Romans 8:14 NLT For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
If you have ever been on an international cruise or excursion, you know the value of a good tour guide. Someone who offers expert knowledge, points out important landmarks, allows you to access hidden gems, and enhances the overall experience. God did not leave us alone to find our way but provided the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us to experience all that our life in Christ has to offer, withholding no good thing (Psalm 84:11). But we must choose to follow.
Many talk about being led by the Spirit but struggle to put it into daily, even minute-by-minute, practice. Being led by the Spirit is not some optional part of being a Christ-follower. It is our very identity and how God recognizes His children. Often quoted, Proverbs 3:5-6 makes it clear how we do just that: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” If we are to be led by the Holy Spirit, the first step is trust; surrendering our wishes, desires, and motives to His.
Once we begin with surrender, being led by the Spirit requires us to then acknowledge His presence, listen for His direction, and accept and obey His leadership. Jesus said this about being led by the Holy Spirit, John 14:16-17 “But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” The Holy Spirit is our constant, unwavering presence of God, our Advocate, our Helper. Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit does not speak of Himself, but that which He hears from the Father. He will lead us into all truth, never into deception. (John 16:13).
But being led by the Spirit is much more than knowing which path to take or which decision to make. Being led by the Spirit is also a life set free of fleshly desires: immorality, materialism, pride, and selfish ambition (Galatians 5:19-21). God desired for the Israelites to look to Him for direction and leadership, but in 1 Samuel 8, they tell Samuel of their demands for a king, “to be like every other nation.” Samuel explains in detail the consequences of this choice and the bondage it will place on future generations, but ultimately they rejected God’s leadership for an earthly king. Anytime we choose to be led by anyone or anything other than the Holy Spirit, it will result in bondage, weighed down by heavy burdens.
When you choose to surrender to the Spirit’s leadership, He will lead you to unexpected places. The Spirit led Ezekiel to the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-2), and after being baptized and empowered by the Father, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted (Luke 4:1-2). The Spirit led Phillip away from Samaria, where many were being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, and into the desert, where he encountered the Ethiopian official (Acts 8:29). And against his religious traditions, the Spirit led Peter to the house of Cornelius, where for the very first time, the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached to a Gentile gathering, and the Holy Spirit fell upon each of them (Acts 10:44-46). Each of these events defy human logic and understanding.
There are so many voices trying to lead us—society, other people, the devil, or even our flesh (our mind, will, or emotions). We often mistake being passionate about something with being led by the Holy Spirit. To live a Spirit-led life, we must choose to acknowledge, listen, and follow only the Spirit’s leadership. Then He can lead us by peace, by wisdom, and by God’s Word. The more we follow His leading, the more we experience His victorious, fulfilling, and empowering life.
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Gary and Sandy Anthony
Psalms 143:8,10 NLT Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.
Galatians 5:18 NIV But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
John 16:13 NLT When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
Psalms 143:10 NLT Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.
Galatians 5:24-25 NLT Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Galatians 5:16 NLT So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
Romans 8:15-16 TPT And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!” For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!”
Romans 8:5-6 NLT Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
Luke 11:13 NLT So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.
Romans 8:26-27 NLT And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
Romans 15:13 NLT I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 AMP I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My commands and do them.
Zechariah 4:6 NIV This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Romans 15:13 TPT Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his abundance until you radiate with hope!