Identifying God’s Instruction

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Mike

Access to the Holy Spirit

If you’ve trusted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have access to the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, interpreting the Holy Spirit’s instructions is not always easy. We can’t type in a specific question and receive a detailed response the way we might search for answers on the Internet. Our interaction with the Holy Spirit is more likely to be in the form of subtle guidance than a step-by-step plan. God wants us to find our own way through life; and rather than give us all the answers, He prefers to simply point us in the right direction. Even when we don’t know exactly what questions to ask, the Holy Spirit is there to speak on our behalf.

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27

There are essentially two voices inside the heads of all believers. One is the voice of this world filled with selfish desires. The other voice is that of the Holy Spirit guiding you toward the light of truth.

“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-13

Messages from the Holy Spirit

Frequently, believers receive messages from the Holy Spirit when reading the Bible or listening to a trusted Bible teacher. When a passage you’re reading or a word you are hearing sounds like it was written specifically for you, don’t discount it as a coincidence – recognize that teaching as guidance from the Holy Spirit.

God also uses the events in our life as teaching tools and as a form of guidance. God may use a blessing of some kind to point us in a new direction. God may use disappointment to point us in a new direction. God may place us in a difficult situation to get us to focus in a new way. No matter what is going on in your life, the Holy Spirit is with you helping you to make the right choices. Whatever may come our way – defeat, financial troubles, tragedy, sickness, affliction – everything is a part of God’s instruction, managed and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

God is Always with You

God is constantly working to get our attention so that we will seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit and focus our lives on achieving that which is the will of God. God knows precisely what we need in this life. God also knows exactly what it will take to get our attention and get us pointed in the right direction. The best way to identify God’s instruction is to stop asking why our lives are going in a certain direction and start asking God, in prayer, what He wants us to learn from our current experience. God placed you right where you are because he knows that’s where you need to be. If you ignore the voice of this world and tune into the voice of the Holy Spirit, you will find God’s instruction in every aspect of your life.

All scripture references are linked to Bible Gateway so that you can read each verse in context. Bible Gateway allows you to change the verse to your favorite translation and compare it side-by-side with multiple translations. In addition, you can select to hear an audio version of any verse by clicking on the speaker icon. Keep the Bible Gateway App on your phone so that you can visit the Word of God at any time during your day.