HOW DO WE KNOW THAT WE ARE BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT?

I want to reassure you that if you truly want Him, you’ve got Him:

·       For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:12-13; quoting Joel 2:32)

  Scripture directs us to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Consequently, we shouldn't expect to have a Holy Spirit feeling abiding with us. Instead, the Scriptures give us various signposts to reassure us that we are heading in the right direction:

 

·       Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:15)

However, for those with a tender and vulnerable conscience (like myself), there are many doubt-provoking verses like:

·       The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalm 23:1-3)

You might think, “I’ve never felt that I was being guided by the Spirit.” However, Scripture wisely gives us ways to tell if we are being led by the Spirit:

·       [The works of the flesh consist of] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:20-23)

The tests of the indwelling of the Spirit are the fruits of the Spirit. If we are walking in obedience to the Spirit, our behavior will reflect His presence. This doesn’t mean that we always will enjoy performing acts of love. These acts are often contrary to our sinful and selfish inclinations lodged in our flesh. Instead, our love is measured, not by hearing voices or by having certain Holy Spirit feelings or experiences, but by our willingness to follow His teachings (John 14:21-24; 1 John 2:3-5; 5:2-3). This willingness is the fruit of the Spirit, who is directing us:

·       for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

The Spirit grants us doubters the assurance of our salvation as we follow Him in obedience:

·       By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. (1 John 3:19-24)

I have found these verses to be very reassuring. My conscience condemned me with the rapidity of an AK47. However, Scripture warned me that this was normal for a Christian. I was also given the ammunition to fight back. The Word of God told me that God, and not my conscience or my feelings, was the final Judge. Besides, I could reassure myself before Him that I was bearing the fruits of the Spirit – faith and obedience, even though reaping was small. However, seeing these fruits gave me the confidence to cast out any fear of judgment (1 John 4:16-18).

There are many other ways that we can know that we have the Spirit. If we desire the light of the Truth, the Word of God, this too is a fruit of the Spirit (John 3:19-21). Jesus taught:

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

If we have the Spirit, we will be attracted to the Scriptures:

·       “When he [Jesus] has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4-5)

·       We [the Apostles] are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error. (1 John 4:6)

This is because the Author of the Scriptures is the Holy Spirit:

·       For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21; Hebrew 1:5-7, 13; 10:5-9)

The Spirit not only guided the teaching and understanding of the Apostles, He also implanted the Word in our conscience and mind:

·       And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

In contrast, the natural man, lacking the Spirit, is not interested in the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14; 1 John 2:19-20), the Word of God. This means that if we are drawn to the Word, we are being led by the Spirit.

Now to the second question: “How can we discern His leading?” This too is an anxiety-laden topic. Most of us would answer that He guides us through the Word:

·       Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

To know God’s will is to know His Word and to submit to it:

·       But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

To not use it is to lose it. To use it is to be trained to know God’s ways. However, there are many decisions that Scripture does not fully address:

·       What career or job should I pursue?

·       What ministry should I get involved in?

·       Who should I marry?

The list is endless and also stress-producing. It should not be surprising that views vary. Here are three:

1.    POPULAR: This view emphasizes that God has a plan for our lives, and we need to discover it through Bible study, circumstances, Spirit promptings, and sage advice. However, this view still leaves us with the uncertainty that perhaps we haven’t heart the Spirit correctly and are taking ourselves out of His will.

2.    CHARISMATIC/PENTECOSTAL: This view is very similar to the first. However, it also includes seeking the Spirit’s leading through supernatural events, gifts of the Spirit, words of knowledge, and even dream analysis.

3.    PROVIDENTIAL: This view is substantially different from the first two, although it makes use of many of the same resources. However, it emphasizes the fact that God reigns supreme and has a detailed plan for our lives:

·       Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:28-30)

Jesus not only claimed that God knows the number of hairs on our head; He has even ordained them, along with the number of days we will live (Psalm 139:16). Consequently, even the deeds that we are to perform have been pre-ordained:

·       For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph. 2:10)

This Providential View also stresses the fact that we don’t have to discover God’s plan for our lives – His leading – since He seldom reveals it to us. Instead, we can have confidence that God is still able to guide us infallibly by His Spirit.

Admittedly, this doesn’t make complete sense. After all, how could God possibly be guiding us as we are making our freewill decisions! It seems impossible that the two could ever go together. However, they do! God guides our footsteps all the time, even when we are unaware of it:

·       In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Proverbs 16:9)

·       A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way? (Proverbs 20:24)

Here is something even more amazing about our God. He is able to infallibly direct those who don’t even want His guidance:

·       The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. (Proverbs 21:1)

There are just so many examples of our Lord bringing heathen nations to just the right place and in just the right time to accomplish His will. If He can do this with those who don’t want Him, how much more can He guide those who are His friends and are seeking His guidance!

This is not only Biblical, but this understanding also enables us to trust God who has promised to somehow work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Consequently, we are safe, protected, and can rest in Him! Therefore, we can now get our attention off of our inadequate selves and our doubts about discerning the Spirit’s leading. Knowing that God is fully able to lead us gives us peace, even though we fail to understand how. To Him be the glory!