I want to remind you what I stated in Part 1 of this message. Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith comes by hearing – hearing from God – hearing what He is saying to you about your specific need.
If we don’t recognize what the Spirit is saying to us, our faith is not going to work right. We can’t just “throw more faith confessions” at our need when we lack hearing what He’s saying to us about our situation. We must take time to hear from God if our faith is going to work right.
Romans 8:14 & 16 tells us, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit….” God is committing Himself to lead us by His Spirit who bears witness with our own spirit, but we must learn to recognize His leading.
Many don’t recognize the leading of the Spirit. They think the leading of the Spirit is a good idea that they have, just wanting to do something, others agreeing with them, a promotion being offered them, something that’s convenient to do, falling in love with someone, etc. None of these things are the leading of the Spirit.
If we will take time to pray in tongues, our spirit becomes more sensitive to the Holy Spirit – we will learn to recognize His leading. When the Spirit is leading us, what He leads us to do will float up from our own spirit and enlighten our mind. But if our mind is full and busy with our own human reasoning, we will very likely miss what the Spirit is endeavoring to say to us. So, as we pray in tongues, we must learn to quiet the mind and focus on our spirit – then we can begin to perceive what is floating up to our mind from our spirit.
Don’t mingle your own thinking in with what He is saying to you. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, DIVIDING asunder between soul and spirit. The mind and the spirit are to be divided – not mingled. This is where many Christians miss it – they’re mingling their own human reasoning in with what the Spirit is saying to them, then becoming confused when things don’t work right. If things aren’t working as they should, take time to hear.
Again, Romans 8:14 & 16 reads, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit….” He leads us through an inward witness. We aren’t led through outward circumstances, feelings, emotions, or convenience. The leading of the Spirit comes from within our own spirit, regardless of circumstances, feelings, and emotions.
In this verse, God is promising to always lead us by the inward witness. Even if He leads in an additional way – through a voice, a dream, a vision, an angel – it will still bear witness with our spirit. Any of these leadings will also be accompanied by the inward witness.
If the Spirit is bearing witness with your spirit that you are to go a particular direction, in your spirit there will be “a green light” – meaning it seems good, it seems to fit, there’s a peace in your spirit about it (even if there’s not peace in your mind). If you shouldn’t go a particular direction, there’s “a red light” – a hesitation, a sense of uneasiness in your spirit, a caution, and sometimes you may even sense a grieving.
There was a leading I was sensing regarding a personal project. I had peace in my spirit about doing it, but my head was being bombarded with thoughts telling me not to do it. I told God I was going to pray in the Spirit until I got clarity. He told me that the peace was the clarity. I was looking for an additional leading other than the leading of peace I already had through the inward witness. Isaiah 55:12 tells us, “Ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with PEACE….”
God doesn’t promise us any leading other than the leading of the inward witness. He doesn’t promise us a voice, a dream, a vision, or a divine visitation. But He does promise to lead us through the inward witness, which is the safest and best leading we can receive, for the devil can imitate all those other leadings, but he cannot imitate the inward witness.
How many difficulties and heartaches we can avoid by praying in the Spirit before making decisions! First Timothy 1:19 (AMPC): “…By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith.” Your conscience is the voice of your own spirit. It’s dangerous to violate or go against your spirit – but following your spirit will keep your life safe.
If we fail to follow the Spirit, it doesn’t just affect us, but others can be affected, too.
Why do bad things happen to good people? Because good people make bad decisions – they don’t take time to hear from the Spirit of God.
Take time to HEAR from God and to know His plan – then your faith will work right. Long life is connected to His plan – to veer from His plan is to veer from long life.
Anytime we made a wrong decision or went a wrong direction, it’s because we didn’t take time to pray in the Spirit, we weren’t sensitive to His leading, or we didn’t obey the leading we had. When we miss it, the blame lies with us; we can’t blame others or blame God for letting things happen.
It’s our privilege and responsibility to become skillful at recognizing how the Spirit is leading us; we are to obey that leading. If we will take time to pray in the Spirit, we will pray out His plan for our lives, but we will also become more sensitive to the way He is leading us to go.
We must be open to His leadings and be obedient to follow them. As we obey Him in faith, He will lead us into God’s best!