Help Is HereSample

According to God’s plan, life is a series of decisions. Do I move or stay? Hold on or let go? Tie the knot or not?

Small decisions. Large decisions. Decisions everywhere! We make our choices, and they make us. Consequently, decision-making saps energy and creates anxiety. What if I make the wrong choice? What if I go south when I should go north?

So what can we do? Given the weightiness of choices, how can we make good ones? You will be encouraged by the promise of Scripture. The Holy Spirit can lead us: “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3).

God, our Good Shepherd, doesn’t just feed us; he leads us. He does more than correct us; he directs us. He keeps us on track. He has commissioned the Holy Spirit to guide us down the winding roads of life.

A vivid example of this promise is found in the saga of the Hebrew people.

They had spent a lifetime within the confines of the small nation of Egypt. They’d never crossed the border. Then, in a furiously fast turn of events, Pharaoh set them free. Centuries of slavery were behind them; a new future was ahead. The Red Sea opened, and the promised land beckoned. It was theirs for the taking. Yet they were rookie sojourners. They’d never left their city limits. On their own, they stood no chance of survival. For that reason,

The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire. (Ex. 13:21 NIV)

The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. (Ex. 14:19–20 NIV)

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out— until the day it lifted. (Ex. 40:36–37 NIV)

Can you imagine the blessing of this divine GPS? On any given day, God told them where to go. To the east is a valley, to the west an open plain. Straight ahead is a series of rolling hills. Which direction is the right one? Moses and the leaders pause until the massive cloud turns. Once it does, they follow. The stress of decision-making was reduced to keeping an open eye toward heaven.

Who led the ex-slaves through the Red Sea and the wilderness? The Holy Spirit.

Who leads the children of God today? The Holy Spirit! We have what the Hebrews had minus the manna.

Jesus gave this assurance: “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13 NIV).

Yet how can we learn to follow him? Why do we, at times, fail to detect him? How can the Spirit lead us?

God’s will for you is “good and pleasing and perfect.” To know it, you must not “copy the behavior and customs of this world.” His voice must outrank the voices of society. God wants us to be different. Not odd. Not peculiar. Our aim is not to blend in but to look up.

God would later tell the Hebrew people, “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (Ex. 23:2 NIV).

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world. You cannot hear the Spirit if you are listening to them. You can’t soar like an eagle if you are running with dumb sheep.

If you want to hear from God, the first question you need to ask is not “What should I do?” but “Whom will I hear? Who has authority? Who calls the shots in my life?” If the answer is “people,” you will not discern God’s direction. If the answer is television personalities, you will not discern God’s will for your life. Add to that list horoscopes, palm readers, and tarot cards. If you are following the stars, you aren’t following the Son. “The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them” (Rom. 8:14 NCV).

This was the promise of Jesus: “The Spirit of truth . . . lives with you and will be in you. . . . Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:17, 23 NIV).

He turned your heart into his tabernacle. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Cor. 3:16 NIV).

The Spirit of God dwells within you. The Spirit moves within us to lead us. He does so with two tools: the verse and the voice.

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:17 NIV). The primary communication tool of the Holy Spirit is the Bible. He speaks to us through Scripture. His will is found in his Word. “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path” (Ps. 119:105 NLT).

The verse and the voice. The Spirit uses both to lead us to the promised land. God is calling. Keep listening. He created the game of life and is happy to show us how to play it.

Respond

Are you facing a situation where you need to hear from God? Describe the need.

Write a brief prayer asking for a word from God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me stay diligent as I listen for your voice in every situation.