How To Discern Promptings From the Holy Spirit

This is quite a popular but not often practised truth that is missing today.
Now let me ask do you know: How To Be Led? 

Huh?

We had some great times at a Taster Session with Friends in IGNITE Network and our cradle (Jesus Corpers) in Port Harcourt NG, discussing what I now want to share with you, although we could not exhaust the subject, it was a good take off too, as it continued our study during the Azusa Street Revival Anniversary IGNITE Summit, we had as our first session of April 2016 Edition.

Sons of God should expect to be led by the Spirit of God!

One proof of being a son is that you can be led! Please read aloud to yourself Rom 8:14

Lets discuss first in passing,

How Not to be led:
1. Fleece - from the story of Gideon we see this epitomized clearly.

This is a situation where a person says "Lord, if you want me to do this, then, let this be that, or let it rain, let a blue car pass me..." etc

You should read  2 Cor 4:4 

Yes, please remember that Gideon and other OT Prophets, or Saints were spiritually dead folks, as they were not having the recreated spirit in them as  they were not yet new creations.

2. By anything Physical, 

3. By depending solely on Mental Reasoning. This implies reasoning out always

4. By Prophets

God never ordained that NT Prophets should become guide to believers. They can only confirm not guide you.

In the OT people received leadings from outside their spirit but this was reversed in the New Testament, as leadings originate from inside you out!
NT reversed the OT Leadings that come from outside in.

1 Corint 2:9-11 "Eyes have not seen... but God hath revealed them to us through the spirit"

In the OT God only worked on them cause he couldn't be IN them as they were not born again.
The Holy Ghost anointed 3 sects of people to stand certain office as the only ones with the Holy Ghost:
Prophets
Kings
Priests
And finally those who God anointed with special skills to do some special acts.

The people would then go to prophets to find Divine guidance but this is not so for NT Saints. It's unscriptural for we now have the Spirit as our guide. Although prophets may confirm things sometimes but we don't have them as guide. Eg Paul and Prophet Agabus Acts 21:11-14

The Prophet Agabus only confirmed what Paul already knew that bonds and stripes await him in Rome, but Paul knew much more than that, as he replied that he knew bonds and strife awaited him in every city as God had previously told him before. You see, Paul did not despise prophecies, but he did not allow that become a leading for him. Also, what was told him was not new, it was just a confirmation of what is already known! And yes, prophecies should not bring fear or doubt or sin, otherwise check for the original source of it!

God only reveals to redeem! The Spirit we have received is not of fear, but of boldness and sound mind!

If we knew and practised these truth, we would save marriages, families, we would not be in a fix or at the mercy of any mortal man before we travel or take decisions on what to do like even marital choices etc. Don't subject yourself to any form of pentecostal manipulation/withcraft that seem to control the sound mind in you or oppose the accurate knowledge of God's word.

One reason some believers find themselves in unpalatable situation is that, they do not submit to the leading of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit leads us through the word. It's therefore imperative to have an accurate knowledge of the word. We must place premium on the WORD and SUBMISSION  to the Spirit.

Do you realize that the Prophet you run to, "to see for you", or check if you what you want to do will work, has his own problems too? Don't deify any mortal man, don't make them become overbearing and strive to impress you with a prophetic word at your every enquiries. Take note, there's a place for Prayer of Agreement, or seeking for counsel and so on, but we do not depend on any Pastor, Prophet, to replace the Holy Spirit in your life, He's the only one licensed to lead you! Yes, the ministry of Pastors, Prophets etc are for equipping the body not replacing the Holy Spirit! God wants to lead you, speak to you and guide you! Take note there's a place for mentoring! When God spoke to Samuel and he couldn't decipher it, he ran to Eli with what he heard not Eli to speak on God's behalf or to lead him but to teach him, to listen more and find the leading. God leads us with whatever means we can relate with, and as you advance you get better at discovering God's will. He begins from something in your familiar terrain or influence, or imagination into to the deeper truths in the realms of the spirit. As a child of God, you should expect to be led!

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.   He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.   All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.  Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
John 16:13-15, 31 KJV

Comforter here had 7 fold meaning from the Greek Parakletos:
1. Comforter
2. Helper
3. Advocate
4. Intercessor
5. Counselor
6. Helper
7. Standby

Today, we receive 'Leadings':
Via Human Spirit which is the Lamp of the Lord - Prov 20:27

Rom 8:14 says
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God!
Rom 8:16
The Spirit bears witness with us that we are sons of God.

The trouble with leadings occur most times when we start seeking the spectacular instead of maximising the Supernatural. Many of us miss divine leading waiting on the Spectacular thereby missing the supernatural (inward witness)

Prov 20:27 says The Spirit of man is the candle (lamp, bulb) of the Lord searching all the inward part

God will guide us via the Spirit not our
Mind,
intellect,
feeling /physical senses
Body

Basically God will guide us via our  Spirit. Man is a spirit, he has a soul and lives in a body. However, the word says it's the Spirit that's the candle... 

Genesis 1:26-27, John 4:24, 1 Thess 5:23

Read Paul's account in Phillip 1:23-24 from it who's going to depart? Obviously Paul but his inner man(spirit)living in the body.

Your spirit is reborn at Salvation, but your Soul needs to be renewed as its saved by receiving the engrafted word [Rom 12:1-2, James 1:21]

You can expect to be led by the Spirit but the question is what realm do you live?

Spirit Consciousness 

The spirit realm is a realm where there's a high consciousness of the Spirit.
If we are going to be led, we must become more spirit conscious.

We are to crucify the flesh, Galatians 2:20, present our bodies Rom 12:2, the renew our mind...

Take note, your greatest realities are a function of your greatest consciousness
Are you Body conscious,
Mental consciousness,
Or more Spirit conscious?

The earlier you develop your spirit, learn to listen to the Spirit and expecting to be led the greater effective you become

We contact the mental world with our intellect, the physical world with our body but the spiritual world with our spirit.

Now, lets narrow down more:

How to be Led
1. Inner witness Rom 8:14-16
Take note of words like this: 'It seems good to us and the Holy Ghost...' it speaks of the inner witness.

As anointed as the Early Church, they took decisions on sensitive matters with inner witness as the primary way of being led!

"It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul" - Acts 15:25

"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things" - Acts 15:28

The Primary way of being led today is; the Inner Witness

The Inward Witness is just as supernatural as guidance through visions and so on: it's not just as spectacular. Many are looking for the spectacular and missing the supernatural that is right there all the time!

1 John 5:10 says "He that believes on the son of God hath the witness in himself ..."

The litmus test of it is 1 John 3:14 i.e. The love test/witness.

Psalm 18:28 says "for thou wilt light my candle : the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness"

2. Inward Voice - Still Small Voice - Conscience
"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost "

- Rom 9:1

Now, there’s a difference between the inward witness and the inward voice. Have you ever heard someone say, “Something told me to move from there; and as I moved forward, a terrible accident happened behind?” It’s not “something” speaking. That’s the inward voice; the voice of your spirit. When the inward voice talks to you, it’s a little authoritative. You could suddenly hear a voice from inside say, “Get up! Go and turn off the gas in the kitchen.” People have lost money, businesses, jobs etc., because they didn’t listen to that voice.

The inward witness, on the other hand, isn’t a voice, but a consciousness of guidance from your spirit. Imagine that you were contemplating going somewhere or buying a property; or maybe you had two jobs offered to you at the same time and you’re not sure which one to take. At such a time, what you need is to recognize the inward witness. How does the inward witness function?
You’ll discover that when you pray, a consciousness of joy wells up in your heart within the direction that God wants you to go. Sometimes, your head or mind may not agree, but the inward witness just bears witness within you that this is the direction. If for any reason, you consider going in the opposite direction, you’ll find a dampening of your spirit, not your mind. Each time you pray, the witness will come as though with hesitance and reluctance. That means it’s a “no.”

The inner voice is the voice of your Human Spirit, or Conscience. Conscience is - the voice of your spirit, while Feeling - voice of your body, Reason - voice of the soul. However, Follow your spirit.

As a born again believer, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your spirit knows things that your head doesn't know.
Train your spirit to find leadings by:
1. Feeding on the word and doing the word James 1:22, Josh 1:8
2. Walking in love John 13:34
3. Praying more in the spirit
4. Prompt in Obedience

5. Keeping your spirit 'Tender' to be led.

When the Holy Spirit shows us an area that needs repentance, we must overcome the instinct to defend ourselves. We must silence the little lawyer who steps out from a dark closet in our minds, pleading, “My client is not so bad.” Your “defense attorney” will defend you until the day you die—and if you listen to him you will never see what is wrong in you nor face what needs to change. 

3. The Voice of the Holy Spirit - Authoritative Voice

We are not to seek voices,
We should not follow voices,
We should follow the word of God!
1 Cor 14:10

4. Spectacular Guidance

This can occur via trance, interruptions in our physical world or life in an audacious and spectacular manner. This may be by Visions Acts 26:19, 10:9-11, 19, 11:12, 13:2, 1 Sam 3

Final words:

Listen to your heart.
Learn to say I perceive, when you cannot decipher or prove the leading clearly Acts 27:9-10.

The reason spirit filled believers miss it is because our Spirit which should guide us are kept in prison so to say. Knowledge or intellect had taken to throne.

Just because you made mistakes don't quit!

Say with me now:

I declare that
I'm born of the Spirit, and I'm fully yielded to His leading, guidance and control; His truth and wisdom are the forces of my life, propelling me from glory to glory as I walk in the paths prearranged for me by God. I'm fulfilling His perfect will, and living out my destiny in Him, my spirit is sensitive to every Divine agenda, I do not miss out of Divine Direction, I'm fulfilling destiny by yielding to the Holy Ghost in Jesus' Name.

™IGNITE

Pics of February/March 2016 IGNITE Summit Edition

Please leave a comment let us know how this had helped or send your questions, and yes don't forget to read the book: How To  Be Led by Kenneth E. Hagin. We could help you get the soft copy freely if need be. You could also be a part of our Monthly Learning Community by attending IGNITE Summits, Quarterly Project INSPIRE, or our Syndicates Forum or online Study Community chat me up on via...

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