Practical Steps to Recognizing Spiritual Guidance

SPEAKER 01 : 0:00

Welcome to the InTouch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Thursday, August 28th. In a world of infinite options, how do you make decisions that are always honoring to the Lord? Let’s get practical instructions on how to confidently recognize we are following the leading of the Holy Spirit every single time.

SPEAKER 02 : 0:21

I want you to turn, if you will, to John chapter 16. And all through this series, we have been looking at these chapters, 14, 15, 16 chapters, because they are so filled with significant admonitions from Christ. And this one has to do with the Holy Spirit, who is our God, our leader. And so he says, when he comes, he will guide you, the Bible says, into all truth. Now think about this, that every time you and I make a decision, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are all in on that decision. Now look at this, if you will, in verse 13. He says, for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak. And let me explain what that means to them. What he was saying to them was this. When the Holy Spirit comes, he’s going to tell you what to do next. They were confused and frustrated and full of fear. If you leave us, what’s going to happen? How are we going to know what to do next? You’ve been leading us for three years. We’ve been following you. He says, when the Holy Spirit comes, you won’t have to worry about what to do next. He will guide you into all truth. And the way he’ll do it is this. He says, the Holy Spirit will receive from me. I will disclose it to him. He will disclose it to you. My friend, do you realize how much God loves you? that He loves you and me enough to put somebody on the inside of us who has promised to direct us, guide us clearly in every single decision in our life. You say, but now wait a minute. Nobody’s going to always make the right decision. I didn’t say they would. I said there is somebody on the inside of you who will guide us every single time to make the right decision in every single matter. I didn’t say we always wanted to do what he said. I didn’t say we would always do exactly what he said. But he’s there to guide us if we will. Which leads us to a very major question here about the whole idea of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And that is simply this. The question comes, are there any conditions that God uses by which to guide us? And there are. So I want you to jot them down. And if you’re wise, you’ll jot them down. There are some conditions upon which the Lord guides us through the Holy Spirit. What is the first condition? Well, the first condition is that you be a child of God. You say, well, you mean to tell me that if I don’t believe in Jesus, God’s not going to guide me? Correct. You say, well, but I’ve been talking to God and God’s been guiding me. No, he hasn’t. My friends, you can think up all kinds of stuff. You can imagine all kinds of things. Listen, just because you hear a voice doesn’t mean it’s the voice of God. The devil speaks. Demons speak. There are a lot of foul, ungodly, evil voices that you can hear. And the only way you’re going to hear God’s voice is when you hear it through the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. Now think about this. If the Holy Spirit indwelling us is God’s method of guiding us, how does the Holy Spirit indwell us? Only after you and I have been forgiven of our sin through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ at Calvary, confessing that sin, repenting of that sin, and receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior. The moment we received Him as our Savior, the Holy Spirit came within us to indwell us, to seal us forever as a child of God. And He set up housekeeping within our body. to live forever, to be our guide, our leader in giving us direction for all of our decisions. He comes following the forgiveness of our sin and placing our faith in the person of Jesus Christ. That’s when he comes. The only work of the Holy Spirit outside of the life of the believer as it relates to the unbeliever is convicting that unbeliever that they need to be saved. So there is guidance from the Holy Spirit to the unbeliever. What is it? His guidance is that you’re living in sin. His guidance is that you need the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. His guidance is that you would understand what it means to be saved, how to be saved, and why the atoning death of Jesus Christ at Calvary makes it possible for you to be accepted in the eyes of Almighty God, though you’re unworthy, living in sin, and rebelled against God. The Spirit of God will clarify that in your mind so that you can be saved. Once you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, Spirit of God comes in. There He is to guide you, lead you, and dwell you. So, the first step… First requirement. First condition upon which the Spirit of God guides is that we receive Him as our Savior so that the Holy Spirit is living within us. The second step is this. The second condition is that you and I would yield ourselves to Him. Now listen. I’m going to put a little parenthesis here because I’m going to come back and mention something. The Spirit of God is not going to give clear guidance to a believer who is walking in rebellion toward Him. You’re walking in rebellion toward the Lord Jesus Christ and you’re seeking God’s guidance and direction in very important decisions in your life. While you’re rebelling toward what He wants over here, you want Him to ignore that while you get His clear direction over here. I want to tell you, He doesn’t operate that way. And that’s, listen, that’s the reason so many people who are Christians make very, very wrong and oftentimes very expensive and destructive decisions. They made the decisions when they were out of the will of God, not walking in the Spirit, walking in rebellion toward God. Listen, when you get out of the Spirit of God, out of the will of God, doing what God wants you to do and start making decisions, I’m telling you, you’re going to make wrong, expensive, and oftentimes destructive decisions. And so, one of the conditions of the Holy Spirit leading us is to be yielded to Him. Now, just for my own curiosity, I just reconfirmed this in my mind. I got a compass the other day, and I thought, well, now, point this thing always going to be pointing to the north, and I think, now… How can I make it point some other way and mislead me? So I picked up a magnet, and I didn’t even have to put it up on it. I just sort of waved it around. When I start waving the magnet around that needle on the compass, the needle started doing all kinds of things. Let me tell you something. A magnet does to the needle of a compass what sin does to our understanding and our vision of God’s clear guidance. It messes it all up. That is, it’ll mislead us. Listen, the Spirit of God is going to lead us, but when we allow sin in our life, you see, once I put the magnet close by the compass, threw it all off. I can make that needle go anywhere I want to. Listen, when I’m living in the flesh and want my way, selfish and desiring my way, you can do anything you want to do, but you won’t get God’s leadership. You can make it look right, but it won’t be right. You can’t confound the Holy Spirit. You can’t frustrate him. You can’t make his needle point the wrong way. But what happens is, in our minds, we point the wrong way. We look in the other direction. We look in the wrong direction when we allow sin to influence our decision. If you want the Lord’s guidance, you have to come to him with open hands and open arms saying, Lord, what do you want? Now listen, I’ll tell you when you know that you yielded. You want to know, say amen. I’ll tell you when you know that you yielded. When you can say to him, Lord… I want your direction. And if the answer is no, it’s okay. It’s really okay. When you can tell him that if what you’re seeking is not his will, it’s okay, then you know that you’re surrendered. But as long as you’re defending it, and as long as you’re working at it, and as long as you’re struggling at it, It is only when you can say, Lord, it’s okay, it’s all right, if that’s not what you want. It’s what I’d like to have, but Lord, if that’s not your will, it’s all right. Because I know that you love me enough that you’re only going to guide me to do and to have the right thing, and so therefore, if that’s not in your will, it’s going to be all right. If you can’t say that, you’re not yielding. And my friend, one of the reasons… We need to walk in the Spirit by the Spirit daily. Think about this. Every day you and I make decisions. You say, well, I’m just a homemaker. I don’t make all the important decisions. Yes, you do. That decision as to what to say to your son or your daughter that may be a tape that goes off in their minds for years and years and years to come is a very vital decision. Those little decisions that we make that we think are insignificant sometimes are the turning point in a person’s life. Don’t discredit those little decisions as saying, well, you know, that’s not really significant. Let me tell you, my friend, only on the other side of glory will you and I be able to understand what was significant and what was insignificant. We’ll never be able to figure that one out on this side. And the Holy Spirit demands and requires yieldedness. Now, that parentheses I spoke of a few moments ago, here’s the exception. There will be times when it’s very clear as you seek the Lord exactly what He wants you to do, but you flinch. That is, you say, oh, now wait a minute, God. Hold it, hold it, hold it. I’m not too sure I can do that. And you start backing off the cliff. Lord, I’m not sure I can handle that one. I must be misreading you. And then you finally realize, yeah, that’s exactly what God is saying. And we flinch. And let me tell you what’s not wrong with flinching. Sometimes God has a pretty good size order for us. And sometimes what He requires of us is tough. It’s difficult. Because sometimes he will lead us into difficulty, hardship, trials. He will never tempt us to do evil, but he will lead us where he knows we’re going to be tempted. To strengthen us, to build up our character, to reveal to us what we are. And sometimes it’ll be times of great tribulation. And when we see it coming, we say, oh, I can’t handle that one, Lord. Not that one. Yes. Yes. Lord, yes. I must be hearing the wrong thing. Yes. And so he doesn’t let up. You see, God knows exactly what he’s after. He knows exactly where he’s leading us. He knows what he’s trying to accomplish. And so there will be times when you know and you want to do it. There’ll be times when you know and you won’t. But I want you to listen to me very carefully. If you forget everything else I ever say as long as I live, it is always to your advantage, with no exception, to obey God. Always. No exception. I didn’t say you’d always like it. I didn’t say it wouldn’t be costly. I didn’t say you wouldn’t weep. I didn’t say it wouldn’t be hard, difficult, and sometimes very painful. But one thing I know for sure, hallelujah, it is always the very best. And so sometimes the yielding is a struggle. But the third requirement, the third requirement is that I must believe that he’ll guide me. You see, if I don’t anticipate it and look for it, here’s what happens. If I say, well, I asked God to show me, but listen, when you ask the Lord’s guidance and you believe that he will, remember what he says in Hebrews chapter 11, verse six, those who come to him must believe that he is, and he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. If I come to Him and I really anticipate and believe He’s going to, here’s what happens. That’s very important. What happens is you begin to be very sensitive. That is, the Holy Spirit makes you sensitive in what you see and what you hear, what’s going on around you. The Spirit of God makes you sensitive to the Lord’s leadership. He makes you sensitive to the things that are going on around you so that when He does give you guidance, you’ll know it. And we’re going to talk about how He gives us guidance in a moment. So you see, believing that you’re going to receive it, anticipating it, is extremely important. What happens is, it’s like something gears up within you to begin to look and to expect, to anticipate, and there’s a sense of excitement that goes on that begins to be generated within you when you begin to look for God’s answer to your specific seeking of guidance. Then there’s one other requirement. None of us like this. It’s the worst one of all. The last requirement is that I must be willing to wait. If I’ve got to have it now, forget it. Psalm 27. Look at this Psalm. You know this one by heart, I’m sure, but some folks do not. Psalm 27. Look, if you will, in this last verse. Wait for the Lord. Be strong because He knows sometimes we’ll weaken. Let your heart take courage. He knows sometime we’re going to be afraid. Yes, wait for the Lord. Look at it. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for the Lord. Now, there’s sometimes that God’s going to wait seconds. Sometimes it’ll be minutes. Sometimes it’ll be hours. Sometimes it’ll be days. Sometimes it’ll be weeks. Sometimes it’ll be months. There are some things that take more than a year. And you see, godly men and women are committed to waiting as long as necessary. My friend, there’s some things you can’t afford to make a wrong decision about. And I challenge you to be sure that you’re saved, be sure that you yielded to Him, to be sure in your heart, began looking, expecting, anticipating, and then waiting. Most of all, be willing to wait for His timing. Now, how does He do it? He says here, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide us into all truth. Well, how does He go about guiding us? Well, first of all, He guides us by His Word. That is, in the Scriptures, there are some things that are very evident. For example… It’s very evident in the Word of God that a person is to be saved, that they’re to be baptized, they’re to forgive those who’ve wronged them, we’re to be loving, we’re to give to the Lord’s work, we are to observe the Lord’s Supper. There are many things that you and I know very evident and clearly in the Word of God. Listen carefully. The Holy Spirit will never lead you where the Word of God forbids you to go. The Holy Spirit will never lead you where the word of God forbids you to go. He says, thy word is a lamp under my feet and a light under my path. This is the primary tool that God uses to guide us. Now, secondly, he uses the principles of the word of God. You say, well, isn’t that the same thing? Not really. Let me distinguish between the two. There are some things that are very clear. And that is we should worship the Lord. Something’s very clear. We should not commit adultery, should not be covetous, should not steal, lie, cheat, be deceptive. We don’t even have to wonder what God says about that. It’s very clear. But there are some decisions that you and I have to make that don’t fall in the black and white area. They are sort of fuzzy and sort of gray. And so we think, well, how does the Spirit lead us in those directions? So let me give you four verses of Scripture. And if you just jot these four down, then I want to say something at the end of them. And they’re very important. First of all, 1 Corinthians 10.31, which says that we’re to do everything to the glory of God. Second scripture is Ephesians 5.20, which says we are to be able to give thanks in all things. The third scripture is Colossians 3.17, which says we’re to do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the fourth text is Philippians 4.6-7, which talks about praying about everything. So let’s say you come up against something that’s foggy, hazy, It’s not definite in the word of God. So ask yourself this question. First of all, will God be glorified in this? Secondly, can I give thanks to God in this decision? Can I do this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? And can I honestly pray about it? And if I cannot do those four things, then I better not do it. If I can’t pray sincerely about it, If I cannot do it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, if He cannot be glorified in it, and I cannot do it with thanksgiving to God, I had better not do it. So there are some principles there that you might just jot down because there will be some of those situations and circumstances that are not quite as clear as some others. Now, a third tool he uses, we said first of all the Word, secondly the principles of Scripture, the third is circumstances. There’ll be times when the circumstances will be so clear. We will know what God is saying. Does remember what he says in Romans 8, 28? He says, God so engineers our circumstances that He always engineers them for our good so that our circumstances will be such that we’re listening and are sensitive to His leadership. Sometimes the circumstance will be such that it’s very clear. And then, of course, there’s the whole idea of conviction. Now, what do I mean by conviction? Well, let’s put it this way. Let’s say that you have a decision to make And there are five different approaches you could take to this decision, and any one of these things would be correct. That is, humanly speaking, any one of them looks like it’s right. So how does the Holy Spirit work? Here’s what he does. As you begin to pray and you’re committed to whatever he says, you can say it’s okay to either one of them. The Spirit of God begins to move the emphasis of your thinking and you feel heavy about this particular one until finally you know that’s the decision. God uses our sensitivity to Him, our willingness to wait upon Him. He will strengthen our conviction in a given area and all the rest just sort of fade away and somehow things that were absolutely, tremendously significant all boil down and there’s only one that really mattered. Think about this, the Holy Spirit is committed to giving you clear direction in your life no matter what.

SPEAKER 01 : 19:23

Thank you for listening to The Holy Spirit, Our Guide. If you’d like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.