Divine Guidance
Life is largely a result of the decisions we make everyday. What happens in our lives today will not always be a chance or a coincidence. Most of the time, it is a consequence of our choices. We may not be in the capacity to influence the entire planet or nation by our choices, but our decisions sure account for a large part of the life we are leading now, and invariably also impact the lives of people in our circle of contact.
Decisions, depending on their nature, have bearings that pertain not just to the here and now but also to the many years to come, even eternity. We see this happening in the life of Adam, and, later, in that of Abraham. Both their life stories testify to the tremendous impact specific decisions can have. Because he ate the fruit God specifically forbade him from eating, Adam was guilty of disobedience. That one act of disobedience subjected every living person henceforth to the bondage of sin and death. The entire human race fell into a state unredeemable by any human means because of Adam’s casual ‘yes’ to what should have been a firm ‘no.’
Abraham, whose obedience and loyalty towards God resulted in God establishing an everlasting covenant of redemption for all men, made a choice that the entire world can benefit from even today. We do not think that Abraham knew about the kind of impact his act of devotion would have on other people; but even then, his decision to consistently believe God and follow Him brought about innumerable unforeseen blessings that we enjoy today as spiritual children of Abraham.
For a similar impact resulting from one man’s decision, albeit on a smaller scale, recall the account of Jonah, who ran away from God’s call for him to preach to the perishing city of Nineveh. In choosing to run away from the call of God, Jonah ended up endangering the lives of a whole shipload of people during a storm in the open seas. Had he made a further wrong decision by remaining onboard the vessel, all the passengers might well have perished as a result of his disobedience.
So don’t you think our decisions carry a big impact, though they may not seem so at the first glance? As we have seen, our decisions determine not only our personal destiny, they also affect the people around us. It is bad enough that one will reap the awful consequences of bad choices, we don’t want to make it more ugly by causing others to end up paying for what you owe. A shipload of people almost ended up paying for someone else’s (Jonah) bad decision with their lives. It could happen to us too if we do not make wise decisions that other people can benefit from.
The highest commandment in God’s law is to love others. It is the hallmark of our faith. By making wise decisions so that people around us will not suffer by wrong choices we make, we are fulfilling God’s commandment to love others. Making wise decisions is a responsibility that is commonly overlooked.
Could we have forgotten that the Holy Spirit was sent for this very purpose? When we are faced with choices to make and we are not confident of what is good for us, do we consult with the Holy Spirit, who is there to “teach us all things” (Jn. 14:26)? Or do we go ahead and venture a decision even in the face of several uncertainties, then hope and pray after that for things to work themselves out somehow? We hope you are beginning to see that making decisions lightly and carelessly is folly. It amounts to rejecting the Holy Spirit’s ministry that was given to us by the Lord before He left the earth.
God would not give us something that we don’t need. Obviously, we can do with some help in making good choices in daily living. That’s why He’s given us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Only the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God (1 Cor. 2:11-12) and is therefore able to give perfect guidance in every decision making process.
In this chapter, we will learn more about how divine guidance works in the natural to reach us and help us towards our calling in Christ.
Guidance Through Scripture
“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.” (Lk. 11:27)
One of the most straightforward ways God gives guidance to His people is through His Word.
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:7-9)
God tells the children of Israel to lay hold of His words always and never let them depart from their presence. With His counsel forever before them, the people would not lack sound advice and good counsel in whatever decisions they had to make.
Today, that requirement is made a lot simpler for us. We do not need to scribble verses all over our palms or stick Bible passages all over our files so as to access them whenever we need godly counsel. We have the Bible in our hands—the key to good and sound guidance at all times. Unfortunately, few people turn the pages to look for the answers they so badly need to know. We hurry about to seek counsel everywhere, which is a joke, because very often the answers are there in God’s Word if we only bother to look for them.
Have you noticed that people who read God’s Word on a frequent basis are generally not paralysed into inaction when decisions have to be made? This is because they have peace and confidence in their hearts from reading the Word of God and finding counsel from it.
“Your statutes are my delight, for they are my counsellors.” (Ps. 119:24)
Many bad choices could have been avoided if God’s Word had been consulted before making a decision.
“The entrance of your word brings light.” (Ps. 119:130)
However, God’s written word is not altogether clear and defined on every question that we may have. There are situations we will face that do not fit the description of any situation mentioned in the Bible. For example, to take up the job at the advertising company or the one at the publishing firm; or whether it is a safe and wise move to marry the person you are now dating. Or even to say yes or no to your pastor who has asked you to help out in the weekly children’s ministry activities. The Bible does not spell out prescribed responses to these situations. That does not mean they are unimportant. Decisions that often put us to deep thoughts and even dilemmas are usually very important ones indeed. What we described above – career movements, selection of a life partner, the choice of ministry – these are all long-term commitments which means that any decision we make is going to bind us for at least some time. We will have to live out the consequences of every decision we make. And when the term is a long one, we definitely do not want to make mistakes at the decision stage.
So what do we do when we are faced with a decision where there are no clear guiding principles you can find in God’s Word?
The answer is, you start preparing for that now. You may be shocked by this assertion, but we do mean what you just read. When we can’t get an exact answer from the Bible because it would be ridiculous for God to have to spell out the definitions of every person’s life partner, or to list the kinds of jobs suitable for every living person on this planet!, what we can do is speak to God about the situation, then allow the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance God’s word. It would usually be in the form of a scripture or passages from a particular situation in the Bible, which we must have come across from our reading of His word. That will serve as an indication of God’s direction for our situation or as a confirmation of His will there: ”But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 16:26).
But for that to be possible, any sensible person will know that it is first necessary for us to be filled with scripture. Otherwise how will there be anything in us for the Holy Spirit to magnify and draw our attention to? In other words, how do you expect God to call certain passages or verses to remembrance if we do not know more than five scriptural verses out of sixty-six books of scriptures in the Bible! So you see why you need to start preparing for that now. We will need time to build up a reservoir of scriptures sufficient for God to call a word into season for us when we need it.
So we strongly recommend regular reading of God’s word even though you may not be looking for any answers now. We never know when the verse that we never read a second time will unexpectedly be brought to mind by the Spirit of God when we seek His directions for a particular situation. By reading the word of God regularly and allowing His word to “dwell richly in you” (Col. 3:16) we will be doing ourself a big favour that will only benefit us in time to come.
Peter was guided this way when a decision had to be made concerning the appointment of another to fill the vacated office of Judas Iscariot. He addressed the matter before the people who were gathered and said the following:
“Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry…. For it is written ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office’” (Acts 1:16-20).
The words in italics above are quoted from Ps. 69:25 and Ps. 109:8, respectively. Try reading the two psalms. If you did, you would not guess that they were referring to Judas, unless by some stroke of divine genius. How then did Peter know that the scriptures could be applied to the situation they were in when there was no specific mention in the words? Only because the Holy Spirit made them appear that way to Peter so he could draw inference from the verses and form a specific view of God’s will in the situation.
We will never tire of repeating this, especially to new believers: The word of God is the bedrock of almost any form of divine counsel. Living in a world where complexity abounds, nothing beats having a sure source of divine guidance that we can look to as and when we need it.
Besides preparing in us a source of guidance, regular Bible reading also improves our consciousness of God. God’s words are “spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). As we read His word daily, the power of the word works deep within us, healing, changing, and refining us inside. It is like the farmer scattering seeds on planting grounds and seeing them sprout though he “himself does not know how” (Mk. 4:26-29). It may be underground, invisible work, but you will see its fruit in season. The more we read God’s word, the more sensitive our spirit man is towards God; and this means our senses are more tuned to God, which of course puts us in a better position to receive divine counsel when the Holy Spirit chooses to speak to us.
Guidance Through Counsel
Some of you strong and independent ones may not like this, but God will sometimes choose to use another person to guide us. After all, He is God who made all of us, and He should be allowed to decide which is the best way to guide His children.
Because God made no one perfect, every one of us will have a speck that escapes our eye. We will have flaws that we do not see, and, in making choices, areas that we fail to consider. As a result, we need others to offer us objective views for our consideration. These views can be a source of inspiration for us, helping us to see new alternatives or to see the old in a new light. Walls of prejudices may well be so steep and wrong ideas so deeply imprinted upon our lives that the voice of God simply cannot penetrate our consciousness. In such instances, God will use the people around us to speak His word. Wiser decisions are more likely to result from such counsel than if we were left alone to figure out the best solution to a difficult situation.
Source Of Counsel
There are some things we ought to know when seeking counsel from others.
First of all, when we decide to seek counsel from others, we should remind ourselves that we are seeking guidance and not affirmation. There is a world of difference there. When we seek guidance, we are exploring the various courses of action or possibilities, but when we go for affirmation, we have already decided what we want and are merely seeking out people who would support us in our choice. If we are not conscious of this, the tendency is we would be more inclined towards consulting only people we think will agree with what we already want in our hearts. An example of this is King Ahab, who so badly wanted to go to war and win a victory that, even though he suspected in his heart that the victory prophesied by a group of 400 prophets was a lie, he refused to accept the right counsel of the true prophet of God Micaiah. We wonder if he ever regretted his choice of which counsel to receive, but even if he did, he had to give up his life in exchange for the lesson, for he finally went out to the battlefield and died there. It is important, therefore, that when you seek advice, be objective. Be careful of the idol in our hearts.
Not just anyone should be approached when we want to seek good guidance. There are people whose understanding is dull which could be due to a variety of reasons and they are themselves struggling to cope with life. We should avoid going to these people for guidance just as we avoid asking a blind man to show us the way.
But that does not mean that we can only take guidance from a more spiritual person than us There is a common misconception that God speaks to us only through those who are more spiritual than us. It may seem logical, but Scripture shows us that this is not necessarily true. Moses was someone who had seen God and been spoken to by God. In his generation, there was perhaps no other person who experienced that close a walk with God. However, when there was that problem of the overwhelming crowd of Israelites who daily awaited an audience with him to resolve matters in their lives, Moses, in all his wealth of spirituality, was not able to find a solution until Jethro, his father-in-law, offered him a resolution to the problem. If you think having to accept counsel from your in-laws is bad, think again. God chose to use a donkey to speak to the prophet Balaam (Num. 22)!
Even from among a fellowship of believers, there are those we would do well to listen to and those we don’t want to hear too much from because they only amplify the problem and do little to help. Do not assume that those who are older and have accomplishments are in the position to provide better advice. Also, people with impressive or magnetic personalities are not necessarily good choices for consultation.
“I said, ‘Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice.” (Job 32:7-10)
Sometimes we may not have much of a choice, but as far as possible, choose someone who loves God and who has an evident walk with God. People who are stimulating and emotionally expressive will always appear to be great choices for us to consult with, but their spirit man can actually be very weak. And since understanding is birthed in the spirit of a man (Job 32:8), we don’t want to make a mistake by listening to someone who sounds so good on the outside but who is actually empty within.
Someone who has had a similar experience might be able to help us cope with our situation. Paul suffered much, and, because of that, was able to comfort those who were similarly persecuted for their faith: “if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation” (2 Cor. 1:6).
People we know who have our welfare at heart are also naturally better bets to give us counsel. There can be many who may be spiritual but who either have no interest or a vested interest in the decision we need to make. Paul told the Corinthian church that though there were several persons who could be called their teachers, they had only one spiritual father, which was Paul himself. This was because Paul knew his heart for the Corinthians was pure, having begotten them through the gospel. While they may not be the only ones concerned about us, it is generally true that the people who led us to know Christ usually go on to have a special relationship with us. They are like our spiritual parents who genuinely love us and want the best for us.
Take Responsibility After the Consultation Stage
Jethro said: “if you do this thing and God also commands you, then you will be able to endure and all these people will also.” (Exo. 18:23)
Ultimately, the responsibility of our decisions lies with us regardless of the counsel we receive. While counsel opens up new ways to seeing things, above all we have to seek God for ourselves for confirmation of what has been said.
Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon, was made king after Solomon died. Jeroboam came to him and reported that if the kind of harsh treatment Solomon gave the people were not put away then Israel would not submit to his rule. Undecided, Rehoboam sought the advice of two groups of people: the first were advisors in his father’s cabinet and the next his childhood playmates. They gave him conflicting advice, but Rehoboam eventually heeded the advice of his playmates to threaten the people with harsher treatment than meted out by his late father. Because of this, Jeroboam led the entire tribe of Israel, save for Judah, into revolt against the reigning monarch. That brought about the division of Israel into two kingdoms (1 Kings 12:1-30).
Let the word of God have the final say in whatever we choose to do after we have heard the counsel of man. Do not allow smooth speech, imposing authority or even sincerity pressure us into putting more value than it is worth on what has been given as advice. Test all advice with the wisdom of God. Look up verses that relate to what has] been said. Read the background of the scripture passage and check out its context. Put the suggested idea the advice you received into the passage. Does it fit into the whole counsel of God found in His written word? Find that out before you act on any advice. It may take some work to do this if you are not yet familiar with the Bible, but you will need to do it. We need to be independent students of the Bible in order to better help ourselves in future.
Inward Witness
Apart from scripture, the other common way God guides is through the inward witness. God’s Spirit dwells in us when we become born again as His children, so naturally He guides us through our spirit man: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). At its most elementary level, we should be able to discern in our spirits a ‘green light’ or `red light’ in the decisions we are making. Even if we are not very clear as to the details that can be shared with someone you seek advice from, we should at least learn to discern spiritually either a peace to proceed or a constraint not to do so hastily.
The inward witness may not be as spectacular as prophecies or visitations by angelic beings but it is certainly no less supernatural.
“For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.” (2 Chron. 15:3-4)
Some of us may not be familiar with this, but as children of God, do not be afraid to seek Him on our own. This is another way we can be led by God. Seek God as best as we know how, and once we sense something, check it out in the scriptures or verify it by bringing it to a more mature Christian who could help us test that thought. Simple as it seems, God can lead us through our very own thoughts or desires, and we may not even know it.
The Bible tells us that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23). To illustrate what this means, we note that during his second missionary journey, Paul did not record any specific guidance or instruction from God, for his wanting to return to the places he visited before. It was simply something that he personally thought was timely and good to do (Acts 15:36). There was nothing that happened after that decision to tell us that it was a wrong move by him. In fact, that journey brought about a blessing to him: he met Timothy, who [went on to help] him in his ministry and the churches that he visited “were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily” (Acts 16:5).
In an instance like this, out of a prayerful spirit, Paul committed himself to God, believing in God to direct him by opening doors or by closing doors should his decisions be out of His will.
Oneness In the Spirit
“But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them even if they remain even as I am.” (1 Cor 7:8)
“Now to the married, I command, yet not I but the Lord …” (1 Cor 7:10)
“But to the rest I, not the Lord, say …” (1 Cor 7:12)
“Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgement as one whom the Lord in His mercy, has made trustworthy.” (1 Cor 7:25)
“But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgement and I think I also have the Spirit of God. “ (1 Cor 7:40)
The context of Paul’s words quoted above was instructions given to the Corinthian church regarding marriage. We see clearly in each of these verses that Paul was careful to make a distinction between his personal judgement and that which he had received as a commandment from God. In 1 Corinthians 7:25, he confessed that he did not receive a clear commandment concerning virgins but nevertheless he was teaching what he felt God would agree with (v.40).
Paul taught that based on the understanding gained by his spiritual discernment. He made it clear it wasn’t God who spoke the word, but what he thought was wise. We know today that that wisdom displayed must have been approved by God since it has since been made part of the Holy Bible. That is His inspired word to Paul – not divinely spoken, but yet divinely derived from the godly wisdom in Paul.
We do not need to envy Paul for being able to live in that realm of spiritual maturity. We can too, if we want. God has made it possible for the Body of Christ (that is us) to be equipped and edified such that we become a “perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Perhaps it is not yet happening where we are now. If that is so, then we ought to pray for the full restoration of the ministry gifts in our fellowship of believers, and at the same time train ourselves in the word of God and in prayer. This way, we are developing sharpness in our spiritual senses and that puts us in a better position to think according to the mind of Christ.
Prophetic Ministry & Divine Guidance
“So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.” (Ezra 6:14)
Did you notice that? The success in building God’s temple involved the prophetic ministry of Haggai! And if the prophetic ministry can prosper the construction of God’s temple, surely we can trust that it can build spiritual substance into believers and establish them firmly in their destiny. While all of us have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and ideally should have the perfect mind of Christ, the truth is that many of us fall short. God, in His mercy, has given the prophetic ministry to the church to give words in season that can propel us towards the path that God is leading us.
Prophetic Timing
Before we act on guidance received through prophecies, we need to understand some basic principles of the prophetic ministry. Prophetic timing, for example, is an important thing to observe. If not understood, guidance received through prophecies can end up doing more harm than good to us.
Very often, the Holy Spirit reveals something of the future for our lives as a seed to be nurtured that will grow into a tree and bear fruit over time. Instead of launching immediately into what the prophecy entails, we should position ourselves in a way that prepares us to embrace the appointment or ministry that God will eventually bring us into.
Prophecies that provide guidance usually function as a blueprint for us to put the pieces of the puzzle in our life together. They help us to make better sense out of what we have and know. Usually, prophecies are used to lead people into their ultimate calling in God. Whatever it might be, do not be hasty about stepping into our calling. Rather, wait on Him and get ourself ready so that at the right time we can be led into our ministry for God.
Walking With God
“If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord make Myself known to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord.” (Num 12:6-8)
In the above verses, God made a clear distinction between Moses and the other prophets whom He spoke to in dreams. Moses served the Lord out of his walk and relationship with God, while all the other prophets served God out of their gifting which came with the office they were called into. It is clear that God honoured the love and sincerity Moses had in his heart throughout all the time that he walked with God.
God is raising up a generation of people who will experience more of Him not because of the anointing upon their lives but because they have an intimate relationship with Him. Like we said, do not be taken in and swept off the ground by what are merely outward appearances of dynamism and charisma. A person’s talents and functions, which come from God’s anointing grace, are not indications of spiritual maturity. Observe their walk and relationship with God. See if it is a stable and loyal friend who would see you through the journey to fulfilling your destiny in Christ.
One question that is commonly asked today by many Christians is this: “How can I hear God?” Over the years, we have heard people ask this many times: in the first year of their relationship with God, in the second year, in the fifth year, the tenth, and even longer!
Very sadly, that question, though repeated ever so much, is usually an idle rather than an earnest question. God has promised throughout the scriptures that if we call on Him, He would surely answer us, and that if we take the initiative to seek Him, He will not hide from us. Can it be thinkable that a sound and loving God can be playing games with His children for so many years? Surely not, but the problem is, those who ask that question are hardly interested in finding out the answer. For if they were, they would have looked for God, and as He promised, God would have revealed Himself to them. We choose to believe that God does not lie, that He will do what He says.
When my little daughter Rachael was just newly born, my wife and I would hear the lightest sound she made when she awoke from her sleep—even when we were some distance away from the cot. Visitors seated right next to us would not register any sound made, but my wife and I would be certain that we heard our daughter. True enough, we would find her awake when we reached her cot.
Why that is so is very simple. We love our daughter deeply and, as a result, are very sensitive to her every sound and motion. It doesn’t take much of a cry from her to get our attention. Studies have revealed that women who are normally heavy sleepers will nevertheless wake at the cry of their new-born babies. The point we are trying to make is this: you will assuredly hear what your heart considers dear. So until you fix God’s voice as a desired priority, you are not likely to be hearing from Him as clearly as you would like.
Even with that, we need to beware of the disease that many long-time Christians suffer from: spiritual deafness. This disease attacks us when we have been hearing God for many times, but never allowing His words to register in us. This is equivalent to hearing but not doing. Over time, the heart will be seared and immune to the voice of God, even when it is loud and clear. Soon, hearing God accurately will be lost , and we will find ourselves not being able to discern with confidence the things we are hearing in the spirit.
Perhaps we need some time to re-examine ourselves: Where is our heart inclined? Is hearing God a quest in our life and is hearing His voice truly important to us?
Whosoever will seek God shall find Him. While many techniques have been taught on the ways to hear God, what is exceedingly more important is our attitude towards Him. Under the new covenant that we are all in, we have the privilege to walk even more closely with God than Adam, Enoch, Abraham and Moses did. God walked with Adam, Enoch, Abraham and spoke to Moses face to face, but now He dwells in us. It is God’s desire to commune with us and help us fulfil His calling in us. God is looking for a heart that loves Him. Go for that, and you will start having God come to you like you’ve always dreamed about.
Life is largely a result of the decisions we make everyday. What happens in our lives today will not always be a chance or a coincidence. Most of the time, it is a consequence of our choices. We may not be in the capacity to influence the entire planet or nation by our choices, but our decisions sure account for a large part of the life we are leading now, and invariably also impact the lives of people in our circle of contact.
Decisions, depending on their nature, have bearings that pertain not just to the here and now but also to the many years to come, even eternity. We see this happening in the life of Adam, and, later, in that of Abraham. Both their life stories testify to the tremendous impact specific decisions can have. Because he ate the fruit God specifically forbade him from eating, Adam was guilty of disobedience. That one act of disobedience subjected every living person henceforth to the bondage of sin and death. The entire human race fell into a state unredeemable by any human means because of Adam’s casual ‘yes’ to what should have been a firm ‘no.’
Abraham, whose obedience and loyalty towards God resulted in God establishing an everlasting covenant of redemption for all men, made a choice that the entire world can benefit from even today. We do not think that Abraham knew about the kind of impact his act of devotion would have on other people; but even then, his decision to consistently believe God and follow Him brought about innumerable unforeseen blessings that we enjoy today as spiritual children of Abraham.
For a similar impact resulting from one man’s decision, albeit on a smaller scale, recall the account of Jonah, who ran away from God’s call for him to preach to the perishing city of Nineveh. In choosing to run away from the call of God, Jonah ended up endangering the lives of a whole shipload of people during a storm in the open seas. Had he made a further wrong decision by remaining onboard the vessel, all the passengers might well have perished as a result of his disobedience.
So don’t you think our decisions carry a big impact, though they may not seem so at the first glance? As we have seen, our decisions determine not only our personal destiny, they also affect the people around us. It is bad enough that one will reap the awful consequences of bad choices, we don’t want to make it more ugly by causing others to end up paying for what you owe. A shipload of people almost ended up paying for someone else’s (Jonah) bad decision with their lives. It could happen to us too if we do not make wise decisions that other people can benefit from.
The highest commandment in God’s law is to love others. It is the hallmark of our faith. By making wise decisions so that people around us will not suffer by wrong choices we make, we are fulfilling God’s commandment to love others. Making wise decisions is a responsibility that is commonly overlooked.
Could we have forgotten that the Holy Spirit was sent for this very purpose? When we are faced with choices to make and we are not confident of what is good for us, do we consult with the Holy Spirit, who is there to “teach us all things” (Jn. 14:26)? Or do we go ahead and venture a decision even in the face of several uncertainties, then hope and pray after that for things to work themselves out somehow? We hope you are beginning to see that making decisions lightly and carelessly is folly. It amounts to rejecting the Holy Spirit’s ministry that was given to us by the Lord before He left the earth.
God would not give us something that we don’t need. Obviously, we can do with some help in making good choices in daily living. That’s why He’s given us the Holy Spirit to guide us. Only the Holy Spirit knows the mind of God (1 Cor. 2:11-12) and is therefore able to give perfect guidance in every decision making process.
In this chapter, we will learn more about how divine guidance works in the natural to reach us and help us towards our calling in Christ.
Guidance Through Scripture
“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it.” (Lk. 11:27)
One of the most straightforward ways God gives guidance to His people is through His Word.
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut. 6:7-9)
God tells the children of Israel to lay hold of His words always and never let them depart from their presence. With His counsel forever before them, the people would not lack sound advice and good counsel in whatever decisions they had to make.
Today, that requirement is made a lot simpler for us. We do not need to scribble verses all over our palms or stick Bible passages all over our files so as to access them whenever we need godly counsel. We have the Bible in our hands—the key to good and sound guidance at all times. Unfortunately, few people turn the pages to look for the answers they so badly need to know. We hurry about to seek counsel everywhere, which is a joke, because very often the answers are there in God’s Word if we only bother to look for them.
Have you noticed that people who read God’s Word on a frequent basis are generally not paralysed into inaction when decisions have to be made? This is because they have peace and confidence in their hearts from reading the Word of God and finding counsel from it.
“Your statutes are my delight, for they are my counsellors.” (Ps. 119:24)
Many bad choices could have been avoided if God’s Word had been consulted before making a decision.
“The entrance of your word brings light.” (Ps. 119:130)
However, God’s written word is not altogether clear and defined on every question that we may have. There are situations we will face that do not fit the description of any situation mentioned in the Bible. For example, to take up the job at the advertising company or the one at the publishing firm; or whether it is a safe and wise move to marry the person you are now dating. Or even to say yes or no to your pastor who has asked you to help out in the weekly children’s ministry activities. The Bible does not spell out prescribed responses to these situations. That does not mean they are unimportant. Decisions that often put us to deep thoughts and even dilemmas are usually very important ones indeed. What we described above – career movements, selection of a life partner, the choice of ministry – these are all long-term commitments which means that any decision we make is going to bind us for at least some time. We will have to live out the consequences of every decision we make. And when the term is a long one, we definitely do not want to make mistakes at the decision stage.
So what do we do when we are faced with a decision where there are no clear guiding principles you can find in God’s Word?
The answer is, you start preparing for that now. You may be shocked by this assertion, but we do mean what you just read. When we can’t get an exact answer from the Bible because it would be ridiculous for God to have to spell out the definitions of every person’s life partner, or to list the kinds of jobs suitable for every living person on this planet!, what we can do is speak to God about the situation, then allow the Holy Spirit to bring to remembrance God’s word. It would usually be in the form of a scripture or passages from a particular situation in the Bible, which we must have come across from our reading of His word. That will serve as an indication of God’s direction for our situation or as a confirmation of His will there: ”But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 16:26).
But for that to be possible, any sensible person will know that it is first necessary for us to be filled with scripture. Otherwise how will there be anything in us for the Holy Spirit to magnify and draw our attention to? In other words, how do you expect God to call certain passages or verses to remembrance if we do not know more than five scriptural verses out of sixty-six books of scriptures in the Bible! So you see why you need to start preparing for that now. We will need time to build up a reservoir of scriptures sufficient for God to call a word into season for us when we need it.
So we strongly recommend regular reading of God’s word even though you may not be looking for any answers now. We never know when the verse that we never read a second time will unexpectedly be brought to mind by the Spirit of God when we seek His directions for a particular situation. By reading the word of God regularly and allowing His word to “dwell richly in you” (Col. 3:16) we will be doing ourself a big favour that will only benefit us in time to come.
Peter was guided this way when a decision had to be made concerning the appointment of another to fill the vacated office of Judas Iscariot. He addressed the matter before the people who were gathered and said the following:
“Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry…. For it is written ‘Let his dwelling place be desolate, and let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office’” (Acts 1:16-20).
The words in italics above are quoted from Ps. 69:25 and Ps. 109:8, respectively. Try reading the two psalms. If you did, you would not guess that they were referring to Judas, unless by some stroke of divine genius. How then did Peter know that the scriptures could be applied to the situation they were in when there was no specific mention in the words? Only because the Holy Spirit made them appear that way to Peter so he could draw inference from the verses and form a specific view of God’s will in the situation.
We will never tire of repeating this, especially to new believers: The word of God is the bedrock of almost any form of divine counsel. Living in a world where complexity abounds, nothing beats having a sure source of divine guidance that we can look to as and when we need it.
Besides preparing in us a source of guidance, regular Bible reading also improves our consciousness of God. God’s words are “spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). As we read His word daily, the power of the word works deep within us, healing, changing, and refining us inside. It is like the farmer scattering seeds on planting grounds and seeing them sprout though he “himself does not know how” (Mk. 4:26-29). It may be underground, invisible work, but you will see its fruit in season. The more we read God’s word, the more sensitive our spirit man is towards God; and this means our senses are more tuned to God, which of course puts us in a better position to receive divine counsel when the Holy Spirit chooses to speak to us.
Guidance Through Counsel
Some of you strong and independent ones may not like this, but God will sometimes choose to use another person to guide us. After all, He is God who made all of us, and He should be allowed to decide which is the best way to guide His children.
Because God made no one perfect, every one of us will have a speck that escapes our eye. We will have flaws that we do not see, and, in making choices, areas that we fail to consider. As a result, we need others to offer us objective views for our consideration. These views can be a source of inspiration for us, helping us to see new alternatives or to see the old in a new light. Walls of prejudices may well be so steep and wrong ideas so deeply imprinted upon our lives that the voice of God simply cannot penetrate our consciousness. In such instances, God will use the people around us to speak His word. Wiser decisions are more likely to result from such counsel than if we were left alone to figure out the best solution to a difficult situation.
Source Of Counsel
There are some things we ought to know when seeking counsel from others.
First of all, when we decide to seek counsel from others, we should remind ourselves that we are seeking guidance and not affirmation. There is a world of difference there. When we seek guidance, we are exploring the various courses of action or possibilities, but when we go for affirmation, we have already decided what we want and are merely seeking out people who would support us in our choice. If we are not conscious of this, the tendency is we would be more inclined towards consulting only people we think will agree with what we already want in our hearts. An example of this is King Ahab, who so badly wanted to go to war and win a victory that, even though he suspected in his heart that the victory prophesied by a group of 400 prophets was a lie, he refused to accept the right counsel of the true prophet of God Micaiah. We wonder if he ever regretted his choice of which counsel to receive, but even if he did, he had to give up his life in exchange for the lesson, for he finally went out to the battlefield and died there. It is important, therefore, that when you seek advice, be objective. Be careful of the idol in our hearts.
Not just anyone should be approached when we want to seek good guidance. There are people whose understanding is dull which could be due to a variety of reasons and they are themselves struggling to cope with life. We should avoid going to these people for guidance just as we avoid asking a blind man to show us the way.
But that does not mean that we can only take guidance from a more spiritual person than us There is a common misconception that God speaks to us only through those who are more spiritual than us. It may seem logical, but Scripture shows us that this is not necessarily true. Moses was someone who had seen God and been spoken to by God. In his generation, there was perhaps no other person who experienced that close a walk with God. However, when there was that problem of the overwhelming crowd of Israelites who daily awaited an audience with him to resolve matters in their lives, Moses, in all his wealth of spirituality, was not able to find a solution until Jethro, his father-in-law, offered him a resolution to the problem. If you think having to accept counsel from your in-laws is bad, think again. God chose to use a donkey to speak to the prophet Balaam (Num. 22)!
Even from among a fellowship of believers, there are those we would do well to listen to and those we don’t want to hear too much from because they only amplify the problem and do little to help. Do not assume that those who are older and have accomplishments are in the position to provide better advice. Also, people with impressive or magnetic personalities are not necessarily good choices for consultation.
“I said, ‘Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice.” (Job 32:7-10)
Sometimes we may not have much of a choice, but as far as possible, choose someone who loves God and who has an evident walk with God. People who are stimulating and emotionally expressive will always appear to be great choices for us to consult with, but their spirit man can actually be very weak. And since understanding is birthed in the spirit of a man (Job 32:8), we don’t want to make a mistake by listening to someone who sounds so good on the outside but who is actually empty within.
Someone who has had a similar experience might be able to help us cope with our situation. Paul suffered much, and, because of that, was able to comfort those who were similarly persecuted for their faith: “if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation” (2 Cor. 1:6).
People we know who have our welfare at heart are also naturally better bets to give us counsel. There can be many who may be spiritual but who either have no interest or a vested interest in the decision we need to make. Paul told the Corinthian church that though there were several persons who could be called their teachers, they had only one spiritual father, which was Paul himself. This was because Paul knew his heart for the Corinthians was pure, having begotten them through the gospel. While they may not be the only ones concerned about us, it is generally true that the people who led us to know Christ usually go on to have a special relationship with us. They are like our spiritual parents who genuinely love us and want the best for us.
Take Responsibility After the Consultation Stage
Jethro said: “if you do this thing and God also commands you, then you will be able to endure and all these people will also.” (Exo. 18:23)
Ultimately, the responsibility of our decisions lies with us regardless of the counsel we receive. While counsel opens up new ways to seeing things, above all we have to seek God for ourselves for confirmation of what has been said.
Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon, was made king after Solomon died. Jeroboam came to him and reported that if the kind of harsh treatment Solomon gave the people were not put away then Israel would not submit to his rule. Undecided, Rehoboam sought the advice of two groups of people: the first were advisors in his father’s cabinet and the next his childhood playmates. They gave him conflicting advice, but Rehoboam eventually heeded the advice of his playmates to threaten the people with harsher treatment than meted out by his late father. Because of this, Jeroboam led the entire tribe of Israel, save for Judah, into revolt against the reigning monarch. That brought about the division of Israel into two kingdoms (1 Kings 12:1-30).
Let the word of God have the final say in whatever we choose to do after we have heard the counsel of man. Do not allow smooth speech, imposing authority or even sincerity pressure us into putting more value than it is worth on what has been given as advice. Test all advice with the wisdom of God. Look up verses that relate to what has] been said. Read the background of the scripture passage and check out its context. Put the suggested idea the advice you received into the passage. Does it fit into the whole counsel of God found in His written word? Find that out before you act on any advice. It may take some work to do this if you are not yet familiar with the Bible, but you will need to do it. We need to be independent students of the Bible in order to better help ourselves in future.
Inward Witness
Apart from scripture, the other common way God guides is through the inward witness. God’s Spirit dwells in us when we become born again as His children, so naturally He guides us through our spirit man: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Rom. 8:14). At its most elementary level, we should be able to discern in our spirits a ‘green light’ or `red light’ in the decisions we are making. Even if we are not very clear as to the details that can be shared with someone you seek advice from, we should at least learn to discern spiritually either a peace to proceed or a constraint not to do so hastily.
The inward witness may not be as spectacular as prophecies or visitations by angelic beings but it is certainly no less supernatural.
“For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.” (2 Chron. 15:3-4)
Some of us may not be familiar with this, but as children of God, do not be afraid to seek Him on our own. This is another way we can be led by God. Seek God as best as we know how, and once we sense something, check it out in the scriptures or verify it by bringing it to a more mature Christian who could help us test that thought. Simple as it seems, God can lead us through our very own thoughts or desires, and we may not even know it.
The Bible tells us that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23). To illustrate what this means, we note that during his second missionary journey, Paul did not record any specific guidance or instruction from God, for his wanting to return to the places he visited before. It was simply something that he personally thought was timely and good to do (Acts 15:36). There was nothing that happened after that decision to tell us that it was a wrong move by him. In fact, that journey brought about a blessing to him: he met Timothy, who [went on to help] him in his ministry and the churches that he visited “were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily” (Acts 16:5).
In an instance like this, out of a prayerful spirit, Paul committed himself to God, believing in God to direct him by opening doors or by closing doors should his decisions be out of His will.
Oneness In the Spirit
“But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them even if they remain even as I am.” (1 Cor 7:8)
“Now to the married, I command, yet not I but the Lord …” (1 Cor 7:10)
“But to the rest I, not the Lord, say …” (1 Cor 7:12)
“Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the Lord; yet I give judgement as one whom the Lord in His mercy, has made trustworthy.” (1 Cor 7:25)
“But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgement and I think I also have the Spirit of God. “ (1 Cor 7:40)
The context of Paul’s words quoted above was instructions given to the Corinthian church regarding marriage. We see clearly in each of these verses that Paul was careful to make a distinction between his personal judgement and that which he had received as a commandment from God. In 1 Corinthians 7:25, he confessed that he did not receive a clear commandment concerning virgins but nevertheless he was teaching what he felt God would agree with (v.40).
Paul taught that based on the understanding gained by his spiritual discernment. He made it clear it wasn’t God who spoke the word, but what he thought was wise. We know today that that wisdom displayed must have been approved by God since it has since been made part of the Holy Bible. That is His inspired word to Paul – not divinely spoken, but yet divinely derived from the godly wisdom in Paul.
We do not need to envy Paul for being able to live in that realm of spiritual maturity. We can too, if we want. God has made it possible for the Body of Christ (that is us) to be equipped and edified such that we become a “perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Perhaps it is not yet happening where we are now. If that is so, then we ought to pray for the full restoration of the ministry gifts in our fellowship of believers, and at the same time train ourselves in the word of God and in prayer. This way, we are developing sharpness in our spiritual senses and that puts us in a better position to think according to the mind of Christ.
Prophetic Ministry & Divine Guidance
“So the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.” (Ezra 6:14)
Did you notice that? The success in building God’s temple involved the prophetic ministry of Haggai! And if the prophetic ministry can prosper the construction of God’s temple, surely we can trust that it can build spiritual substance into believers and establish them firmly in their destiny. While all of us have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us and ideally should have the perfect mind of Christ, the truth is that many of us fall short. God, in His mercy, has given the prophetic ministry to the church to give words in season that can propel us towards the path that God is leading us.
Prophetic Timing
Before we act on guidance received through prophecies, we need to understand some basic principles of the prophetic ministry. Prophetic timing, for example, is an important thing to observe. If not understood, guidance received through prophecies can end up doing more harm than good to us.
Very often, the Holy Spirit reveals something of the future for our lives as a seed to be nurtured that will grow into a tree and bear fruit over time. Instead of launching immediately into what the prophecy entails, we should position ourselves in a way that prepares us to embrace the appointment or ministry that God will eventually bring us into.
Prophecies that provide guidance usually function as a blueprint for us to put the pieces of the puzzle in our life together. They help us to make better sense out of what we have and know. Usually, prophecies are used to lead people into their ultimate calling in God. Whatever it might be, do not be hasty about stepping into our calling. Rather, wait on Him and get ourself ready so that at the right time we can be led into our ministry for God.
Walking With God
“If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord make Myself known to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house. I speak with him face to face, even plainly and not in dark sayings; and he sees the form of the Lord.” (Num 12:6-8)
In the above verses, God made a clear distinction between Moses and the other prophets whom He spoke to in dreams. Moses served the Lord out of his walk and relationship with God, while all the other prophets served God out of their gifting which came with the office they were called into. It is clear that God honoured the love and sincerity Moses had in his heart throughout all the time that he walked with God.
God is raising up a generation of people who will experience more of Him not because of the anointing upon their lives but because they have an intimate relationship with Him. Like we said, do not be taken in and swept off the ground by what are merely outward appearances of dynamism and charisma. A person’s talents and functions, which come from God’s anointing grace, are not indications of spiritual maturity. Observe their walk and relationship with God. See if it is a stable and loyal friend who would see you through the journey to fulfilling your destiny in Christ.
One question that is commonly asked today by many Christians is this: “How can I hear God?” Over the years, we have heard people ask this many times: in the first year of their relationship with God, in the second year, in the fifth year, the tenth, and even longer!
Very sadly, that question, though repeated ever so much, is usually an idle rather than an earnest question. God has promised throughout the scriptures that if we call on Him, He would surely answer us, and that if we take the initiative to seek Him, He will not hide from us. Can it be thinkable that a sound and loving God can be playing games with His children for so many years? Surely not, but the problem is, those who ask that question are hardly interested in finding out the answer. For if they were, they would have looked for God, and as He promised, God would have revealed Himself to them. We choose to believe that God does not lie, that He will do what He says.
When my little daughter Rachael was just newly born, my wife and I would hear the lightest sound she made when she awoke from her sleep—even when we were some distance away from the cot. Visitors seated right next to us would not register any sound made, but my wife and I would be certain that we heard our daughter. True enough, we would find her awake when we reached her cot.
Why that is so is very simple. We love our daughter deeply and, as a result, are very sensitive to her every sound and motion. It doesn’t take much of a cry from her to get our attention. Studies have revealed that women who are normally heavy sleepers will nevertheless wake at the cry of their new-born babies. The point we are trying to make is this: you will assuredly hear what your heart considers dear. So until you fix God’s voice as a desired priority, you are not likely to be hearing from Him as clearly as you would like.
Even with that, we need to beware of the disease that many long-time Christians suffer from: spiritual deafness. This disease attacks us when we have been hearing God for many times, but never allowing His words to register in us. This is equivalent to hearing but not doing. Over time, the heart will be seared and immune to the voice of God, even when it is loud and clear. Soon, hearing God accurately will be lost , and we will find ourselves not being able to discern with confidence the things we are hearing in the spirit.
Perhaps we need some time to re-examine ourselves: Where is our heart inclined? Is hearing God a quest in our life and is hearing His voice truly important to us?
Whosoever will seek God shall find Him. While many techniques have been taught on the ways to hear God, what is exceedingly more important is our attitude towards Him. Under the new covenant that we are all in, we have the privilege to walk even more closely with God than Adam, Enoch, Abraham and Moses did. God walked with Adam, Enoch, Abraham and spoke to Moses face to face, but now He dwells in us. It is God’s desire to commune with us and help us fulfil His calling in us. God is looking for a heart that loves Him. Go for that, and you will start having God come to you like you’ve always dreamed about.
