What Does it Mean to be Led by the Spirit?

Spirit Led Living Day 1

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:5-6

“O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams.” –Saint Augustine

 

  • Call your prayer partner for your 10-minute prayer call. If you are having trouble connecting, keep trying! 
  • Begin your day with God. Make your favorite tasty, hot beverage and snuggle up with your Bible, your journal, and a pen. Pray and ask God to speak to you today as you read His Word.
  • Read Romans 8:1-17. Write verses 5 and 6 in your journal.

What Does it Mean to be Led by the Spirit?

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. The Bible tells us He will guide us into all Truth (John 16:13). But we still have to choose whether we want to live according to His will or live our lives on our own. We decide.

Unfortunately, I have not always chosen to tune into the Spirit and ask Him to teach me and guide me. When I look back on the years I didn’t, they were so dark, like the moments before dawn. The storms of life were overwhelming, and it was hard to find my way.

I was not spending time with God in His Word daily, and I felt far from Him. Psalm 119:105 says, God’s “word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” We live in a dark world and sometimes the darkness is all-consuming. When we go camping, and the sun goes down, it works best if each person has their own flashlight to light their way. Even if my husband has a nice, bright lantern burning at the picnic table, I won’t be able to see to walk to our camper. Without my flashlight, I will walk in the shadows, and I risk tripping over rocks and branches.

God’s Word is our flashlight for Life. By reading the Word daily for ourselves, God illuminates our path so we can avoid the mud and the mire. It is so beautiful that Jesus says He is the Bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16). He is the one who shines brightly on the darkest of nights, lighting our way.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit guides us. We can learn to trust His voice by becoming familiar with scripture. Jesus says in John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” By reading the Bible daily, meditating on it and getting it into our heart, we come to know the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Knowing God’s Word, His commands and how much He loves us, causes us to no longer want to sin. The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” As we read in Romans 8, the Spirit helps us keep our minds set on what the He desires rather than on our sinful desires. When we live according to the Spirit, God promises us life and peace (Romans 8: 5-6). We can ask God for help when the storms come and He will bring to mind helpful and comforting scriptures. In John 14:26 Jesus says, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” What an exciting promise! The Holy Spirit will teach us and remind us of what Jesus has said to us! So, dig in, my friend, read God’s Word daily and watch and see how the Holy Spirit leads you!

 

Questions to ponder

• Do you hear the Holy Spirit? If you don’t think you have ever heard the Holy Spirit, pray and ask God to begin to speak to you. Even if it takes some time to hear from Him, give glory to God when a scripture verse pops into your mind. That was the Holy Spirit speaking to you!
• What has God spoken to you today and what do you need to do to heed his prompting?

Faith-Filled Ideas

• If you are not familiar with who the Holy Spirit is, read the following article by Billy Graham  here. https://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/may-2009/does-the-holy-spirit-live-in-you/
• Record in your journal when the Holy Spirit guides you, or when He gives you a scripture for your situation. It will be encouraging to look back and see His hand at work in your life!

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Jennifer Valdois
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10 Comments on “What Does it Mean to be Led by the Spirit?”

  1. Thank you Jennifer for an amazing devotional full of scripture. I loved all of the verses you used! The part that really spoke to me was when you wrote that by knowing God’s commands and how much He loves us, that causes us to sin less; or to want to. That has totally rung true in my life. When I am active in the Word, things that I struggle with aren’t as tempting. It also feels good to listen to God’s will and not my own. A great reminder friend! 🙂

  2. Jennifer, what a great study. We all needed to be reminded of living in God’s light. It’s so easy sometimes to get caught up with things, look up and realize we are no longer living there and it just kind of slipped away if we are not being intentional. Really encouraging.

  3. I was just telling somebody my testimony and contemplating the same thing. It’s so easy for me to forget how blessed I am to live in God’s light when it has been so long since I was lost in darkness.

  4. I love when the Holy Spirit brings Scripture to mind to comfort us. Thank you for the reminder to memorize Scripture because the Lord brings these truths to us when most need it.

  5. Jennifer, this is so great! I love your example too of the flashlight, such a good illustration for us to understand the importance of projecting our own light!

  6. Jennifer, This is so wonderful!! I LOVE the example of Gods word being a flashlight for our life!! What a perfect and beautiful analogy! I love your heart for God and how you share your heart so beautifully!

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