He has many ways to lead them to do His perfect will.

When we read God’s word, the Holy Spirit will begin to minister to us and speak truth to us. The operation of God’s spiritual gifts can be used to bring confirmation when needed. God can send angelic messengers to speak to us if He so desires. He can give us dreams and visions to show us His will or lead us in a right direction. He can grant signs and wonders to prove to us that we are doing the right thing.

God is not limited by our finite minds. His ways are far beyond our ways. When we are diligent to seek Him for divine guidance, He will be there to minister to us. He’s not limited to doing things our way. He does things His way. His way brings the victory!

God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything that we can dream, think, or imagine. His anointing will teach us all things. His truth will cut and divide between soul and spirit. His knowledge will bring life, purpose and vision where there was once only death and destruction.

Galatians 5:16 – “This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

When we allow the Spirit of God to lead us, we are being led by His Spirit. When we are obedient to do what He tells us to do, we are being led by His Spirit. When we make the decision to place our spirit under the rule of the Holy Spirit, we will hear His voice.

When we go through tough times and we don’t know what to do, we can call upon the Lord and He will give us divine guidance.

When there are decisions that need to be made in a short period of time and we don’t have a clue what to do or which way to go, we can call upon Jesus and He will be there at the right time to provide us with His spiritual roadmap to victory.

We can trust God’s divine guidance.

Copyright 2003 by Donna Kazenske