Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Led by the Spirit Pt.1

A number of exciting things are taking place right now in Africa, so we just ask you to continue to pray for our wisdom there. The conference that we were supposed to have, that we didn't make it to, we felt led to have the men go ahead and conduct that using a couple of the nationals that we've come in contact with, and we had some great results. It was an exciting thing to see; the men are looking forward to another opportunity to get together for study, and through that there are a number of men that are wanting to become more familiar with the ministry. Also, it looks as if there's an opening of a door. As many of you know we've been praying concerning ministry in the city of Eldoret for a while, and it could be that the Lord's opening a door for us at this time in the city of Eldoret. We're getting ready to hold some meetings there and see; there's a people there that we've already reached. We were there for a little period of time and it wasn't the timing of the Lord at that particular juncture (I told the men that I really felt that we needed to move into Nairobi, and the Lord's blessed there). The church in Umoja is growing, an exciting thing that's taking place. As you read the e-mails you'll see that it's a true fellowship as the people are coming together. Young adults, we're seeing some great growth in the young adults. The fact that we've already established some home fellowship group meetings, men's fellowship, different things that are taking place and the church is constantly growing, so be prayerful there. We're going to be looking at the possibility of some land when we go over in July or August, so we're looking for God's wisdom in that area. But the Eldorate ministry could be something that the Spirit of the Lord is ordering at this particular time so be prayerful and we'll keep you abreast of what's going on.

Through the meetings, we've run into some people that are going to donate their time to do some of the translation, from the books that we're sending over, into the Swahili. Men that are excited about the Word of God getting out in their own language, so be prayerful about that. What we've done--many of you will be able to see shortly--we have about four small booklets of about 50 pages each that we've put together off of a number of teachings on holiness. They're put together by topic and it's not a purpose-written book. We actually got part of the idea from Tozer. It's just selected quotes and different sayings that we've put together on the topic of holiness and then we've categorized them: Holiness as a doctrinal perspective, Holiness as it relates to the church, Holiness as it relates to evangelism, Holiness as it relates to the coming of the Lord. So, it's been broken down topically into those particular areas. It's an exciting thing. It's going to become almost like some large tracts, and then after every paragraph, beneath that, is the date and the tape that the teaching came off of, if anybody's interested in hearing more on those particular subjects. It could be a vehicle that might touch lives over there, so we encourage you to be prayerful about that also.

Some of you may have found out that the trip's back on in July. We're looking to go back over, should the terrorists be nice. We're excited about going over and seeing what Father has for us. The meetings in Tanzania are still in full swing and we've just kind of turned it to them with only one requirement. I just shared with them--they were wanting to add different things; I didn't want to deal with all of that--I said, "Look. You guys can do anything you want. The first four days I don't want anybody else on the platform but me. When I'm gone you can say whatever you want to say, but up until that point we have something that we believe the Lord has for you." They were excited about that. So we're going to spend the first four days of this eight-day conference, where we're going to be the exclusive speaker. And then they have five other men that are coming in to speak after that. I knew that I could do the work of five men, so it wasn't any problem on my part. But we're excited about that.

Some of the men they are going to be having in are the people that are men of stature in that nation. The Assemblies of God is very influential in Tanzania; they're going to have their head representative there. The Pentecostal Church out of Canada will have their regional director there speaking. These will be the men that take the last four days of the conference. It's turned into something that could be the Lord. The last I heard we're expecting, I believe, around five thousand pastors that will be in attendance, so be prayerful--I think that's the conservative side--I've heard more than that but I want to keep it into the conservative range. So these are some lives that could be touched, we believe that the Lord has a word for them. We just encourage you to be prayerful with us about that also.

Let's go ahead and pick up the subject. We're going to be talking about the topic of spiritual guidance, and we told you that this is the direction we were headed. We took Sunday's services just to stir us up a little bit in our pursuit of God, to make sure that we're extending ourselves in the pursuit of God, to know Him, to understand very clearly that if we're going to walk in excellency and the mastery in our spiritual pursuit then we're going to have to become temperate in all other categories, everything else that we do, and we're going to have to be obsessed with Christlikeness. As it gets into spiritual guidance it's the same way. You're going to have to become obsessed with hearing the voice of God. Don't expect God to have to scream over all of your activities to guide you. The Bible says, "Draw nigh unto Him," and what will happen? He'll draw nigh unto you. When you seek Him with all of your heart, what happens? You find Him.

When we talk about spiritual guidance we need to understand that it has to do with a heart that's hungry for the voice of God. Why this subject, and why now? The day that we're living in, beloved, is a day when I think that more than ever we need to know how to hear the voice of God. Why? Because false prophets are arising in this last day and they are going to deceive many. Amen? So you'd better know whether the voice you're hearing is God's voice or not. We're also living in another very interesting day as to why we need to understand and hear the voice of God, and that's because of the dominant spirit of hedonism, the pursuit, the worship of pleasure and it's crying out to our natural man. And we've got to be careful that we are not in any way attributing that call as the voice of God. Many try to take Scriptures and justify the fulfillment of their own natural desires and say, "Well, the Lord said The Lord called me to do thus and so."

And I've shared with you that it's very few times that you ever hear men say--and I've shared with you from a ministry perspective, but I think it's the same in the natural realm, (I don't know anything else)--I have not heard a whole lot of people come up and say, "You know, I really believe that God is leading me to this job that pays half of what I'm getting right now with no benefits." You just don't hear that very much in the church. "I really believe that God is leading me from Lowes Island, (I'd better not name an area around here) to somewhere else. I really believe that God is leading me in that direction." And you wave at the Jefferson's as they pass by on their way on up. "I really believe that God is leading me to sell my Mercedes (and I am, by they way. If anybody's interested, see me after the service. We'll give you a great deal, praise God.) (Now you'll know this is the Lord) to buy a Ford. And I really believe that God's spoken to me in that area." You don't hear that, that much. It's amazing how much God guides us by our own preferences, lusts and desires, isn't it? Isn't it interesting how we can hear the voice of God that always justifies what everybody else in the natural realm is doing? We just expect God to lead us into bigger and better. And if it's bigger and better, it's God. It's that spirit of hedonism that we have to be very careful of. And in this day when we're facing in our generation--and this is very important to get as your third purpose as to why we need to have this study--When you realize that we're living in an environment dominated through secular humanism and situational ethics, a time when there are no absolutes, we must absolutely be able to hear the voice of God, because we're then going to be in that same position to where we don't know, and truth changes based upon circumstances and God doesn't lead us that way.

So we're looking at the establishing of absolute truth through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, through the illumination of our inward man. As the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, the Scripture says, we need to hear God in our hearts, not in our heads. We need to be able to taste the goodness of God's presence and know the way that He leads us as a flock, the Scriptures says, by the hand of Moses. You're going to see that He uses men to guide you, in this study. "He led them like a flock by the hand of Moses." In other words, you don't necessarily have to hear it for God to be speaking to you. He can be speaking to those that are in authority over you. (Young people, did you hear that?) We realize that as we study this, it is combating the spirit of the age, the false prophets, so that we can hear clearly the pure doctrine of God, the spirit of hedonism to where we hear beyond our natural appetite for bigger, better, more. And then to also be able to be at absolute peace that what we've heard is absolute truth and that the course isn't going to change. The Word you heard isn't going to change when the circumstances change. "This is the way, walk in it," that still small voice will say to us. And when we begin to live in the Spirit you'll hear that small voice regardless of all the natural turmoil and noise that's going on around you. And so it's important and that's why we're going to have this study.

It's important to have this study because the fact of the matter is, to know the course for your life isn't in you. Turn to Jeremiah and let me show you as we start tonight a little look at these passages in preparation for what's going to be a very practical approach to spiritual guidance, to hopefully where we can really practically know how to hear the voice of God and get it applied in our lives, and that's the key. Tonight we're going to deal with the number one requisite of being able to hear the voice of God, and that's the willingness to do it when you hear it. You won't hear from God if you're not willing to do what He's telling you to do.

Jeremiah says this in the tenth chapter, verse 23 and 24, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his [own] steps. O Lord, correct me, [guide me, direct me, move me] but with judgment [or a better rendering of that would be justice]; not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing." Interesting passage. The prophet of God says the way of a man is not within himself. You don't have the capacity to put yourself on the right path. It's not in you. Therefore, we're going to have to look beyond ourselves. You heard the utterance tonight that came forth. It comes along with the teaching that we're getting ready to embark upon. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, what? They are the sons of God. You see, this is what indicates whether we're born again or not. The Spirit filled man, the born again man, is being led by the Lord. You don't even know it, many times, but God is ordering your steps. Even when you don't know what God's doing, He's directing your path. There sure is a lot more peace when we know, isn't there? And let me share one thing with you: there's even more peace when you know beyond comprehension. What I'm meaning is this: We're at peace when we know what God's doing. We need to come to the place where we are at absolute peace knowing God's doing something, and it's for our good, and it's by His eternal wisdom. And He doesn't have to let us know the details to provide peace or to effect His eternal purposes in your life and in the kingdom. So it's important for us to understand that.

"It's not in man..." the Scripture says. It's not in man, himself, to know how to set his course. So the Scripture says it this way, "...lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). Amen? So we don't have to understand it. We don't have to be able to reason everything out. We just know that if we cast our care upon Him, He does care for us, praise God! So, we don't lean to it or we're not dependent upon our ability to comprehend. But in all of our ways we (say it) acknowledge God. You see, that's that peace that I was just talking about. We acknowledge God. God is working. God is ordering my steps because "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth [the Scripture says] in his way" (Psalm 37:23). So it's not in you. So stop looking inside. Stop looking inside. Stop looking in the area of your own abilities to comprehend. Now, Father can direct us and at the same time us be able to comprehend, but it's not necessitated. What's necessitated is this: A hunger for the will of God, a desire to be used in the kingdom and to know that guidance is about eternal consequences, not temporal consequences. He'll speak about temporal things, natural things, but everything that He's working in us has eternal purpose.

Turn to the prophet Isaiah. In this particular passage we're going to see that the Spirit of the Lord speaking to us says, chapter six of Isaiah, the well-known passage. "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple." As the prophet begins to speak, it's an important thing for you and I to grab hold of as it pertains to our assurance that He's ordering our steps. And that's the fact that He is sovereignly in charge. You need to see the Lord high and lifted up. You need to cast your care upon Him. You need to stop leaning to your own understanding. The prophet says, "...I saw the Lord...and His [glory] filled the temple...[The created beings cried,] Holy, holy, holy...Then said I, [verse five] Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips." Isn't it interesting how many times we want to go to natural man for our guidance and for our strength-- "the broken reed of Egypt" for our protection, "the horses and chariots" instead of to the hills? The Scripture we just saw said it's not within man to direct his path, and we go get counsel from retards about what we should do; and we come and we want to get those wise nuggets from unclean lips. If you're going to go to a counselor--and we're going to see that the Scripture tells you to do that for guidance--it had better be someone who's been touched with a coal from the alter. Amen? Not natural man, not natural wisdom, not natural counselors: supernatural counselors. Who are you getting your counsel from? And even in the midst of the people of God are you making sure that your counsel is coming from those who by faith and patience themselves are inheriting the promises of God?

Who's your counselor? "I don't need a counselor." Ha, ha, you just stamped, "FOOL" on your forehead with a statement like that! The Bible says there's safety in a multitude of counselors. Amen? I want all the counsel I can get! I need to hear from people that have heard from God as we make the decisions that affect our lives and those that are around us, because nobody lives to himself and nobody dies to himself. Every mistake you make affects everybody in here when you don't hear from God and receive proper guidance. Every natural carnal decision you make affects your children and your children's children. Every decision you make affects generations. Then how can we make them in such a trite manner?

So the Scripture, then, speaking here and the prophet says that as he saw the presence of God he was undone and he realized how unclean he was. Why is this important for guidance? Because, beloved, we need to understand how wicked we are. We need to understand, as I said before, that everything that natural man wants to do is to pervert everything in our favor, for the benefit of the flesh. You're depraved. You're unclean. It's not within man to know his own ways, the ways that God has purposed for us. And so we need to constantly be sanctified with the glory of God and the coal from His alters. We put it upon our lips and speak only the Word of God. Ask yourself the question if you just want to do a little test on yourself: When is the last time you heard the voice of God outside of your comfort zone, outside your preferences? When's the last time you were open to driving a Ford, if that's what God ordained? (Now, some of you think that I wouldn't drive a Ford. I drive a Ford usually a couple of times a year, because that's what Hertz provides. And Fords are great. Because if there weren't Fords, everybody's tools would rust and it would hurt the economy.) We're in a place of realizing that all things can work together for good.

But seriously, when's the last time you heard from God and it was something that you were believing to make a decision and you were able to go in there and say, "I am absolutely, totally free in this area. I have no personal agenda. I have preferences, but you know what? I am absolutely, completely out from under the influence of my preferences." You're lying to yourself. Unless you have gone through what we just discussed last Sunday, unless standing beside you is the natural man in the shape that Rocky was at the end of the 15^th round, you are not ready to hear the voice of God. If your body has not been put under to that degree you're going to hear from your flesh in this situation.

So, what do we need to do? We need to come in here to the altar. We need to take the coal. We need to put it upon our lips and become men who have been purified because we are a man of unclean lips and we live in the midst of a people who are unclean. The Scripture tells us that it's that presence that takes away, verse seven, our iniquity. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Are you ready to hear whatever God says to you? Do you want to be somebody that can hear from God? Be ready always to do what He tells you to do.

You all remember the story I told you about Kathryn Kuhlman, and I won't go into all the details of that. How many of you remember that story I shared before of the guy that was criticizing Kathryn Kuhlman? Do you all remember that? Miss Kuhlman was really weird. If you've never been in any of her meetings, she was weird. And I can still remember being in her meetings and it was just--if it wasn't for the presence of God--this woman, she was weird, she was a flake. Aren't you glad God can use flakes? We're all eligible, praise God!

So this man was criticizing her.

"Lord, I don't know why you'd use someone that's such a flake. And besides that we know that women should be in positions of submission and these different areas. Being in positions of prominence is an exception not the rule of biblical order [which is true]." And he was making all these comments.

And then the Spirit of God spoke to this man. Spoke to him and gave him a word and said, "I want you to--[It was one of the well-known preachers in the area]--I want you to speak and to rebuke that particular man. He's involved in sin in his life right now. And I want you to rebuke him right now."

The guy said, "I'm not rebuking him! Here in this area, publicly. Maybe I'll talk to him after the service."

Almost immediately then, Kathryn Kuhlman turned and said, "Sir, God just spoke to me and told me that you're involved in such and such a sin. And God said He was going to deliver you right now if you'll be broken before Him. Otherwise He'll have to break you without remedy."

The man's heart was broken and he was restored back into fellowship with God. And of course, then, the Spirit of the Lord then spoke to this other guy and said, "That's why I use her; she does what I tell her to do."

It will put you in some predicaments sometimes. I know I've been in some different situations of having to speak things that were not real popular at the moment that you spoke them. I've been put into a position of having to do some strange things. Scripturally we see some strange things taking place as the Lord would spit and make some clay put it upon eyes and do different things that were kind of strange. Marching around the walled city seven times without speaking a word, that's kind of strange. So you have to be ready to do whatever God tells you. Probably the strangest thing--I've shared with you before--was hitting that woman up there at Halpine Baptist Church. The Lord spoke to me, and I said, "Lord?!" He said, "I want you to slap this lady." Oh, man! She's standing there in the prayer line and I've been praying for people. Most of you remember the story. I'm getting ready to pray for this lady. And I thought, "Lord!" And my parents and my grandmother were there, the first service they'd ever been in--they were visiting. So, I'm getting ready to pray for this lady and POW! I hit her! She went down like a ton of bricks. (And I started dancing around, you know... No, not really!) As I slapped this lady and proceeded to take authority over principalities and powers, the demons that had possessed this woman, God had set her free. An exciting thing that I had heard later, that she was demon possessed. God instantly set her free.

It's just those things that you're going to find yourself somewhere down the line, and they're not all this extreme, the point is this: Are you willing to do what God tells you to do regardless of the consequences? Regardless of how big of a fool it makes you look like? "What if it doesn't work? What if we don't see the results manifest so that it vindicates that it was truly the voice of God?" What's that got to do with having been touched with the coal from the altar that brings you into another realm of holiness? That doesn't take man's thoughts into consideration, only the glory of God.

"Why am I here?" What is the whole duty of man but to fear God and keep His commandments? So, if we're going to be people that are candidates for hearing the voice of God then obedience is the first requisite. The Scripture says, "if we be a people that are willing and obedient, we're going to eat the good of the land." So there has to be a willingness to enter in against all opposition, to know that God is ordering our steps. So, here we are as a people that are to be praying. The first thing we need to pray is "Here am I Lord. Send me. Not my will, but Your will be done." That's the attitude that we approach God at every moment. Now, you know something that's interesting about Gethsemane that we can all learn. God is not saying that you can't have input. Jesus did. He said, "Father, if it's possible. Lord, I'd like [as though He doesn't know] Lord, I'd like you to know how I feel about this situation. I'm not real crazy about this. But nevertheless, not my will, Your will be done."

So, God is calling us into that which is the ordering of His Word. His Word becomes the ultimate source of guidance in our lives. Now we're going to see then that that necessitates us knowing the Word of God. If we're going to be ready to hear the voice of God, we're going to have to be able to take what we're hearing and put it up against Scripture. Now, some of these things you're going to have trouble finding Scriptures for. Some of these specific incidents like the one I just recited. But there's going to come a time in your life when by exercise--you know, the Scripture says that we're no longer children in this capacity to hear and know the doctrine of God and the voice of God, but through an exercising we're discerning our senses to be able to judge, to know good and evil, God and Satan, light and darkness, by reason of (what?) use. The time is going to come when you know that voice. I know the voice of God. Do you know it? Have you been able to establish a pattern in your life to where you know that pure voice of God? Not the one tainted by your own preferences. Not the American, twenty-first century of what God's will is for the church (which is religious humanism), but a way that's holy, a way that's separate, a word that's unique.

The one thing that we need to understand about hearing the voice of God is this: God's ways are not man's ways. You're going to find out that as you begin to hear the voice of God, it's going to run contrary, the majority of time, to the wisdom of man. What seems naturally acceptable and possibly even right, many times is in direct opposition to what God's saying. Because what does the Scripture say? Natural man calls the wisdom of God what? Foolishness. And the things of God, the truths of God are spiritually discerned and the natural mind cannot comprehend them. So, as born again, Spirit filled people, as we're hearing the voice of God, how can we look to natural counselors? How can we draw upon natural experience to hear something that's foolishness in the natural arena? Now, does that mean that we will always go contrary to natural philosophy or to natural laws? No, we're not saying that. What we're talking about, as we enter into the presence of God and a desire to hear God, is an attitude of understanding of knowing that those things are many times in conflict with what the Spirit of God is saying or doing in our life at this particular moment.

So, to be ready to hear from God, the whole point that we're making tonight is this: A willingness, a desire to say, "Here am I. Send me. I'm going to go contrary to all the natural laws. I'm going to go contrary to my own heart's desires. I will do what You tell me to do. Here am I, send me. I have not come to speak my words but the words of He that sent me, to do my will but the will of He that sent me." When we can empty ourselves to that place, of our own agenda, now we become candidates to hear the voice of God. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the (say it) the sons of God. So we find, then, that that is God's way of ordering our steps.

The thing that we have to look at, because it's going to be so distinct (Holiness, distinct, unique), that's why we have the sure foundation of the Word of God to establish all of the principles off of. And one of the principles that we're going to have to work off of constantly is, the Word of God--or the voice of God, His directing my life--is usually going to be contrary to natural wisdom. So the more sure Word tells us, don't expect natural confirmation. I don't have to have that. Now, we just finished talking a little bit about walking in faith. The one thing that was interesting about the life of Abraham--When we started the whole study in Abraham's life, what was the one thing that we saw? By faith, Abraham the father of our faith--Abraham by faith, when God spoke to him and told him to leave his comfort zone, to leave the natural surroundings, to leave everything that he was comfortable in, he did what? What was it? He obeyed. Okay? He obeyed. Why was it that God called this man, Abraham? Because he obeyed, he did what he was supposed to do. He was a man that would teach his children and what? His children's children. That's not an easy thing to do, because there's always going to be the generational conflicts. I don't care--in the natural--I don't care--here we are centuries later, when you're the patriarch, you're the old fuddy-duddy, just to use a Hebrew phrase.

If you're going to continue to be the patriarch, the one that sets course for the family--we have so destroyed this in our society, in our American independence, because God's will for us is always corporate. We're not individuals in the kingdom, we are members in particular, grafted, constantly grafted together for God's eternal purposes. And as Abraham was called of God, the Scripture says he was called because of his obedience. And as he's being sent by the Spirit of God, completely out of his comfort zone, he becomes the father of our faith. Spiritual guidance, to be effective, has to have biblical faith motivating it, because you're going to go beyond your understanding; guidance is going to take you out of your comfort zone. And you're going to have to be able to move in that comfort of faith that we've been talking about these last weeks. You're just going to have to trust God. But that is the Word of the Lord, that our steps are being ordered and that He's going to watch over His Word and perform it in our lives.

So, here's Abraham being called and obeying. "Here am I; send me." So God's Spirit is speaking to you and I in those particular areas. This is what's meant when the psalmist spoke about the steps of the good man being ordered by the Lord. What makes a man good or not good? Is this a moral trait? Does this have to do with the fact that this is a moral individual who's abstained from all the corruptions of the world? Turn over to Psalms 37 and lets see what the Spirit of God's saying to us in this particular area.

Psalms 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord..." When we look at this aspect of the goodness, we're talking about someone who's virtuous. We're looking at the virtue that's being spoken toward here. A man who is victorious--Virtue is victorious over your flesh is what this word is speaking toward. The virtue here as it's being referred to in this passage is one that's living victoriously over their own flesh, over their own mindset. We'd say it another way, a meek individual, an individual that says, "Without Him I can do nothing." A meek individual, one who's bold in representing the will of God and the ways of God and minimizing (listen to this) minimizing his own abilities, his own preferences. That's what meekness is. Meekness just says, "I'm going to take what I want to do, what I think is best, and I'm going to subordinate that to the wisdom of God, to the established biblical principles. I will purposefully put down self, or as Paul said in our study Sunday, I will put my body under." "For what reason, Paul?" "That I might win Christ."

So here we are seeing that the steps of this virtuous man, this man of victory over the flesh are ordered by the Lord. And in our studies in the past we've seen that that word, "ordered" here is a very interesting word. It doesn't mean that every step is specifically directed and that you can never make any mistakes, and that God will see to it that every place you put your foot is the exact place for that moment in time. But you're going to see that in spiritual guidance and walking in God's will, it's going to be an interesting course that you're on. We could, I guess by being totally proficient like Jesus, always be in the right place and the right time, but He's the only man that was ever there. The rest of us experientially are going to have to walk a course that's in and out because of our lack of clarity and understanding. But with faith and confidence that our steps are being ordered, and that word "ordered" in the Hebrew, we shared with you means to be set right, or, to at last to be made firm, to give us sure foundation. The steps of the good man will end up on a sure foundation, praise God! Isn't that good news to us tonight?

Okay, let's put the pieces together and see. "If you will purpose to be a virtuous man, a victorious man, a good man, if you will purpose to put down your own agenda, you own confidence in your own natural abilities, then I guaranty you that I'll put you on a firm foundation." That's what this thing is all about. That, beloved, is what makes us willing to go, to obey. I'm going to, like Abraham, go, not knowing where I'm going, because I'm going to end up where God wants me. I'm going to end up on a sure foundation of faith and God's going to be glorified in my life. Our steps are being ordered of the Lord. You know, we talked the other day about that Yogi-ism. It's an interesting statement. As Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you're going you might end up somewhere else." That makes sense. So this begins to put us into an understanding of where we're going to be on Sunday. The fact that it's the Word of God that orders our steps. Don't, don't remain static waiting for a specific word when God's already given you general direction through His Word. Get on course. Begin to move about the will of God, and He will direct your steps.

"I just don't know what God has for me. I'm just praying and I just can't seem to get a word from the Lord about my job, where He wants me to work. So what I'm going to do is, I'm going to take a week off and I'm just going to stay home. And I'm going to pray. And I'm going to fast. I'm just going to ask God to tell me where I'm supposed to work." And all the while down in your spirit God's been saying, "You know, you need to be a little bolder in your witness. I want you to begin to share more freely what you've received at My hand. The Scripture says that if you're filled with My Spirit you can't help but speak the things that you've seen and heard. I want you just to share a little more." And that thing is going over inside of you and you're just not doing it. And we can make whatever excuses we want. "Lord, I don't have time. Lord, I'm just not naturally a bold individual. I'm really pretty passive." You're the same one that takes no prisoners when you don't get your way. How passive is that? How passive are you at getting your will? "I'm very non-demonstrative." Yeah, until you hit the lotto, or the Redskins win. (So you can get excited once a year.)

We make all of these excuses for ourselves, but listen to me. Over here we're trying to dictate what we want to hear from God and He's already guiding you. He's saying, "I want you to be bolder in your witness." And do you know what happens? You go out and you witness to the guy that gives you your job. That's how guidance works, when you do what you're supposed to be doing. We know that we're to go into all the world and be witnesses. Amen? That's guidance. That's the will of God. So here I am. So before you begin to pray about specifics always ask yourself this, "Am I doing everything that I know to right now with what God's telling me?" Before you take any time to pray and say, "God what job? What car? What neighborhood? Life's mate?" How can you be praying and asking God for a life's mate and you're not even letting Him be Lord of your life? You're not qualified to have a mate if you're not obedient to Jesus. You're not even eligible. He's not going to tell you, "I'd like you to destroy this person's life in addition to yours." "Lord, I just want You to reveal to me who else I can lead in ways of rebellion and carnality."

Is your life on track to where you can now hear clearly in these other areas of specific guidance? That's what the more sure word of prophecy is all about. So many times we want to say, "The more sure word of prophecy--so when God tells me over here to slap this person in the prayer line, I need a Scripture verse for that." That's not what the more sure word of prophecy is talking about. The more sure word of prophecy is an understanding of what builds character, what makes a virtuous man, a good man. And what it means, then, to be walking in obedience. And if we are, then, in right relationship with Him, we are not hearers of the Word only, deceiving ourselves, but we're doers of this Word. This Word is working in my life in every area. My life is one that is orderly, it's disciplined, the decisions I'm making are decisions for the glory of God, the wisdom that I'm using is a wisdom that is contrary to the natural way. I'm choosing to be servant of all; I'm not seeking to be the greatest, I'm looking to empty myself and give not take and then it's given to me good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over. That's the more sure word. The confidence that we're walking obediently to the biblical principles and it's working for us the glory of God.

So, as we start off this study on guidance I want to take this so that we don't jump in immediately and think, "What we need to do is pray and get quiet and pray and fast and God will speak to us." He's not going to speak to you if you're not willing to do what He tells you. And I'm not talking about just the specific thing that you're talking about or that you're seeking information on. He's not going to speak to you if, like Abraham, you're not willing to go, not knowing where you're going, the life of obedience. Like Jesus, "I'm not going to speak my own words. I'm not going to do my own will." Like Paul, "Everything that I had my confidence in I now count as dung, that I might hear the voice of God, that I might identify with His servant hood and partake of His sufferings, that I might know the power of resurrected living." What is that resurrection? Romans tells us. We count the old man crucified with Christ that we might be raised with Him. We're not just talking about the physical resurrection that's to come. We're talking about a resurrected life now, one that comes out from under the dominance of the natural man, the carnal man. That's what Paul was living in, that's the wisdom of God.

So as we close for tonight, you will not hear the voice of God by entertaining it, by considering it. Only when that coal has come from the altar and you realize all of your natural tendencies. And they're generational. "I'm from a people of unclean lips." But, Lord like Abraham I'm willing to forgo all of this. Here am I. Let me be someone who steps out and becomes a doer of Your Word and not a hearer only. A lover of Your lordship, for how can we call You Lord and not do the things You're telling us to do? Make these things real to us, we ask, Father. Help us to seek first the general principles of the kingdom and then all of the specifics will be added to us. Make that a reality and we'll be on the path to spiritual guidance. Thank You for that, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Let's stand before the Lord tonight. We're wanting to pray about meat and drink and clothing, and He's saying, "Seek the kingdom first and all the rest will be added because the steps of the good man are set right by the Lord." If you're a man who is constantly seeking the mastery and the putting under of the body, He will get you on course, guaranteed. You won't make mistakes that have eternal consequences. Oh, you can make some mistakes along the way. Made the wrong investment, lost $20,000. So what? What's that effect that's worth anything? What did you learn in the midst of this that has an eternal effect? That $20,000 is not going to make or break anything God's going to do. He can open the windows of heaven and pour out blessing you can't contain. So much of our time in guidance is wasted on stuff and that is absolutely the easiest thing for God to get into your life. God can get you more stuff than you know what to do with. Character is what takes time. God turned that famine, He provided so much stuff when He drove the enemy out from their midst they went from famine to feast in one visitation. What's God saying to you about your pursuit of Him?

"Here am I, Lord. Let me represent you properly, with a fervency that's not obvious in our generation." "Who shall we send? Who will step out from among the masses?" "Here am I, Lord. Send me." You become a strange individual when you hear the voice of God, strange in the light of natural man. People will misunderstand your reasons for doing things. They'll judge from a natural perspective and always find you guilty because of your jealousy for God's wisdom and glory. But you will never be defeated. Are you willing to identify now with the methods, the wisdom of God? You'll begin to hear that voice then, "This is the way. Walk in it." It will scare the natural man around you. It will infuriate the wisdom of the world. It will oppose all that is carnal and darkness. But it will present to you a truth that makes you free. When you've chosen to identify with Jesus there's no greater liberty to be free to do what He tells you to do without the fear of men's faces, without the fear of satanic accusations against God, that He's going to leave you. You're going to die. You're going to end up in poverty; you're going to be this or that. It is written. That's the voice of God.

As Gary plays for us, we'll take just a moment tonight and rest in the Spirit of God, what He's shared with us. Practical. Do you want to hear the voice of God? Seek Him early. That means seek Him first. It doesn't have to do with the hour of the morning. Seek Him first. Do you always go to God first? Or do you already have a plan and when it doesn't work you go to God and say, "Is there any way You can fix this thing?" Do you want to hear the voice of God? Do you want God to hear your voice? Why is it that you're always praying about you? Do you want to get healed? Pray for somebody else to get healed. Your cupboard's bare? Why don't you pray for God to bless somebody else? Why don't you go out and share the gospel? Why don't you love your wife? Why don't you obey your husband? Men of unclean lips, why don't we seek the voice of God to become Christlike, and let all these other things be added in His eternal goodness to us? Let's sing this together and just worship Him tonight. "Take Me In To The Holy of Holies" Just bless Him as we sing it. Hallelujah! You're never in greater danger of deception than when you're praying and seeking God's will when you already know what to do. Guidance always starts with the general and emerges in the specific. Turn to somebody next to you and say, "Here I am. Send me." Amen, go in peace. God's love go with you.

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