“Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: They eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”. – Ephesians 1:16-18
LIGHT FOR NOW: A key to recognizing the leading of the spirit is being full of God’s word.
Having examined different ways God leads us, it is important to consider how to recognize and walk in God’s leading. As much as it is important to know the what, why, and where of God’s plan, it’s most vital to know the how. Paul, in our key text above, prayed for believers. This prayer was for them to understand and have insight into the promised spirit. The prayer was for light to shine on their minds. The enlightenment was for their minds, not for their spirit, which is the spirit of God. This enlightenment comes by revelation, and the revelation here is for the mind.
This re-emphasizes the point that the mind plays a vital role in recognizing and walking in God’s leading and guidance. The reception of the leading and guidance is done in the mind. This is why it is a misnomer for the believer to pray to God, asking for direction when he wants to make a decision in life. We do not pray for God to lead us; he does this already by the indwelling of the spirit. Our responsibility is to follow it.
John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My father, who gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my father’s hand”. We received eternal life by faith in the gospel. Hence, we are his sheep. Recall Paul’s admonition to the church at Rome (Romans 12:1-2) – the admonition was as touching our mind. The believer must remold his thinking. He must retrain and re-educate his thinking. The way he trains his mind is to feed it consistently on the word. A fundamental practice to this will be to read. Ephesians 3:4 “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)”.
1 Timothy 4:13 “Till I come, give attendance to reading to exhortation, to doctrine”. A mind that is acquainted with God’s word will easily recognize the leading of the spirit. The believer must also engage in meditation. Meditation is the key to the practice of God’s word. 1 Timothy 4:15 “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all”. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Live in your realities.
CONFESSION: I manifest and live in my realities in Christ. I have the leading of the spirit always, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
QUOTE: A believer empty of God’s word will be deficient in recognizing the leading of the spirit.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: JOHN CHAPTER 10; EVENING: 1TIMOTHY CHAPTER 4
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 