Every morning you wake up, there are several choices to make about your day. Although, some choices do not require any special direction from the Lord. However, as a father, God is interested in your cares, even down to the number of hairs in your head. That is part of the reason Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the believers.
However, the big question among many believers is how do you recognize the Holy Spirit’s guidance? Or how can you discern between your own thoughts and His leading? After all, the Holy Spirit does not speak with audible words. In this article, you shall learn about how to recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Does the Holy Spirit Speak?
First, you need to realize that the Holy Spirit is God, not just any force or energy. He is the third person of the Trinity, and He dwells in the believer’s heart. So the Holy Spirit speaks all the time to the believer to empower the people of God to do the Father’s work.
However, believers find it hard to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. This happens because many other voices constantly trouble the mind of the believer. These voices are asking for attention; they want to penetrate your reasoning and influence your decisions.
You may be surprised that these voices may be from family, friends, co-workers, and neighbours. Sometimes it may even be from television, newspapers, and other social media advertisements and commercial propaganda that urges you to buy various products or services that you do not need.
Why do we need the guidance of the Holy Spirit before making decisions?
With all these voices reaching the ear and the mind, one has to ask why I need the Holy Spirit’s guidance to make choices.
The Holy Spirit is your Comforter:
As a comforter, the Holy Spirit accompanies and teaches you everything you need to know about any circumstance. As a comforter, he reminds you of important details concerning any choice you are about to take.
The Holy Spirit guides you in the truth:
One of the Holy Spirit’s works is that it guides you and helps you discern truth from falsehood. Many people have made wrong choices, especially regarding family and businesses, because they could not differentiate between truth and falsehood.
The Holy Spirit is all-knowing:
The Holy Spirit knows what you need and how well you need them. Also, regardless of any situation, the Holy Spirit can give you the best counsel because he is the all-wise God. It’s like asking a professor of chemistry about the question about atoms.
The Holy Spirit will not lead you astray:
It is important to note that the Holy Spirit always has your best interest. Whether you are confused about what dress to wear or which location to stay in, you can trust that the Holy Spirit has your best interest.
How to Recognize the Guidance of the Holy Spirit
There are three sure ways of recognizing the guidance of the Holy Spirit. They are as follow;
God Words:
One way to discern the guidance of the Holy Spirit is to have a firm grasp on God’s Word. The bible is the supreme source of wisdom on how believers should live (2 Timothy 3:16). That is why believers are commanded to look for, focus on, and commit to memory the Scriptures (Ephesians 6:17). Also, it is important to note that the bible says the Word is the “sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17), and the Spirit will use it to communicate to us (John 16:12–14) and reveal God’s purpose for our life.
Knowledge of God’s Word enables believers to distinguish whether their aspirations align with God’s standard when making choices. So, if something contradicts the bible, it is not from the Holy Spirit and should be disregarded.
Prayer:
Prayer is another way to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is why scripture admonishes believers to have a continuous dialogue with the Father through prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). During prayer, when our hearts and minds are open, we will begin to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit loud and clear. This is why believers must pray in the Spirit because it is the Spirit that assists us when we are weak and unable to articulate our challenges before God (Romans 8:26–27).
Fruit of the Spirit:
Another way to know the guidance of the Holy Spirit is to check for the presence of its fruit. The fruit of the Spirit is the indication of the character of the Spirit of God. Where the fruit of the Spirit is lacking, there is bound to be trouble. Those who walk in the Spirit will continue to witness these characteristics develop and mature in their own lives, and they will be visible to those around them (Galatians 5:22).
Other ways we can receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit may be:
- Through Religious Leaders: Pastors, Prophets, Apostle, Bishop are God’s servants to the body of Christ. They are meant to teach, instruct and guide the people of God in the way and purpose of God. However, believers should subject the Word and direction of their spiritual leaders to the Word of God (Bible).
- Through Dreams and Vision: God still speaks to people through dreams, especially related to important information about their lives. The Holy Spirit uses vision to instruct believers on the current or future happenings. But care must be taken in order to interpret these dreams and visions properly. Also, you should compare what you have received through dreams and vision to the Word of God.
- Impression in your heart: For believers, their hearts are properly aligned with the Holy Spirit; there are times you will take some action not because you have seen it from scripture. But you have an impression in your heart.
In conclusion, it’s crucial to remember that we can accept or reject the advice of the Holy Spirit at any time. When we are aware of God’s plan but do not submit to it, we oppose the Spirit’s activity in our life (Acts 7:51), and a desire to go our own way grieves Him (Ephesians 4:30). However, It is only through being in tune with God’s will, turning away from sin, and developing a practice of prayer and the study of God’s Word that we will be able to recognize—and follow—the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
