But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak of his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:13-14
“What should I do?” As a pastor, I hear this question a lot. While I consider it an honor that someone would seek out any wisdom I may have for them, I know that I should never be their first or their final source. In fact, I’m not even their guide. I’m more of a guide to their guide. The Holy Spirit is the one who will guide any disciple of Jesus into the truth they seek. He needs no intermediary.
It is the insecure leader who enjoys being the sole source of wisdom for the people they lead and though they may end up with many followers, they develop no true leaders. I have learned over the years that the best response I can have to the question “What should I do?” is to ask “What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?” While I can offer Godly counsel from my knowledge of the Bible, a word of knowledge or prophecy based upon my spiritual gifts, or wisdom based upon my own experience or the observation of others, there is nothing quite like the pinpoint accuracy of the Holy Spirit speaking directly to a disciple. His counsel is flawless and He sees perfectly into the future. He has no hidden agenda but to glorify Jesus and to lead me beside quiet waters, restore my soul, and guide me in paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:2-3).
If someone coming to me for counsel does not yet know how to hear from God, then helping them with that becomes my primary focus. It is almost always more important than whatever immediate situation they are facing. After all, I am called to equip believers to do the work of the ministry and this is the essence of equipping. And, contrary to what many think, it’s not hard. John 10:4 says, …His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. Romans 10:8 says, The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.
We don’t need to get God to speak to us. He’s always speaking to us! We need to listen UP.
Tune in to what He is already saying. Stop looking around (to others) and listen up (to heaven)! My most important role in making disciples is teaching people how to hear the Holy Spirit for themselves and to trust His leading. He’s calling and leading you to green pastures and quiet waters.
Sometimes there’s a desert on the way to your green pastures but He won’t leave you there.
I encourage you to listen UP and hear the voice of our Good Shepherd. He will guide you into truth. It can be a simple as just praying “Speak to me, Lord” and then waiting and listening. You may be very surprised at what happens next!
