If you find yourself doubting you are being by Holy Spirit, you'll feel like you are on a wave in the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. Thankfully, there are ways we can be confident even when we don't see the next step in the staircase. Learn How to be confident you are being led by Holy Spirit in the message
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I hope we all have had times when we consider if we have have misheard God.
Yes. You heard me right.
If you have never thought that you miss-sensed Holy Spirit’s leading in your life, you been living a life God has not called you to - either that, or you are very young or a brand new baby Christian.
Faith is an action and we spell faith - R -I-S-K.
Boundaries
We have boundaries — don’t do the things you’re not supposed to do and don’t not do the good things you are supposed to do. Those are sins of commission and sins of omission. Between those two extremes, we have a lot of latitude to do the good we ought to do.
Questions of life
What are you supposed to do with your life?
Love God and love others so they can love God and love others.
What job should I do?
Whatever you’re good at or could learn to do but as you do that - love God and love others so thy can love God and love others.
Who should I marry?
Anyone you want - who loves God and loves others so they can love God and love others - so that both of you and your kids and grandkids can love God and love others so they can love God and love others.
But what does that look like?
Ah… that’s where we need the leading of Holy Spirit.
- We need to be led by Holy Spirit when we drive in Edmonton traffic.
- We need to be led and empowered by Holy Spirit when we go shopping at Walmart.
- We need to be led and empowered and encouraged and taught and instructed and enabled by Holy Spirit in the day-to-day of our everyday.
And Holy Spirit will lead us to walk by faith and not sight.
And when we are walking by faith not by sight there will be times when we may think we may have misheard what Holy Spirit said.
My Journey to Learn Real Faith
God taught me to live by faith when we felt Him ask us to lay our family, our friends, our finances and our future on the altar and leave a church we loved and move to New Zealand without a reason beyond obedience. And the month after we resigned my Dad was diagnosed with Bulbar ALS.
We went with open hands. But I expected open heavens to follow.
I don’t know what open heaven means to you. But I don’t think we experienced it outright.
We arrived January 1, 2005 6:00 AM at Auckland New Zealand. It was a city of million people. And almost all of them were at the beach. We had a friend come from the beach and meet us at the airport, drive down empty 4 lane freeways, and let us in the house to sleep and recover from the flight. He then told us how to get the beach in a couple days and went back to the beach.
I thought I knew faith when I went out with open hands. I can’t say I knew faith until a couple years later when I learned to live unoffended at God.
How I felt when I lived offended at God
I understood Jeremiah’s lament:
Jeremiah 20:7 (HCSB) You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived. You seized me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all the time; everyone ridicules me.
I felt like God set me up.
I had people come to me and say ,“You used to be someone, what happened?” I had a pastor tell me, “You can’t call yourself RevTrev - you’re not a pastor.” A friend said, “God would not call you to leave everything behind and do something so reckless when you have small children.”
I couldn’t learn faith until I learned I was offended at God and learned how to live unoffended at God.
By the way, Holy Spirit led me through each of those encounters and was light and life for me in the moment.
When I was told — I spontaneously responded with
“You used to be someone, what happened? — “With God you can’t lose.”
“You can’t call yourself RevTrev - you’re not a pastor.” — “Yet His gifts and His calls are irrevocable. Maybe it has more to do with me being a gift to the church than it does with me holding a position. By the way, I have more people come to my website every day than I’ve ever spoke to at one event, and I’ve been asked to speak at some pretty impressive events.”
“God would not call you to leave everything behind and do something so reckless when you have small children.” — “Yet God asked Abraham to put Issac on the altar and He’s the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob - He thinks generationally and so I have withhold judgment on this.”
I don’t know what you’ve been though. I know you have your own story.
With the knowledge you had at the time, you did what you thought would please God and it did not work out they way you expected.
This could be in a marriage relationship. It might be in a business relationship. It could be in a job that disappeared. It might be in an investment that didn’t pay out. It could be in a body that gets sick. It might be relationship that seems to only cause you pain.
Maybe you even had Job’s friends come by to tell you what you did wrong.
You need to know what Isaiah said about the coming Messiah:
Isaiah 42:3 He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick; He will faithfully bring justice.
He is for you and not against you. And since God is for you, what can be against you? It’s not death or life, or angels or demons, it’s not your fears for today or your worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate you from God.
That’s not what I’m talking about today. But you need to know He is for you before you can be confident you’re being led by Holy Spirit.
Why is it important to be led by the Spirit?
7 reasons we should be led by Holy Spirit
1. It shows we belong to God
Romans 8:9 NLT But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)
2. It shows we’re children of God
Romans 8:14 NLT For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
3. It brings us life and peace
Romans 8:6 NLT So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
4. Holy Spirit teaches all things and reminds us what Jesus said
John 14:26 NLT But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
5. Holy Spirit guides us into all truth and tells us about the future
John 16:13 NLT When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.
6. Holy Spirit leads us on firm footing
Psalm 143:10 NLT Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.
7. Holy Spirit reveals spiritual understanding
1 Corinthians 2:14 NLT But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.
We need to be led by Holy Spirit.
How to be confident that you are being led by Holy Spirit
PEACE
P - Pray with Holy Spirit Romans 8:26-27
E - Enjoy God as Father Galatians 4:6
A - Aspire to let His Word remain in you John 14:26
C - Cease grieving Holy Spirit Romans 8:5
E - Embrace the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:19 - 25; 2 Timothy 1:7
P - Pray with Holy Spirit
Romans 8:26-27 NLT And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
It might be praying in tongues. It might mean trusting God knows and cares about those things that you can’t express in words. All we know is God’s grace empowers us to accomplish what we can’t do on our own and Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness and we’re told to always pray and never give up.
If you want to keep in step with Holy Spirit, you need to always pray and never give up.
Do I pray with Holy Spirit?
E - Enjoy God as Father
Galatians 4:6 NLT And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
Do you enjoy God as Father? If not, learn to live unoffended at Him.
HEAL
H - Hasten health - know that gratitude leads to well-healed wounds. Romans 8:28
I take thoughts captive, I tear down strongholds, I demolish arguments.
Am I choosing to give thanks in all circumstances?
E - Elevate stress - look to what He’s doing and not to what’s left undone. Philippians 4:8
I will not give God credit for the works of the one who comes to kill steal and destroy.
Am I choosing to fix my thoughts on the good?
A - Agree to trust - give up your right to understand so that you can have the peace that surpasses understanding. Philippians 4:6
I will treat all hardship as discipline knowing He will work all things together for good.
Am I giving up my peace or my problems?
L - Lower your guard - Let Him be the potter and understand that you are the clay. Jeremiah 18:6
I will worry about nothing, pray about everything and thank Him in all things because He cares for me.
Am I able to trust He will work all things together for good?
You can have well-healed wounds. You can trust Him to heal you.
Do I enjoy God as Father?
A - Aspire to let His Word remain in you
John 14:26 NLT But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
If not, let the word read you. Jesus said (John 15:7) But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!
Do I meditate on the Word?
C - Cease grieving Holy Spirit
Ephesians 4:30 NLT And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
Romans 8:5 NLT Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
Romans 8:13 NLT For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.
It’s about Love
It’s not about having a list of things you don’t do. It is about loving God and loving others so they can love God and love others. Is love the main thing for you?
John 15:9-12 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.
Jesus talks about such love in Matthew 5:46, “If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that?”
Jesus also reminds us to imitate God’s posture towards others in Luke 6:35-36, “for he (God) is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”
In Romans 2:4, Paul asked Roman Christians to reflect God’s example in loving those who make life choices that lead to sin: “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”
Since God’s kindness leads people to repentance, my kindness lead people to God
You are the only Jesus most people will see. How you treat those who love you and how you respond to those who
Am I grieving Holy Spirit?
E - Embrace the fruit of the Spirit
Galatians 5:19 - 25 NLT When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
If not, nail your passions and desires to the cross. Holy Spirit empowers you to accomplish every good work prompted by faith and that includes nailing your passions and desires of the sinful nature to His cross.
In faith put to death the things that don’t belong.
In faith you bear the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Would others say you have power, love and sound judgment?
Those are other fruit the Spirit grows in us:
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.
Does my fruit show I am being led by Holy Spirit?
How can be confident you are being led by Holy Spirit?
Do you know PEACE?
P - Pray with Holy Spirit Romans 8:26-27
E - Enjoy God as Father Galatians 4:6
A - Aspire to let His Word remain in you John 14:26
C - Cease grieving Holy Spirit Romans 8:5
E - Embrace the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:19 - 25; 2 Timothy 1:7
Galatians 5:25-26 (MSG) Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.