Led By The Holy Spirit

     Paul once wrote “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). We are to exhibit a Spirit led character. Our lives are to be marked by the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23): love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. How do we as Christians practically “live by the Spirit” and how are we “led by the Spirit” (Romans 8:14)? We are not stumbling alone in the dark.  
     First and foremost, the Bible written by men, but inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit, gives us the principles we need to live a holy and impactful life. The Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God - trustworthy in all it teaches. God’s will in black and white. Paul writes of the Scripture “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16). We must marinate our mind in the Word of God so that we make good choices and continue to grow into Spiritual maturity.  
      Second, is prayer. Prayer is a declaration of our dependence on God. We need wisdom, we need direction. James writes, “if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). For example, if you are single and making a decision about whether to marry the person you are dating, you want to check Scripture. Is this person a Christian? Does this person model the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Once you check that the decision to marry this person is Biblically allowed it makes sense to pray for wisdom on whether this person is not just an allowable decision, but a wise decision. You might pray “Lord help me to see the real person here, not just the outward-facing version.” The next day the Spirit arranges for you to watch the person get angry and you see how they handle that strong, dangerous emotion. Or God arranges for you to see how they act when a lie would have been much easier than the truth. Clearly the Scripture did not contain a passage that told me to specifically marry Dellie Bourne decades ago, that specific decision was made as I sought wisdom through prayer. The Scripture makes clear we all have a calling and works we are expected to do but it does not tell us which of two job options to take. Scripture gives us amazing general direction and guidance, and prayer helps narrow that leading to the specific questions that are in front of us.
     Third, mature believers can be used by the Holy Spirit to lead us as well. In an Old Testament example, Queen Esther probably would have had access to the Scripture “Rescue those being led away to death, hold back those staggering towards slaughter” (Proverbs 24:22). But it was the more mature Mordecai, her surrogate father, who prodded her to intervene with her husband the Persian King to save the Jewish nation from a genocide planned by evil Haman (Esther 4:8). Often the Spirit uses the mature believer to help us make a good decision. One of the many things I miss about my dad since his passing is that I lost such a profound and mature person to run decisions past. My decisions were always improved after talking with my Christian father.
      Once again, Scripture is our greatest tool in the toolbox when it comes to wise decision-making, but in addition, the Holy Spirit uses prayer and mature believers to help us become more Christlike. Walk with the Holy Spirit through His empowerment and leading, and you will reach your full potential. You can flourish and thrive because of His partnership. Invite Him to help you. Join with Him in a day-by-day beautiful dependency.
Pastor Derek Dickinson
Journey Christian Church