25: Common Ways the Holy Spirit Manifests Himself in All Believers – Leading

God has been leading His people forever. He led the Israelites through the wilderness by the cloud and pillar of fire. He led the people with the priest’s Urim and Thummim. He led them with dreams. And now His Holy Spirit leads us.

^{Luke 4:1} Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

^{Acts 16:6} Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. ⁹ During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

^{Acts 8:26} Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. ²⁷ And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸ and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹ And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

What is intriguing about two of these accounts is that God used multiple means to guide His servants to the way He wanted for them, not just the Holy Spirit within them telling them where to go, but an angel and a vision. This is, we might say, the age of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit is not averse to using multiple means to lead us.

We must, of course, be open to and aware of the Spirit’s communication to us of His directing. Jesus had to pay attention to the Spirit’s leading him, as did Paul and Philip. We must be paying attention to the guidance we are being given.