BEING LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

WBS.304

BEING LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Luke 4:1 And Yahushua being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

Did you ever consider that the life Yahushua lived in order to become our perfect sacrifice to take away the sin of the world had to be lived on the same terms as the life we live?  We all know that he was tempted in all points as were we (Hebrews 4:15). We know that he was made perfect by the things which he suffered (Hebrews 2:20); but I suspect that the general opinion among believers is that he was led by the Holy Spirit in a more demonstrative way than we experience his leading.  In our opening verse, we see that the Master was led by the Holy Spirit to go into the wilderness.  How do you suppose that occurred?  How did Yahushua know the Holy Spirit was leading him to go into the wilderness?   Did he appear before him and speak to him?  Did Yahushua have a vision or a powerful dream in the night like Joseph did to know it was okay to wed Mary (Matthew 1:20)? No. Principally, he was led by the Holy Spirit in the exact same way we are.

Today, I want to discuss being led by the Holy Spirit; but to do that, I want to look first at how the Hebrews refused to be led by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. (KVJ)

Stephen had just given a brief history of the Hebrew people detailing how they had repeatedly disobeyed IAUE by resisting the Holy Ghost.   It is interesting to note that the term “Holy Spirit” only appears three times in the Old Testament (Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 63:10,11); and the more popular King James Version term, “Holy Ghost” does not appear even once in the Old Testament.  My question, then, is how could Stephen accuse them of resisting what they had little reason to know even existed?

Over and over again, IAUE had recorded in Scripture: “Hearken unto my voice,” and “Obey my voice,” and yet repeatedly, the Scripture said that “they would not.”  The Hebrew word for “hearken” is the same word for “obey” in these verses (shamah) and it means, “hear.”  With the hearing, obedience to IAUE’s voice was implied.  Jeremiah (Yirmeyahu) records the last time this is said in the Old Testament.

Jeremiah 11:6 Then IAUE said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.

7 For I earnestly protested unto your fathers in the day that I brought them up out of the land of Egypt, even unto this day, rising early and protesting, saying, Obey my voice.

8 Yet they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart: therefore I will bring upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do: but they did them not.

This passage opens for us a very important door. It reveals the secret to hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.  It is difficult to be led by the Holy Spirit if we are unacquainted with his voice.  IAUE demonstrated the path to successfully being led by the Holy Spirit when he gave the Hebrew people the Torah and within that law commanded them to read, speak and discuss the Torah when they arose in the morning, when they went their way, when they returned home and before they went to bed at night.  His written words were to be infused in their thinking.  They were to wear a small box strapped to their forehead with His words written within it.  They were to post His words on the mantle of the door at their homes.  His words were to be the central focus of their existence from the moment they were circumcised into covenant relationship with Him until their parting breath.

The reason for such non-stop focus on the words of IAUE was to imprint on their minds the laws and the ways of IAUE and the ways of those who are in relationship with IAUE, such that when any instruction or idea came to them whether it be by verbal words or by whisperings in their ear or even by their own thinking, they would be able to separate them into one of three categories:

1) These words are consistent with the law of IAUE and are profitable for me to observe,

2) These words are vain. They have no value; and

3) These words are contrary to the law of IAUE. They are dangerous and should not be heeded.

King David said:

Psalm 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

15  I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

24  Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.
71  It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

80  Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.

92  Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

98  Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.

99  I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.

100  I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

104 Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.

128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.

Do you see the pattern David is revealing?  By meditating on the word of IAUE, he gained understanding of how he should live his life.  It was not just a robotic obedience to written laws.  No, his laws, commandments, statutes, ordinances, testimonies all trained David to understand the ways of IAUE and the ways of righteousness.  They trained him to be able to identify the thoughts of his own heart to know which thoughts were from IAUE, which were from himself and which were from the enemy; and that understanding guarded his life, protected him, and secured for him a righteous path.

Jeremiah said (above) that they walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart. Because their minds were not grounded in the words of IAUE, they could not regulate the nature of their own imainations; and their toughts directed them into all manner of evil.  They listened to the wrong voice.  They resisted the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of IAUE is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That brings us to the inevitable conclusion.  The primary way that the Holy Spirit leads us is through our thoughts.  This might scare many believers who realize they absolutely cannot trust their thoughts to be provided by the Holy Spirit; but that is because they have not imbedded the regulator into their minds and hearts.  They spend so little time reading and studying the Scriptures that they know their own thoughts cannot be trusted.  On the other hand, one who regularly reads and meditates on the Word of IAUE immediately knows if the thoughts that come into his head are acceptable to IAUE or if they are to be shunned as distractions that are designed to deceive, damage or to lead astray from the paths of righteousness. The problem is the believer’s own commitment to IAUE and to the Master Yahushua Messiah.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in IAUE with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear IAUE, and depart from evil.

The disciple of Yahushua must build an irrevocable trust in IAUE. That comes by time dedicated to reading and meditating on His word to discover how much He loves us and is committed to His relationship with us.  Through the Scriptures we learn that IAUE can be trusted to the uttermost.  Therefore, as we acknowledge that He is intimately acquainted with us and involved with every aspect of our lives, we come to a place of understanding that His hand can be seen everywhere around us and that we are constantly being led by Him.  Sometimes, it is by causing us to have to slow down so we don’t arrive at an intersection too soon or too late; or quietly directing us to look to the right just so we can see someone or something that is important for us to see that we would have missed had we not looked at that very instant.  Sometimes we see Him leading us in an impulse buy at the store, purchasing something we don’t really need; but just feel it is the right thing to do, only to discover that the next person we meet needs that very thing; and we have it for them.

It is in our purpose of heart to do the will of IAUE that we can learn to trust our own thoughts as being directed by the Holy Spirit.  It is He who teaches us Truth, and provides us with the “aha” moments of revelation into the Word of IAUE.  That is His voice to us.  It is He who gives us understanding instead of just the acquiring of information.  It is He who gives us the thought that it is time to get out of bed, or time to go to work, or even the selection of what color of shirt to wear.  He is leading us constantly, every day, and if we are purposed in heart to do the will of IAUE at ALL times, we will learn to trust that even our day to day routine thinking is being affected by the Holy Spirit  This is the purest form of being led by the Holy Spirit.  Knowing that as my delight is in IAUE, that my ways are committed to Him, and I trust Him, I can be confident that my every thought is being made consistent with His will.

Of course, we all know when our thinking comes from a different source. The Scripture says there is a way that is right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverb 14:12, 16:25).  By meditating on the Word of IAUE, we learn that the ways of IAUE are the right ways; and our own ideas, the imaginations of our own heart that produce thoughts that are not screened through a renewed mind, are not to be trusted.  We especially know when the thoughts we entertain are whispered to us by the devil.  They have a different “frequency” if you will.  The voice of the enemy causes us to experience a disturbance in our heart, a conflict.  We know instantly that it is direction to commit evil against IAUE, even if it seems good and pleasurable to our senses.  A righteous man has even his senses trained by the Word of IAUE.

Hebrews 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

It really is that simple to be led by the Holy Spirit.  He leads us primarily by directing our thoughts.  If our hearts are devoted to obedience to IAUE, then it will take very little time to arrive at a place where we trust our thinking to be led of the Holy Spirit.  We will see the proof in the way things happen around us that by following our thoughts whether consciously or unconsciously, we are absolutely being led by the Holy Spirit.  It almost seems too good to be true; but what is it about all that IAUE has provided for man through His son, our savior-redeemer, Yahushua Messiah, that is not just that good?

I encourage you, first of all, to determine with finality that regardless of what IAUE may require of you, you will do it because you are purposed to do His will in all things, to live unto His good pleasure.  Once you have settled that, then, without forcing it, just become aware of your thoughts and your imaginations, how they move from one thing to another.  Begin to trust that your thoughts are being influenced by the Holy Spirit.  You also need to become consciously aware of wrong thinking, how the “frequency” of that thinking is at enmity with the peaceful direction of the Holy Spirit; and to shun those thoughts. In little time, you will understand how easy it is to be led by the Holy Spirit.  It is a partnership between you and the Comforter that Messiah sent you.