The Silent Sovereign: Led by the Spirit

by David Chadwick

Live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). And today: be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

The Spirit will speak to you in a variety of ways. But as we learned earlier this week, if you are one of God's sheep, you will hear the voice of Jesus through the Holy Spirit (John 10:27).

But what does this look like?

Well, you may "hear" the Holy Spirit in many different ways. First, it could be through other people's voices who you love and trust. Parents, mentors, pastors, Bible study leaders may be used by the Lord to help communicate truth to you.

Secondly, it could be through a gentle nudge in your heart. You may feel a quiet prompting to pick up the phone and call someone you haven't talked to in a while. Or you may feel an unsettledness about saying "yes" to a certain job. God may highlight another country to you over and over again using repetition to cause you to take note of something you may not have otherwise noticed.

Thirdly, it could be through a blatant closed door where it is obvious God is shouting "no" in your ear! You might get fired from a job or experience a terrible break up. Often extreme situations are God's way of guiding you and leading you by his Spirit.

Finally, recognize that sometimes the Spirit says, "No" to something. But other times, the enemy is against you and the Spirit will lead you through the opposition. If you are being led by the Spirit, you will know the difference, much like Paul did in the book of Acts. Sometimes the Spirit opened doors for Paul and other times Satan hindered him. But because he was led by the Spirit, he never delayed and walked faithfully in his calling.  And he was always victorious.

The bottom line is this - when you are being led by the Holy Spirit and you know God's next step for you, OBEY! Do what he says to do. Go where he says to go.

I pray that you will be led by the Spirit and stay in tune to his voice, obeying him at every turn. After all, delayed obedience is disobedience. So follow his lead!