God wants to Guide us continually – but will we let Him?

by David Leach
(Temecula,Ca USA)

God wants to Guide us continually – but will we let Him?

God didn’t put the wisdom in us to successfully run our own lives – we just think we can:

Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

Ps 37:23 The steps of a good person are ordered by the LORD...

Is this really true? Let’s consider, when it comes to decision making, without God we only have partial information, limited experience, finite intelligence and we can only guess at the future since we don’t even know what’s around the next corner of our lives.

On the other hand God knows everything there is to know, including the future, has infinite and superior wisdom and is willing to impart this wisdom to any receptive human being. In fact He made us so that we would constantly need His wisdom in order to successfully navigate the path of life. Everything of course hinges on whether I believe this or not, and whether I’m willing to give up dependence on my own wisdom and receive God’s wisdom:

Prov 5:1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; Lend your ear to my understanding,

Prov 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth comes...understanding;

Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD...is The Spirit of wisdom and understanding...

Prov 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart...do not trust your own understanding...

Prov 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gets understanding.

Do I believe that God knows the future, including my own, and that He’s willing to tell me?

Isa 42:8-9 I am the Lord…Everything I prophesied came true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens." TLB

Isa 48:3 Time and again I told you what was going to happen in the future… TLB

Jo 16:13 When the Holy Spirit…comes…He will tell you about the future. TLB

Do I believe that God is infinitely wiser than man, than any man and wiser than me?

1 Cor 3:19 For what this world considers to be wisdom is nonsense in God's sight...

1 Cor 1:21 For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to know God...God in (AMP/TEV)His wisdom was pleased through the so called “folly” of the message we preach to save those who believe (the message of the gospel we preach).

Matt 11:25 (Jesus)...“Father...thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little (spiritual) children”. TLB

Do I believe that God is always willing to impart His wisdom to man and specifically to me?

Prov 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge Him (God), And He shall direct your paths.

Ps119:133 Direct my steps by Your word…

Isa 58:11 The LORD will guide you continually….
When is a Christian actually guided by God in all of his or her decisions and choices?

When that Christian, wanting to be guided by God, lets God speak to them a promise from the Bible on guidance, which they believe in their hearts. Then believing that they are now guided by God they unswervingly follow the guidance God gives them. For any believer to be guided by God there are really only four steps:

(1) Do I want to be guided by God? (who do I think would do a better job of running my life, God or me?) (2) Do I believe it is possible to be guided all the time by God? (3) Do I have a promise from God in my heart that I am guided by Him? (4) Will I, without wavering, follow the guidance God gives me?
Rom 8:14-16 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.

...His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts (that is, in our spirits)...TLB

Can I be guided by God if I only want His guidance on major decisions and not little ones?

Many Christians run into this dilemma. Initially it may be born out of ignorance and presuming that God is neither interested in nor does He have a specific will for the multitude of little things in my life. And yet all of the scriptures listed above on guidance make no distinction between major and minor matters but rather make clear that God’s guidance is intended to be continual and include all of my ways – to the level of what I eat or drink or the clothes that I wear. Many Christians scoff at this, but hear what Jesus said:

Luke 12:22-31 (Jesus) Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat neither for the body, what you shall put on…For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows you have need of these things. But seek the kingdom of God (that is, to be living, not in the flesh, but in Christ where God guides continually by His Holy Spirit) and all these things shall be added unto you.

But what about our brains – do we abandon them – no we simply subordinate them to God

Likewise I may have been under the illusion that God gave me a brain in order for me to take decisions independently from Him. The truth is my brain is part of my fallen flesh inherited from Adam and can’t consistently make good choices free from self and sin. Its function is to process information from my five physical senses, but God intends for my brain to be in submission to my spirit, the place where God communicates His guidance.

Eph 4:17 ...You should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, Rom 8:7 For the mind of the flesh is hostile to God, AMP

Finding God’s will on big issues, with my heart, is easy if I have followed His will on the small things. But if I trusted my brain instead of God its hard, because, now being out of His will I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, acting independently from God on any matter will harden my heart and make finding His will, which requires a tender heart, on other matters almost impossible. Christ is either Lord of all or He really isn’t my Lord at all. Jesus lived in continual reliance on the Father, If I say I live in Him so must I:

John 5:30 (Jesus) I am able to do nothing of Myself, independently...but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders. As I hear, I decide as I am instructed to decide. My judgment is righteous because I do not seek My
own will but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me. AMP

1 Jo 2:6 He who says he abides in Him (says he lives in Christ) ought himself also to walk just as He walked (and live as Jesus did in total reliance on the Father).

Can I continue to be led by God’s Spirit if my spirit is not feeding daily on God’s word?

We may love the idea of a Spirit filled and Spirit led life and delight to seek God’s guidance on everything in our lives, but there’s a real danger we may neglect to allow God’s Spirit to guide us daily into the truth of God’s words. Without such living words our spirits cannot be renewed in the knowledge of God or in His righteousness, wisdom, understanding, light, life, ability, power, faith and love.

Our spirits will get weaker, being starved of spiritual food, and it will get harder and harder for us to spiritually discern God’s will by the leading of His Spirit. We will be increasingly troubled with more and more doubt thoughts and we will tend to agonize over smaller decisions due to a fear of missing God’s will.

if we claim to be Spirit led and yet a primary ministry of the Holy Spirit, which is to lead me into and feed me God’s word, isn’t happening, then I must be grieving the Holy Spirit while at the same time trying to be led by the Holy Spirit. This cannot be done, I have now become self-deceived.

Jo 16:13 (Jesus) But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth)… AMP

Jo 17:17 …(Father) Your word is truth (God’s Spirit always guides us into God’s word)

If I truly knew God’s perfect guidance was available to me, why on earth wouldn’t I want it?

If I knew for certain that our all wise God, who is love and who does everything well, who knows everything including the future; is willing to direct all of my decisions, including how I can help others, wouldn’t it be absurd for me to not receive and obey His guidance? And yet most Christians receive very little of God’s detailed guidance for their lives.

Why is this? It can only be due to either ignorance of the availability of God’s guidance (which may be willful ignorance) or, incredibly, rebellion against God’s guidance. Both of these are of course rooted in unbelief of the full gospel – therefore the gospel can’t help them:

Heb 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

Jam 1:6 ...For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea…let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord (for it has to be received by faith);
As with everything else it comes down to trusting God– how can I learn to trust God more?

The more my heart receives God’s living words the more I’m able to trust God to guide me

Prov 2:1-5 My son if you receive my words...and apply your heart to understanding...

Rom 10:17 ...Faith (trust in God) comes by hearing and hearing of the word of God.

Ps 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass.

If we believe God is guiding us, and we are willing to obey His guidance, we will be guided.