Being led by the Holy Spirit is at the heart of every true believer. This is clear in the Bible and in the history of Jesus’s followers. If we let the Holy Spirit lead us, our lives will blossom and flourish. But if we neglect or refuse His leading, our lives will languish. Sadly, many believers today seem to misunderstand the Holy Spirit’s leading, and how it relates to personal transformation. A clear graph on what the Bible teaches about this vital truth will help us all as we seek to grow in grace.
The New Testament shows us how to be led by the Holy Spirit. The phrase “led by the Spirit occurs twice in the New Testament, and both instances are frequently misused today. First in Romans 8:13-14,
“For if you live after the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.”
It’s important to note Paul is talking about Spiritual death here, not physical death.
The immediate context of this verse is our battle with our flesh through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
The second time is in Galatians 5:17-18,
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
Again our context is our battle with sin. In both instances the larger concern is to show us how to live joyful, obedient lives the produce the beauty of holiness and glorify God.
It is has been said that following Jesus is impossible, and it is if you don’t have the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit only dwells in those who are born again. We must live by the Holy Spirits guidance and empowerment to lead a joyful, obedient life.
Walking by the Spirit means to live daily by the Holy Spirit‘s guidance and empowerment. And to walk in the flesh is to live a life characterized by sin and selfish behaviors.
Struggle is part of our lifelong battle against the world, the flesh, and Satan, as the Holy Spirit works to make us progressively more like Jesus. It can be easy to grow weary and discouraged with this struggle and even doubt salvation, but it is actually a sign of life.
Walking by the Holy Spirit is a pathway to overcoming the desires of the flesh and living a holy life. It’s a great encouragement to know that we do not have to stay trapped in our sins, in an endless demoralizing cycle of defeat after defeat with no way out.
We must allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit. Our surrender to the Holy Spirit leading is an act of will, a choice we must make. It’s saying yes to the Holy Spirit’s leading and no to the desires of our sinful flesh.
True saving faith in Jesus involves repentance, and turning away from our sin. We play a role in cultivating awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence, and actively obeying His promptings, and relying on His strength.
That being said, sometimes we miss it, I personally have missed His prompting or have made excuses to not obey. All we can do when this happens is ask for forgiveness and try again. Being led by the Holy Spirit requires intentional, daily, and sometimes moment-by-moment surrender to His guidance rather than acting in self-reliance.
C.S. Lewis said, “ if we let him -for we can prevent Him, If we choose -He will make the blest and filthiest of us into a dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom, and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright, stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale). His own boundless picture and delight and goodness.”
God knows that we are weak. He knows it far better than we do. And He has made a provision for it. That is precisely why He gave us the Holy Spirit. but there is a difference between the Holy Spirit residing in us and the Holy Spirit reigning in us. The Holy Spirit is ready and willing and eager to reign in us, but His power is blocked until we fully surrender to God. Once we surrender to God and ask the Holy Spirit to fill us, He will begin to change our lives. He will change our lives in ways It will amaze and delight us. The Holy Spirit can actively carry forward the process of transforming us through the renewing of our mind. This process works from the inside out. It is not simply a changing of external behaviors, but the changing of their source.
From Pity to Praise 