2 Chronicles 18:21 "'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of ...
And he said, 'I will go out, and will be a lying spirit
in the mouth of all his prophets.
' And he said, 'You are to entice him,
and you shall succeed; go out and do so.'
in the mouth of all his prophets.
' And he said, 'You are to entice him,
and you shall succeed; go out and do so.'
Those that listen for voices are sure to hear them. There are many voices in the world and some with the main purpose to deceive the very elect of God.
For many the extent of their Bible study consists of a 20 min sermon on Sunday ( a joke, 3 bullet points and an altar call). Now these are the same people are turned out into the world with heads cocked listening to voices hoping to hear God's!
Let me show you a more excellent way. In times past God spoke to us thru the prophets but in the last day has commanded us to hear His Son. Heb 1:1
We need to hear God in the volume of the Word of God. The Word was made flesh. God is His Word, and the Word is God. Of course I am not talking about black ink on white paper or even the red letters on white paper, but the Spirit of the Living God. The letter kills the Spirit makes alive.
Here are the steps to being led by God.
1. Ask for Spiritual leadership. Believe you will receive it.
2. Surrender to His Will in your life every day.
3. Believe you will receive divine guidance.
4. Look for provision (has the water rolled back)
5. Walk in faith
6. Meditate upon His Word day and night.
7. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares.
8. Don't be double minded, you will receive nothing from God.
9. Believe He is able and well able
10. Don't trust in voices, but prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.
1. Ask for Spiritual leadership. Believe you will receive it.
How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask?
People don't have because they don't ask. We need to ask God for what we need to be led by Him and that is the indwelling/ in filling of His Spirit. We are not to be led by the pulpit or a man but by the Spirit of God with His laws written on the flesh of our hearts. Leadership of the Spirit comes from within. Our heart either condemns us or not and that is the finger of God guiding us by our conscience. If we do not have the Spirit of God how then can we have a conscience sensitive to the leadings and promptings of God? If our heart does not condemn us then have confidence! Oh what liberty Spiritual leadership provides. Unlike the brow beating of "will worship" and junk dog barking when we get out of line, we simply have a gentle nudging of the Spirit from within saying "this is the way walk in it".
Are you led by what others think? Or by what the pulpit might say or are you a freeman in Christ to serve God in Spirit and Truth. The Promise Land Christian is led by the Spirit (Joshua/ Jesus).
2. Surrender to His Will in your life every day.
Not my will but His be done!
Spiritual leadership is based upon one thing! Letting God lead by His Spirit in our inner man. Conditional surrender is not Spiritual Leadership. We must be willing to lay it all upon the altar of sacrifice and follow Him in his leadings: Total Surrender every day in every thing no matter where it may take us.
12 spies view the Promise Land, 10 say "we can't" and 2 say "we can" and they were both right. Which group was really led by the Spirit? The Spirit said: Go and take the land. Num 13:30
God by His Spirit will lead us into a new way we have never gone before. Walled cities, giants and battle grounds will stand in the way of the Spirit-led. Will we draw back to the comfort of our padded pews and pulpit leadership or will we go to Him (outside the camp of religion Heb 13:13) and really surrender to the Spirit-led leadership?
3. Believe you will receive divine guidance.
When you ask believe that you will receive. The secret to walking in the Spirit or the Spirit-led life is to live by the power of God with His Spirit leading you. Expecting His leadings in ever detail of you life is exactly what you want and need in this new and living way.
The verse says: Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. Walking in the Spirit is casting your life headlong into the protection and divine provisions of God.
I expect God to lead every tiny detail of my life. I have asked and I believe to receive. He will not give me a stone for an egg, or a snake for a piece of bread. The is no degree of darkness in Jesus/Joshua my leader. I have offered my body a living sacrifice and I full well expect Him to express His life in me. Will He not take care of Himself? I am hid in His life. I live, yet not I.
4. Look for provision (has the water rolled back)
Very important in following God is provision. If God does not provide then God did not say! God's plan for Israel was to cross both the Red Sea and the Jordan river (there is a lesson there for us but on another day). Both times the waters rolled back for God's people to cross on dry ground. Provision was made for the Will of God to be accomplished.
People often say God said this or that for me but there is no provision. Where God makes no provisions for them then they are mistaken. "God is sending me to Africa" great then make sure there is provision to get there and stay there or God did NOT say. Provision is proving God said.
Our God is the "way maker". If there is not an open door set before you then God did not say. If the door is closed then know it is God that opens and shuts doors. We are door examiners and not door kickers. Rather than listening to voices I would think it much wiser in the Spirit to look for open doors, a way made and water that has rolled back! My daily prayer is lead me in a plain path and set before me open doors. Then I watch to see.
5. Walk in faith
This has to be one of the greatest stories of faith in the Bible. II Kings 4:8
I am not going to tell you the story so read and be surprised on your own.
The profession of her faith "all is well" is what I long for. No matter what I am going thru or what has happened: All is well! Now that is faith in Spiritual Leadership. When I put my hand in His Hand all is well!
6. Meditate upon His Word day and night.
His Word is food for the mind!
Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Jesus is that Living Bread sent down from Heaven to feed us. Just as a loaf of bread does you no good as long as it is sitting on the table, so we too must eat that Bread of Life for it to do us any good. By eat it I mean get it inside your mind.
Most Christians enjoy a 20 minute sermon down at "pay to pray" and consider that to be enough "religion" for the week (like a booster shot to get me thru to next week). These are "Wilderness" Christians, those who never enter the Promise of the Spirit-led life. They are Church of the Lukewarms who have a form but no power. I am not talking about the emotional fever of shouting and singing stirred up by a paid professional, (which is much like a hot bath, feels pretty good when you are in it but when you get out it leaves you COLD). The real power of God comes from meditating on His Word every day all day long.
That is worth repeating: The real power of God comes from meditating on His Word everyday all day long!
My responsibility to eat God's Word does not mean be spoon fed on padded pews but to eat and live of it everyday all day long. We eat the Word and then much like a cow, we chew on it over and over till it breaks down to create His Life in us.
I am the Bread that came down from Heaven. Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no part in Me.
7. Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares.
F.A.I.T.H. Forsaking All Is Trusting Him.
We often think the Jesus is unconcerned with the mundane things of our lives. That is why we only "bother" God when things are serious. This was not His plan, to only be there when we really really need Him!
The verse says: cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. There is nothing in our lives so small that God is unconcerned. After all, our faith starts as a tiny seed. We are not to worry about life, clothes, what we will eat but our God provides for all our needs according to His riches.
To successfully walk in the Spirit you must leave all the tiniest details of your life and being in the Hands of God: Trusting Him to be your Source and Provider.
8. Don't be double minded, you will receive nothing from God.
Double minded means "wishy washy" hot/ cold, in and out..."I think the Lord will help me, but, well, I not really sure the Lord even hears me" etc.
We need to believe when we put our lives and leadership in His Hands He will do what He says. All the promises in God's Word are conditional. He says: I will if you will. And: if you will I will.
Since it is impossible for God to lie or fail or change His mind then when we ask believing according to His will He hears us!
So let us ask for His leadership, nothing wavering in faith, and believe to see His Hand in all we do.
9. Believe He is able and well able.
Many question their ability to hear from God and to me that is just totally backwards. Can He who made the ear not hear? Can He that made the tongue not speak? Is Spiritual leadership based upon our ability or upon His? If my Spiritual leadership is based upon me then I will fail every time.
But it is He who is able and well able to lead, guide, talk and listen. It is the Joshua (Jesus) that I follow and He leads me into Promise Land (the spirit-led life)
Religion places too much upon the "old man's" ability. If only you would pray more and study more and give more and be more faithful to church attendance then you would be closer to God! Really?
Let me ask: If He lives in me how much closer can He be? Ask, believe and receive. I asked for His Spirit, His leadership, His guidance, and now suddenly it is all dependent upon me? Oh? Silly man! Who among us is able to save ourselves? If I am depending upon myself or the pulpit for Spiritual Leadership then I might as well give up now! Why? My faith is not in Him!
I ask Him, believe Him and then watch Him work His will in my life. Religion says it is all about me and Grace says it is all about Him. Now whose report do you believe?
10. Don't trust in voices, but prove all things and hold fast to that which is good.
As I said in the beginning that those the hear voices and say: God told me this and God told me that, are sure to have heard a voice but most probably not His. We will hear His voice, His still small voice, in our heart and in our conscience. We will prove it to be His voice/will by open doors and provision. It will always agree with His Word and will be proven by coming to pass. Can He say it and not do it? If it does not happen as they say He said, then someone lied on God!
Walking in the Spirit is being exercised by lots of practice to discern both good and evil. Many voices are sent out into the world to be lying spirits in the mouth of the enemy's prophets/preachers. Don't despise the preaching of the Word. Believe not every voice, but prove all things and hold fast to what is true.
Walking in the Spirit and being Spirit-led as a Promise Land Christian will be a life of battle and victory, conquering walled cities, battles with giants and possessing the land within the believer. (Possess the Land within for King Jesus).
Be Blessed, Billy
