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Author
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Topic: How am I supposed to know when God is leading me by the Holy Spirit?
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TB125
Advanced Member
Member # 2450
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posted
Eden,
You ask a very important question: quote:
How am I supposed to know when God is leading me by the Holy Spirit?
I have struggled with this matter for years in my walk of faith and Christian service. Matthew records some of Jesus' teaching regarding how to evaluate "prophets", which includes us who speak and write about divine matters. In Matthew 7:16 Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them". In this statement he was indicating that a person could tell the difference between a "false" prophet and one that was truly a spoke-person for God by the quality of their lives. Do their lives give evidence of what is "good"? I think that basically what is "good" is that which brings glory to God.
So I think that you can understand that God will prefer to guide you to do what will promote his glory and will rather than that of your own. I've often realized later that what I thought was God's will was really my own arrogant choice that didn't produce any "good fruit" or benefits.
As you consider this matter of trying to recognize and to follow the Spirit's leading in your life, take time to really think through the implications of your various options, and then go with the one that is going to bring glory to God. And it might not hurt to check out your various options with a close Christian friend as you continue to pray about the matter. I hope that these suggestions are helpful. God will guide you; the difficult part is following.
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Bob
Posts: 449 | From: Rockford Illinois | Registered: Nov 2003
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Eden
unregistered
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posted
How am I supposed to know when God is leading me by the Holy Spirit?
God told me in the Bible:
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with My eye.
Okay, so et's say that when I wake up and I remember to pray to God, "Lord, you said that You would instruct me and teach me in the way that I should go, so I now rely on You to instruct me and teach me and guide me with Your eye"; thank You, Lord."
And then BY FAITH I assume that everything (or most everything?) that I think or feel or say during today is at least SOMEWHAT guided by the Lord or WHOLLY guided by the Lord, yes, or no???
How do you see that ... it's a faith thing, right? Just as I believed for my salvation by faith, i.e., I read that God said that Jesus said that I was born a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins, when I finally believed that God existed and that God meant it when He said that Jesus died in my place and that I can go scott-free and receive the free gift of eternal life, when I believed that Jesus died for me on the cross. One day I believed it all, and was saved, Amen?
So I should also believe by faith that when God says that He will instruct me and teach me in the way that I should go, then that is acquired by faith, too, right?
So what do I do? Do I say to the Lord each morning when I wake up, "Lord, You say You will instruct me and guide me with Your eye, I will now assumem that You will actually do that, right after my prayer ends", would that kind of prayer help?
Is it still needful to repeat that prayer each day or can a one-time prayer along those lines of "Lord, I believe that You will now teach me in the way that I should go and guide with me with Your eye", or should I request it again for each day?
Matthew 6:34
Take therefore no thought for tomorrow; for tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
So what does it mean that "tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself"? Isn't God teaching me?
John 6:45
It is written in the prophets, "And they shall be all taught of God. Everyman therefore who has heard and has learned of the Father, comes to Me.
1 Thessalonians 4:9
But as touching brotherly love you do not need that I write to you; for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
Are we automatically "taught of God" once we are saved, or do we first "have to stop doing our own thinking and making our own plans by leaning upon our own understanding still":
Psalm 106:39
Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went awhoring with their own inventions.
Hebrews 4:10
For he who is entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not onto your own understanding.
So, how do I know when the LORD is actually leading me each day, as He promised in His Word?
thank you, Eden the merchant of Chilmad
Ezekiel 27:23
"Haran and Canneh and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur and of Chilmad, they were your merchants", as in, "row your boat, O row you boat" ... ![[BooHoo]](graemlins/boohoo.gif)
thank you once again, Eden the merchant of Chilmad
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