The Holy Spirit and the Word: Part 4
Memory Passage
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus
from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give
life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Romans 8:11
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:10-15
.. but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment: ..
Insights
"Divine guidance and the leading of the Holy Spirit are one and the same. The
question is, How does the Holy Spirit lead? and may I know and be certain of
the leading of the Spirit?...We cannot limit the Holy Spirit to any one system or
method of leading...Let us remember that from the first day that Paul (The
Apostle) met Christ, his motto had been, "Lord, what will you have me do?" It
was not enough that he obey the will of God in his vocation, but the whole
course of his life must be ordered by the Lord...Troas became for Paul an outlook
point from which he viewed a larger field of labor; a listening post, where
he heard the cry of need rising from another continent. He did not realize what
the sequel revealed, how strategic was this moment in the advance of the gospel.
He only knew that he had the leading of the Spirit for the next step in his
ministry. Two great truths must have burst upon him with tremendous force.
First the impulses of the human spirit must yield to the orderings of the divine
Spirit; and second, the restraints of the Holy Spirit are as much a part of His
leading as His constraints." -J. C. Macaulay, The Leading of the Spirit
Consider this!
The Spirit is given to us by God to apply Scripture in our lives that will lead each
one of us into the will and call of God in our lives. He is not confined to only
one method of leading, but has infinite varieties of leading to accomplish His
will in our lives. When there is a need for supernatural leading and great issues
are at stake, He will give unusual, miraculous leading. The basic requirements
of the leading of the Spirit are desire for, and submission to, the will of God in
His Word and He will lead experientially by both constraints and prohibitions.
Romans 8:14 (Paraphrased from The Leading of the Spirit by J. C. Macaulay)
Personal Reflection
- How do know when you are being led by the Holy Spirit? What indicators do
you have that help you realize that something supernatural is happening?
- How do you know when circumstances are reflecting the will of God and when
they are simply obstacles that need to be overcome?
- The leading of the Holy Spirit is mysterious, yet it is always consistent with
scripture. Pray that God will grant you wisdom and discernment as it relates to
His leading.
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