“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.”
John 16:13 KJV
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 NASB
Ok, your ‘bush’ is all cleared out – i.e you’ve repented;
You’re all prayed up and constantly searching the Word of God;
You’ve renounced pride and are walking in humility;
You’ve learnt to be comfortable with God’s timing i.e. are being patient;
Your ‘radio’ is all tuned up to receive God’s signal i.e. are being sensitive…
(P.S. If none of these make sense, read the last four posts) 🙂
Then voila, SOME GUIDANCE RECEIVED!
Excitement; you’re over the moon! It seems you’ve finally received answers to questions that you’ve been at for a bit/while.
May I suggest you hold on though, and perform some checks?
God delights in leading us, however, we have an enemy, satan, who’ll do his best to confuse us and lead us astray, if we let him (and he knows scripture too; Matt 4:1-11).
Remember, when God asked Elijah to go to Mount Sinai and he did. God then told him to go and stand before His presence and when he did, a strong wind, fire and earthquake hit, but God was not in any of them. However, God spoke to him in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:1-15). If the Bible encourages us to test every spirit (1 John 4:1-2), it’s perfectly ok to test if a guidance is from God or not.
PEACE!
“I will hear what God the LORD will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones; But let them not turn back to folly.”
Psalms 85:8 NASB
Pharaoh had two dreams that he could not understand. These dreams left his spirit troubled; i believed he perceived they carried an important message, so sought out someone who could interpret them. Some years before, his chief butler had had a dream when he was at prison and Joseph interpreted it; so Joseph was recommended and called. On arrival, the following ensued:
“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have had a dream, and no one is able to give me the sense of it; now it has come to my ears that you are able to give the sense of a dream when it is put before you.
Then Joseph said, Without God there will be no answer of peace for Pharoah.”
Genesis 41:16-17 BBE
Check your peace!
Check if that perceived guidance causes your heart to be at rest (even if your flesh may not like it – the carnal mind is in enmity with God anyway…)
Check if you have this inner, assured, calm.
Check if your conscience is settled.
JOY
“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Luke 1:46-47
Mary rejoiced when she received and believed the words of the angel sent from God, that she would bear the Son of God. John the Baptist, whilst still in his mother’s womb, leaped for joy when he heard the voice of the mother of whom his mission on earth was to prepare the way for (Luke 1:43-44). The Word of God has the effect of bringing joy; guidance from God would to. Joy is not the same as happiness; it’s much deeper (comes from your spirit) and not circumstantial.
NOT HASTY:
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste” Isaiah 28:16 KJV
Yes, God has a timeline when He wants something to be done, but i believe He’s never in a hurry; He is patient. Be very wary if the guidance you’ve received is putting you under severe pressure to act out something; it just might not be from God! Be still and know that i am God (Psalm 46:10a). Jesus knew from age twelve what his purpose was (Luke 2:49), yet did not go into public ministry till he was thirty (Luke 3:23).
Also, consult a mature believer whose walk with God is tested and certified.
Apollos was a man with an impressive spiritual resume as a man of God, yet what he knew about Jesus did not go beyond the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla, a mature couple in Christ, heard him, mentored him, and helped him become an even greater blessing to the body of Christ (Acts 18:24-28).
I’d also advice continuously seeking God and asking Him to direct you or change your course if you’re going the wrong way. If you maintain an attitude of consecration to God’s will, He’ll ensure you’re led on the right path.
Remember, God would NEVER guide you to something or someone that would take you away from Him, or that would violate His Word which is His standard (Psalm 138:2)!
God bless you
© Lydia Ndagilaya for PneumaWord
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