Let the Holy Spirit Lead You

Principle 8: Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit all the time, in everything you do.

In this scripture, Jesus is telling His disciples that they can live in close fellowship with God when the Holy Spirit comes to live in them. Here’s how this works…

When you received Christ and were born again (John 3), God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, came to live in your spirit. He made you new on the inside (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21), and as you spend time with Him in prayer and studying the Word, He works in your soul. As you grow in your personal relationship with Him, you produce good fruit that reveals His presence in your life (Galatians 5:22-23).

As John 16:7 says, the Holy Spirit is with you to be your Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener and Standby. He is literally everything we need!

Think of this in the standpoint of recovering from wounds caused by past experiences. Many people come to God because their life is a mess and they don’t know how to fix it. They’ve tried everything they know to do, but nothing has worked. Oftentimes, in desperation they surrender to God and ask for Him to help them.

God loves this because He longs to bring healing and wholeness to each and every one of us in our spirit, soul and body. And when He does the healing, we don’t have to live in recovery mode forever.

We need the Holy Spirit to lead us through the healing process because on our own, we aren’t smart enough to figure out everything we need to do or how to go about it. We also need His strength to get it done. We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit to tackle the hard stuff and overcome it all.

Joyce knows about this from personal experience:

“The pain of my past affected my thinking, how I operated emotionally, all of my relationships, and even my will. I was rebellious and stubborn and promised myself no one would ever hurt me or push me around again.

As I began my journey to wholeness in Christ, I had to face some painful things I had been avoiding and at times, running from. I had to face the fact that my parents didn’t know how to love me…that I had been abused…that there was a lot of pain in my life because of it all…that my dysfunctional behavior was rooted in the mistreatment I had experienced and I couldn’t blame it on the people in my life now. I had to take responsibility for my wrong attitudes, mindsets, behavior, and lean on God for the wisdom and strength to change.”

It’s God’s plan for you to be healthy and whole in Christ. He is faithful and will not fail you! Keep your eyes on Him and trust Him to give you the ability to do whatever He shows you to do. He is on your side and you are more than a conqueror in Christ!

Study these scriptures to build up your faith in God to heal your soul:

• John 16:7 – What do the names of the Holy Spirit reveal about His character and the ways He wants to work in your life?
• 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21 – According to these verses, how does the life of Christ change you when you accept Him as your Savior? What does this mean for you?
• John 14:17, 26; Acts 1:8 – In these verses, we see how the Holy Spirit is with us and how He helps us. Describe these aspects of your relationship with Him.
• Galatians 5:22-23 – What characteristics of God grow in our soul as we get closer to Him?

The truths you discover in these verses are so encouraging when you face things that are painful to deal with. Remember: You can’t do this on your own, and God doesn’t expect you to do so. He is there with you, and He wants to give you everything you need to become healthy and whole!