How To Know The Holy Spirit’s Leading

How To Know The Holy Spirit’s Leading

The Spirit of truth will guide you into all the truth. (John 16:13)

I remember one pastor’s wife desperately seeking counsel concerning her prophetic marriage. It seems she married her pastor because he prophesied that the Holy Spirit told him they were to marry. Having a great love for God and her highly charismatic pastor she decided to follow the alleged prophetic word and marry him. Not long after she realized the prophecy was not from the Holy Spirit but the pastor’s desire to marry and she was now seeking a way out—talk about a mess.

Some believers hastily cite the Holy Spirit as the source and authority of their many thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and decisions when they are nothing more than a personal preference or desire. Their active imagination and lack of spiritual discernment lead to mistakenly chasing after every whim as “Thus saith the Lord.” Unfortunately, this practice leads to misuse, abuse, and grieving of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t take long before the line between God’s words and one’s natural mind blur.

Over the years, I have witnessed some Christians designating the Holy Spirit as the authenticator of virtually all they think, say, or do. It carries a lot of weight when someone says, “The Holy Spirit revealed to me, the Holy Spirit told me, the Holy Spirit showed me, or I feel like the Holy Spirit is saying…” Here is where we should proceed with great caution.

In 1 John 4:1, the Apostle John warns us to test the Spirits to see if they are truly from God. John’s primary focus is on false prophecy, false teaching, and false teachers in the church who are not of God but claim to be speaking by the Spirit. However, the testing process applies to everything and anything we believe the Holy Spirit is saying to us, through us, or from someone else, even if they are believers. Some people confuse their personal observations, preferences, or judgments as authoritative revelations of the Holy Spirit. I remember one such brother who was part of our Pastoral Elders Group and how he couched his input as “I believe the Holy Spirit would have us do…” And should someone disagree with him, they would be disagreeing with the Holy Spirit. Eventually, a word of correction was given to him—”Brother, you are not the Holy Spirit.” Unfortunately, this is not a rare activity. There are many in the church today following their natural minds while invoking the name of the Holy Spirit to get their way.

What if we test the alleged spirit’s leading or guidance and discover or conclude it is not the Holy Spirit; does this mean it’s wrong or ungodly to act upon such an inclination? This, of course, would depend upon the specific nature of the leading. God has given us a great deal of spiritual wisdom and knowledge. We will learn to make prudent decisions about all things in our lives without it necessarily being a direct revelation of the Holy Spirit. However, if it doesn’t line up with the word of God and it is something sinful, indecent, immoral, ungodly, inappropriate, improper, etc, then yes it would be wrong to act upon such a leading.

No one always gets it right when it comes to following the Holy Spirit’s leading. I believe the Scriptures are the highest authority on what the Holy Spirit says to the body of Christ and individuals in particular. The words of the Bible are inspired by the Holy Spirit so when you read the Scriptures the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. If you are impressed by some leading or inclination contrary to the Scriptures, the leading is wrong. God does not contradict his written word. Unfortunately, sometimes believers are determined to twist or overlook the Scriptures in favor of following their fleshly desires and agendas. Sometimes we want the Holy Spirit to agree with what we have already decided to do, making it difficult to hear what the Spirit is truly saying. We want God’s stamp of approval on our will or agenda.

In 2 Corinthians 11:14, the Apostle Paul warns us that Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Therefore, the possibility of being misled is possible as Satan wages a campaign of confusion and misinformation against us. This is why biblical confirmation and spiritual discernment from those who labor among us is needed. Moreover, prayer and studying the Scriptures will tune our hearts and minds with spiritual sensitivity to discern the Spirit’s leading.

Let’s consider the following Scriptures:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (1st Timothy 3:16)

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1st John 4:1)But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13)

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ( John 14:26)

The Holy Spirit speaks to us primarily through the Scriptures, they are the foundation for Spiritual illumination. Read the word, study the word, and know the word. The invisible inner voice of the Spirit will lead and guide you while revealing spiritual truth after spiritual truth. 

The Holy Spirit uses our thoughts, our hearts, our consciences, other believers, and by opening our minds to understanding. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through a sense of deep conviction that guides us day-by-day concerning the will of God. We walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit, and are under the Spirit’s leadership. The Spirit imparts supernatural ability, and power to strengthen, comfort, and give peace. He imparts spiritual gifts and his presence in us manifests a lifestyle that brings glory to God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22 -23

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1st Corinthians 12:7-11)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Renew your mind with the word of God so that the Holy Spirit will have something to bring to your remembrance. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the written word and the invisible realm of spiritual communications. The more of his written word you know the easier it becomes to recognize the invisible Spirit’s voice.

Suggested reading:   Are You Really Born Again?