The goal for the believer is to be at the center of the will of God for your life.
Psalms 32:8 (NKJV)
On island shores where oceans and seas meet, when ships miss their way or get lost, one thing guides them: a lighthouse. A lighthouse emits bright, long-distance beams of light to help ships and aircraft determine their location and steer safely to harbour. That’s who God wants to be to you. This is clear in Psalms 32:
Psalms 32:8
New King James Version
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
God can guide you with His eyes and instruct your ways. This is so that you can exempt yourself from certain errors.
You need to understand that this stems from love. The love of God is the bedrock of all spiritual things, and the first show of love you can see is in the salvation story. When you were led from sin to righteousness.
Romans 8:14
New King James Version
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Apostle Paul here describes this leading as directional. Leading from the old man to the new man. You were brought out from your sin, and you were saved and made new. In salvation, God also showed his love for you by giving you the Holy Spirit, who would abide in you.
John 14:16
New King James Version
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you
It's your nature as a believer to hear your Father, to hear God. He can direct you on where to go, who to talk to, what to do. God works in you because he has given you the Holy Ghost.
Philippians 2:13
New King James Version
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
The Holy Spirit can influence you so that you birth results that align with what God wants for you. The goal for the believer is to be at the center of the will of God for your life.
James 1:5
New King James Version
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
You have access to counsel when you ask for it. God is more willing to lead you than you are willing to be led. Even in the Old Testament, we see that God spoke to men. These were people who didn’t have the Holy Spirit inside of them, but God still led them.
For the believer, He dwells inside of you; He has given you a great advantage!
God is intentional about your life; as stated earlier, He loves you, and He would not leave you on your own. He wants to instruct you and show you the way, but receptiveness is important. You need to understand that God can't lead you effectively if you're not willing to be led.
There are things that can be a hindrance to being led by the Spirit:
-
Voice of the Flesh
Your flesh can be a hindrance to hearing the voice of God.
Galatians 5:16-18
New King James Version
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
As long as you are on this earth, you need to mortify the flesh because so many things fight for your attention in the world. These things can distract you from the voice of God, so you need to subdue them.
-
Voice of False Prophets
Jesus warns to be cautious of false prophets.
Matthew 7:15-17
New King James Version
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit
Be very cautious of the things you feed your spirit. You can know a false prophet by the things they confess about Jesus.
-
Voice of Fear
Don’t let your life be ruled by fear. Have a great faith walk. The strongest way to walk with God is to work with full surrender to Him. The only way Peter could walk on water was for him to step out of the boat.
In the leading of God, trust has to be without borders. You can bank on God’s integrity and His love that He would not mismanage your life and desires only the best for you.
Prayer
Father, I thank you for your Spirit that is in me; help me to learn to trust your ways and listen to your voice only.
