Led by the Spirit

Going Somewhere

If we imagine this verse in our minds, we see a traveler on his way somewhere, but in need of direction along the way. He knows where he wants to go, but doesn’t know exactly how to get there. For that reason, he needs to be led in the right direction at each point along the way.

And when he comes to a crossroads, when he needs to make a decision, there’s a voice behind him, saying, this is the way, go in this direction. He may not have the full roadmap to look at, but he knows the direction to go at that moment.

The point here is that to be led by the Spirit of God, we need to be on the way somewhere in our spirit, knowing where we want to go, and believing that the Lord will get us there if we’re willing to take the journey.

Willing and Obedient

We must be willing and obedient. The truth is that the Lord cannot make us do anything. We have a freewill that He will not violate. And unfortunately, the natural thing to do when things get tough in life is not to get going, like the old saying suggests, but rather to give up and quit. That’s what happened to Elijah when he ran for his life from the wrath of Jezebel. He said to the Lord, it’s enough, just let me die.

You see, we get it in our mind that our problem is somehow too big for God to handle. And so, why bother believing? We stop moving. We’re defeated. We just sit down and feel sorry for ourselves. We quit listening for the Lord’s guidance.

So, the point here is that God leads us as we’re on the way toward something, not while we’re sitting still. Well, okay, I can see that, but how do we get ourselves going?

God will Lead Us

That question takes us to the next point in our study of being led by the Spirit, which is that the Lord will give us a prompting to get us started, to get us going, and then He’ll wait for us to obey before He gives us more.

This was an amazing promise the Lord blessed Abram with. He said, I’ll make you a great nation, I’ll bless you, I’ll make your name great, I’ll bless everyone who blesses you, and I’ll curse those who curse you.

But what was the guidance the Lord gave him? Get out of your country, get away from all your kin people and your father’s house, and go to a land that I will show you. That was Abram’s first step on obedience. Leave your father’s house and go where I will show you.

Leaving the Familiar

And just as a sidethought, the Lord may need to get us away from that which is familiar to take us to lead us to that which is promised. But for now, the point is that the Lord will give us a prompting to get us started, and then He’ll wait for us to obey before He gives us more. After all, the Bible says that we walk in the footsteps of Abraham’s faith. If the Lord led Abraham that way, will He not lead us the same way in our own lives?

Obedience Leads to Destiny

Now, would God have blessed Abraham if he had not obeyed? Probably not. And if that’s the case, then we could say that Abraham’s destiny was connected to his obedience. Is our destiny also connected to our obedience? Most likely it is.

When God desires us to act, He initiates the process by prompting a small initial step. Further guidance is revealed to us as we obey. The journey, however, requires us to begin; it is not solely God's responsibility. We have our part to play. As we move forward, we will hear a guiding voice, an inward whisper, saying, this is the way, go this direction.

In the Footsteps of Abraham

Abraham, the father of faith, demonstrated his faith through unwavering obedience. May our faith also be seen as we fully yield ourselves to the Lord's direction in our lives.