There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12
Walking with God is the next step to being Led of the Spirit of God. One comes to God for the purpose of knowing God and walking with God. The natural man has no need for God. He is perfectly happy being his own god. He trusts in his own efforts, his own abilities and his own good works. Yet deep down in his heart there is that something that can never just knows something is missing. That is the heart of man crying out for God. When the time comes that he is fully satisfied living life without God in order to be his own god, then his decision will have eternal consequences. God has made provision for everyone to be saved from the powers of death but not everyone will respond. The Bible says many will perish and few will be saved. Are you one that is so proud that you don’t need God only to find out in the day of death you are going to perish for no good reason? The Bible says, the spiritual man is filled with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, because he knows his soul is safe forever. This in a nutshell, is the lesson of the Bible. God is teaching us we must pass from the natural man to the spiritual man before we pass into eternity, or we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That was always God’s intention. Death was never a part of God’s original plan. Death is an enemy of God and man. God created man for fellowship and his purpose of fellowship was eternal. Man was supposed to eat of the Tree of Life and put on immortality, but man never made it to the Tree of Life. Man separated from God and when he did, he died Every soul that has been born of man ever since has been born dead and that is why we die. You ask, “What do you mean we are born dead and that is why we die?” That is lesson one of the Bible. Without God we are dead and that is why we die, The first man was cut off from the source of eternal life and he became blind to fellowship with God. Every man, male or female, has been born with his spiritually dead nature ever since. So God began His plan of redemption where we could walk with Him again. All man has to do in order to live forever is come back to God. Then we begin our walk of fellowship with God forever again. As we walk with God we learn how to be led of His Spirit and what a thrilling lifestyle it is to be led of the Spirit of God. Nothing in this world can compare to fellowship with God.
Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jeremiah 33:2-3)
God likes to show us things we don’t know. God gets pleasure out of revealing Himself and revealing truth to us. He said to Abraham, “Leave your natural family and your country and come with me to a land I will show you and I shall give you a spiritual family that will bless all the families of the earth.” Imagine, that! The creator of Heaven and earth comes down and talks with a man about accomplishing God’s purpose. God still does that today. God loves to reveal Himself to the creature because He wants a relationship with the creature. The purpose of relationship is fellowship. The is why God created man. The Bible says to believers, God is with us always, even unto the end of the world. The Bible says to unbelievers, if you call out to God with your heart, He will answer you and show you great and mighty things you don’t know. God will arrange things to happen in your life in order to catch your attention, but if you are only living life for SELF, you will be deaf, dumb, blind and dishonest, and not even be aware of God’s activities in your life. You will think it’s just a hunch or a coincidence and keep on being your own god. You will think you are happy, but that is the deception of sin. Those worldly attitudes of the natural man will just continue to separate you from God until it’s too late. God wants to open your eyes to the things which are not seen. God wants to show you great and mighty things which you know not, the Bible says. If you are too busy being your own god, you won’t be able to walk with God. The next thing you know it will all be over.
Whereas ye know not what shall beon the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14)
Natural life is like a dream for a few moments. The Bible says our life is like a vapor that appears for a short time and then vanishes away. Spiritual life is forever. If you come to God you will see His activities in your life every day. Yet how many of us allow God to supervise our events, guide us in our affairs, help us with our plans and teach us in all our ways so that we can succeed and not fail, win and not lose, and prosper in all we do? God wants us to live and not die, forever. That is why Jesus came from Heaven to earth and conquered death for us.
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12)
The Bible says, There is a way that seems right unto the natural man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Notice in this passage of scripture, it says there is “a way,” which ends in “the ways” of death.” What does this mean? It means there is a way of life that doesn’t include God and it produces the ways of death. My way is perfectly natural and it seems right, but without God, it isn’t blessed. This is part of the lesson the Bible. The natural man is perfectly happy living life without God. The natural man is led by his five senses and his knowledge is limited to the things that are seen. This knowledge breeds into the human a good and evil nature, which isn’t fit for Heaven. When the human is led only by his thoughts, without God’s participation, he is led only by the ways of death. It is part of the curse that is on the world. God doesn’t want anyone to fail, but most people, even in their success will fail, and ultimately it ends with the ways of death.
Have you ever thought that some of your thoughts are not yours. Some thoughts are planted by other sources. Jesus said, “Why take ye thought, saying Matthew.6:31. That is how it works. The thought isn’t your thought until you say it. Then it becomes your thought. You have taken possession of the thought with your words. The words of God work the same way. Words are containers. Words carry pictures that become thoughts of the mind. When I speak words to you, mental images are created in your mind. Then it is up to you to decide what your response will be. Will you act upon the thought, think upon the thought, reject the thought or confess a different thought from the words of God? The same is true with God’s words, We are able to look at the things which are not seen through the thoughts of God that are released into us through the words of God. That is when the moment comes that God “opens our eyes.” Seeing the Kingdom of God comes before entering the Kingdom of God.
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)
As we grow and mature, we are supposed to pass from the natural man to the spiritual man. That is the kind of fruit that God is looking for on every human tree. Jesus said good trees bear good fruit and evil trees bear evil fruit. Every tree is known by its fruit. All trees don’t bear fruit for itself but for everyone around. We start out natural and are supposed to become spiritual so we can bless others and not just ourselves. Natural life is perfectly symbolized by the four seasons of life for every soul. Spring is when the new life of a babe begins and grows. Summer is when the human has fully developed and has born fruit. Fall is when the human has fully matured and his strength is beginning to wind down. Winter is cycle of hybernation when the human enters the phase called death. Then comes spring when a new cycle begins. This represents the human after death entering into eternity to live in his eternal home forever. The ultimate failure is to become a huge success in life as a natural man and then die without God as a natural man. That failure is forever. The Bible says “God commands men everywhere t repent and come to a knowledge of the truth.”
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:3-6)
God wants everyone to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) This isn’t just forgiveness of sins. That is the general impression that has been perceived by the worldwide Christian church. Forgiveness of sins is important because we can’t walk with God having attitudes of sin in our hearts. God did much more than forgive us or our sins. God gave us the opportunity to be born again of His divine nature so we can come to Heaven and live forever with Him. That is the way of life, yet men will choose to walk in the ways of death. Jesus suffered beyond our imagination to be a ransom for us and to destroy him that has the power of death, that is the devil.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:30-31)
God has given the human race assurance that He has fixed the death problem for us. God has done supernatural surgery upon the human race through Christ Jesus who suffered beyond our imagination to make eternal life possible and He commands men everywhere to repent and come to the knowledge of the truth. Only one person has provided us with an empty tomb proving that He has God’s resurrection power and has appropriated that power for us. God now expects us to believe the truth and come back into fellowship with Him. As we walk with God in life, our nature begins to change. As we learn of God and watch him participate in our lives, our spiritual nature goes from depending upon the natural man to dependency upon the spiritual man through Christ in us. Walking with God is eternal life.
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:6-9)
In this passage of scripture God says His thoughts are not our thoughts and our ways are not His ways, and his thoughts and ways are much higher. The goal is to get God’s thoughts into us so that His ways can become our ways. God wants this also. God wants to be involved in our lives. God wants to walk with us and talk with us and bless us because He loves us, yet most of us will prefer the ways of death. The Bible calls it “being led of the flesh vs being led of the Spirit of God.” Even believers can be led by the flesh, which enjoy the ways of death.
Are you living life by the natural man or are you a spiritual man, truly being led by the leading of the Spirit of God? The natural man will say, “Oh, only time will tell.” The spiritual man would say, “God led me to do this or that.” Most humans are led by their thoughts. Did you know that just because you get a thought doesn’t mean it is your thought? Some thought are placed into our minds by other sources. Jesus said, “Why take ye thought saying? (Mt.6:31) The thought becomes yours when you say it. The saying goes like this;
Sow a thought, reap an act.
Sow an act, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a characer, reap a destiny.
That is the way of the world. That is not God’s best. The Bible says, They that are led of the Spirit, they are the sons of God. (Ro.8:14) That is God’s best. Just like parents train their kids to do what is right and not what is wrong, to do what is safe and keep them from danger, to tell the truth and not lie, to have manners, respect and common sense as they grow up, even so God trains His kids to live and walk in His divine nature. That doesn’t just mean we forgive when others treat us wrong and we apologize even though we are not wrong and we treat others they way we want to be treated. It also means we allow God to be involved in our affairs. We ask God to supervise our events. We trust God to meet our needs and we trust God to lead us by His Spirit so we can witness His power in our lives and glorify Him in our hearts.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5-8)
I, Bonnie, have walked with God for almost 40 years and over the years God has manifested Himself in my life in a multitude of ways. I’ve experienced much pain and suffering in my life, much of which was handed to me on a silver platter. I would not say God initiated any of the pain and suffering, but God has been with me all the time. I have learned by allowing God’s thoughts in the Bible to become my thoughts. I have spent much time studying the Bible and God has a way of “bringing to my remembrance the things he has revealed unto me.” That is what John 14:26 says. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God can make things happen that are beyond your imagination. God’s thoughts can help you organize your errands and keep your days organized. God is a personal God who is with us all the time and likes to participate in our events and help arrange our affairs for His glory and our blessing. After all, He is God and we are not!
Over the years, I have learned how to be Led of the Spirit in a multitudes of ways. I have learned how to be led by His Voice, by the inner witness, by the unction, by the words of God, by the thoughts of God, and in this blog I want to share with you a couple of other ways of how God leads me by His eye and how I Try It On. This is one way I know you have never heard of. This is a way God has trained me and I love it because it always works for me in my life. The reason is because I know God is with me always, and every moment. When you practice the presence of God and acknowledge Him in all your ways, He directs your path. Notice also in this passage of scripture that when your attitude is right about yourself, you begin to depart from evil and it become health to all your flesh.
Let God Guide You By His Eye
Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. (Isaiah 48:17)
Our next lesson of the “Led of the Spirit” series will include lessons about the inner witness, the unction, the inward voice and outward providence, but in this lesson we are talking about walking with God. I’ve been walking with God for over 40 years and throughout that time I have learned to let God guide me by His Spirit. One way I have learned I like to call it, God leading me by His eye.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:8-11)
This is one of the ways I believe God directs my path. There are times as with all of us I am doing something, but I’m talking to God while I am doing it and I don’t quite know what to do next. So I will say, “God what do you want me to do now. God pulls my eyes when He wants me to notice something. For example, I am driving past a gasoline station and I don’t think I need gas, but my eyes are pulled to the pump and I know by that pull that I need to stop. It didn’t make any sense when I look at the gas tank but God knew I would be going on a trip the next day that I didn’t know about and when the time came, I was ready to leave at that exact moment and prepared with a full tank of gas. In that moment I realized God led me by His eye. I really believe there are times when God guides me by His eye. There is a certain awareness I get when my eyes are guided by God. In other words, I had no intention of looking at the gas station but my eyes were drawn there.
Try It On
But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
(1 John 2:20)
Here is another way I believe God directs my path. I try it on. Here is what I mean. In the natural, when I go on trip. I always ask God “Is this what you want me to do? I don’t just do things because my flesh wants to do it. Steven and I have had this principle since we first met; “A Safe thing is a Sure Thing and A Sure Thing is a Safe Thing.” We don’t just do whatever we want whenever we want. We want God to be involved in our affairs. We want God’s instruction so we can be safe. We want God’s participation so we can be blessed. We don’t have enough years left to waste our time just walking in the ways of natural living. We want to Truly Live and Win in Life. This is what God wants also. I will say out loud, “God, Am I in your Timing? Are you leading me? Do you approve of this? Are you involved in this? Truly as I go, I can feel whether I have peace about it or not.” When I get the peace I will follow through. Without getting peace, I will wait.
The Test
First you find out how to get a yes and a no from the Lord. I will exaggerate slightly to get the point across. Ask God a question like; “Do you love me?” You know what that yes will feel like. You should feel a peace in your spirit. Then you make the statement; “I’m going to commit adultery today. Then you feel what no feels like. You should feel a check in your spirit. I will stand before God and try it on. I will say out loud, “God I am going to do this or that. I will sense how I feel for a few minutes. Then I will say, “God I am not going to do this or that and then I will sense how I feel. In each case you should get a sense of how it will feel when you are led of the Spirit. When the Spirit is guiding you, there will be peace. Without the Spirit guiding you there won’t be peace. Do you get what I am saying. Over the years this habit has paid off greatly. I have seen things get arranged miraculously so that I could truly say “that was God. Only God could arrange that. Thank you God.”
Can two walk together, except they be agreed? (Amos 3:3)
Walk with God and you will be safe. God will deliver you out of trouble. We live in dangerous times and many are those who perished because they were so involved and in a hurry they didn’t pause to try it on or let God guide them. It is easy to take things for granted and do this or that because it’s a habit, a chore, an errand or an appointment. Many snares come in the guise of opportunity. One very well known gospel singer was in an airplane accident and died because he did not listen to the warning his wife gave to him. His wife had a dream the night before that he should not get on the plane and she warned him but he got on the plane and died the next day.
Mark Wahlburg should have been in one of the planes on 9/11 but he just didn’t feel right about getting on it. He had an inner witness to not get on that plane. A famous preacher did not understand the seriousness of flying in a wild storm with strong winds and he put getting to the convention at his church over hearing the wisdom of the weather and letting someone else carry the church for the one night. That night the lead minister & his wife, the associate minister & his wife, and the pilot all died. God did not want to lose people who are preaching the gospel at that early of an age. His son is doing a wonderful job now but God is not into losing his servants early. We all make these mistakes but I want to practice all the time so when the time comes that I am responsible for four other lives, I don’t make the wrong decision for everybody that is with me. This is not condemnation. This is the wisdom of God.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Romans 8:14)
I have learned I have to be able to tell when Grace is carrying me versus the flesh making me work to get something done out of timing and God is not in it at all. Lots of times I have practiced trying it on to sense if God was in my journey on trips even if I was just one hour away, and if I felt He wasn’t, I turned around and went home.
One time God prompted me to go on a Thanksgiving journey & I kept checking with God to see if I was suppose to go, I could feel Grace carrying me and not the coldness of the flesh working things out. However, I still didn’t know the purpose of the trip. When I came over the last mountain over 1400 miles from the city I currently lived in, I felt like the Lord downloaded to me the purpose of the trip and who I was to meet with and the purpose of the meeting. If I had not stepped out in faith, I would have missed this person in the service who was being transferred out of the state to South Korea. God needed this person to do something before he left. He is one of those thinkers that has to think about stuff for days, weeks, etc. before he pulls the trigger. He finally said to the person with me, “She isn’t leaving until I do this, is she?” This person said, “Nope.” Now it has been 3 years and God blessed him so much by applying some pressure to his slow boat mentality. Since then he has applied a “Git Er Done” philosophy especially when he knows he is leaving for 6 to 9 months. You might think” how pushy of me,” but if the truth be told, his name was on the car, and the lease was already over and it should have been turned in 6 months before this moment. The slow boat thinker needed to understand, now is the time. Do it now!
It is amazing how God comes to bless us, and we even resist the blessing because we don’t like how God has chosen to do some things. Yet Blessed is God’s Best! God wants to walk with you and bless you, but you have to walk with Him and learn of Him, and some of your ways will need to be altered along the journey of life.
For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. (Romans 8:5-9)
Our thoughts are not always His thoughts. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. The carnal mind is enmity against God. The scripture is saying, “The mindset of the natural man is against God and hates the things of God and isn’t interested in God actively participating in his life. That mindset is part of the lifestyle of living without God, which the Bible calls death. The Bible teaches when we live life without God we are dead. That is why we die, because we are born separated from God. The mind of the natural man exalts itself against the Spirit. The intellect is actually a slower piece of equipment than the Spirit of God which travels at the speed of light and is very versatile, and can transform things very quickly. Many times the Spirit of God works quickly and silently because it is how you get in front of the opposing forces. In football they don’t tell the other team what play they are going to run next. The element of surprise gives each team the advantage to get a play run without much interference. Even so, God won’t tell you many times what He is doing, God’s plan just unfolds before your eyes without any demonic interference, if we but work with God.
And we get to say, “Wow God, that was amazing!”
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