Following God
Following God’s Ways
Being Led By the Holy Spirit
1/27/2001 and 1/28/2001
Isaiah 53
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;……
Romans 8
13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
Prayer
Introduction:
-All of us, if we are Christians, want to know and follow God’s will and plan for our lives.
-He said He would never leave us or forsake us so we know He is aware and involved in even the smallest details of our lives.
-The question becomes, how do I know when God is leading me? How can I make decisions according to His will?
-Many of us are making big decisions. How do we determine His will?
-Some are new Christians. Your question may be: How do I go from following my own will to flowing in God’s will?
1. DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT GOD IS LIKE.
-God’s will is an expression of Himself.
-When someone commits a crime an expert can come in and make a profile of the person who did it.
-People as well as God have an M.O. A modus operandus or method of operation.
-How does God act in certain situations? How does He respond?
-The answer here is to develop a profile of God by studying the Bible.
-The Bible is a revelation of God.
Ps 25:8 ¶ Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
Ps 103:7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
-Peter Frampton had a song about loving someone’s “ways”.
-In other words, what makes that person unique?
-That is the first step in following God.
-You identify the types of things that He would lead you to do or not to do.
-If you were praying for a car He wouldn’t lead you to steal my Spyder.
-HE LEADS US ACCORDING TO HIS CHARACTER, AND PROFILE, AND WAYS.
-You learn to recognize His voice by reading His story of how He deals with mankind-the Bible.
-I was looking at the plaque up by the coffee machine and thinking about Him in His names:
HEALER/REDEEMER/PROVIDER/SANCTIFIER/PRESENT/
PEACE ETC.
-No wonder His sheep follow Him, He is GOOD.
Proverbs 11
3 ¶ The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
-God is righteous…when we follow righteousness, we are following God.
Proverbs 6
21 Bind them upon your heart for ever; fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life,
-Most of us have examples of when we were making a decision and the Word spoke to us.
-That is the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking the Word. It doesn’t have to be a new word if something He already said would cover it.
-Most things are already covered.
2. GOD LEAD’S US IN PEACE
-I was reading about the Indiana Jones movie when he was going for the treasure and he had to be very smart and clever to figure it out.
-The clue was “only the penitent will pass”. At just the right moment he got the clue and dropped to his knees. If he hadn’t he would have been chopped in half.
-That is pressure. That is not God’s M.O.
-He leads you in peace.
Isaiah 55:12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;….
Colossians 3:15- Amplified
“And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from the Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts-deciding and settling with all finality all questions that arise in your minds-…”
-Peace is the product of our right-standing with God. When we step away from that in sin or a wrong move, the peace leaves.
-You could call this the voice of your conscience but you get the point.
-There is an uneasy feeling in your heart about something.
-God leads you that way.
-Check every decision against the peace of God in your heart.
3. SPECTACULAR GUIDANCE
-This is very common in the Bible.
-God isn’t mute. He can still speak to you:
in your heart
with a dream
with a vision
with an angel
-If you are following the Bible and your heart, you don’t have to have an angel everyday.
-All I can teach you about this is to be open, you can’t initiate it….only God.
4. PRAYING AND INTERPRETING TONGUES
1 Corinthians 14
13 For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says.
14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful.
15 ¶ So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
-There have been several times when God’s will became clear by interpreting my own tongue.
Romans 8
26 ¶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, {Some manuscripts And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God} who {Or works together with those who love him to bring about what is good--with those who} have been called according to his purpose.
5. GETTING ADVICE FROM WISE PEOPLE
Pr 12:15 ¶ The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
Pr 13:10 ¶ Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
Pr 19:20 ¶ Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise.
Pr 20:18 ¶ Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war, obtain guidance.
-God will use others to give you advice.
-Look around for some wise advisors in your life.
· WHEN IS IT GOD AND WHEN IS IT JUST YOU?
Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Amplified:
“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any tow-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”
Message:
“His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scapel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word.”
Wuest:
“……., and is a sifter and analyzer of the reflections and conceptions of the heart.”
-The key is that the Word helps you to test you own heart to examine whether something came from God or you.
-Examples; Australia
-There are other things that could be from God or me.
1Jo 4:1 ¶ 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.
-I think people have had a soulish thought and it seemed like a good idea but wasn’t a God idea.
-Don’t be proud and insist that something is of God. Be humble enough to test it.
*DON’T FORGET THAT IT WILL ALWAYS INVOLVE FAITH
Hebrews 11
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.
10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
-Faith is walking out in the unseen.
-God doesn’t tell you everything.
-Following God requires faith and trust.
IN ORDER TO BE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE.
Proverbs 3
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. {Or will direct your paths.}
7 ¶ Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
Prayer for current decisions and the ability to hear in the future
