Paying attention to God's voice and being directed by His Spirit turns normal life into a divine experience full of inner peace and spiritual health. I completely love trailing after Jesus into times I could never have organized or envisioned. This transpires daily! Being transformed into a "heaven-directed" man (or woman) is well within the capacity of each and every Christian. In fact it is a normal component of our life in Christ--something that is definitely assumed by Jesus who said, "My sheep hear My voice."
1) The Bible. This is our bedrock, the base we depend upon to ensure that we might pinpoint any incorrect thinking or urge and refuse to follow it. Remember, God isn't the only one communicating to us. The culture that surrounds us, the fallen nature and the kingdom of darkness also demand our recognition and may seem incredibly convincing. The truthfulness of scripture unmasks every deception, showing precisely what the moral limits are and providing broad concepts to follow. You should always put this at the head of the line! Anything that is plainly taught has to be lived by, or the unfavorable consequences will be inescapable. Nevertheless, there are decisions we will need to make all day that the Bible isn't specialized enough to cover. That's the reason why the Lord sent us His Spirit to follow, not only His Word.
2) Conscience. You don't have to be Jiminy Cricket to recognize that you should always let conscience be your guide. Both conscience and common sense are blessings from our God which help us know what the next right thing to do is. After that it depends on us to consider if we really want to do it. Our Father won't overpower our free will. The moment you honestly choose to be directed by Him, the Holy Spirit will show you a good inclination that is OK to be guided by, a clear necessity that needs to be addressed, or a bona fide moral duty to fulfill. These 3 " magnificent guides" are our beginning points for being taught how to lend an ear to God more specifically.
3) Innermost Impressions. Each of our senses have the ability to be activated by the Spirit of God as a way of transmission or communion. However, these inklings are often faint and vague. It really takes a whole lot of practice to "have our senses trained" for recognizing the ways of the Lord according to the writer of Hebrews (5:14). These facets of the still, small voice call for conscientious observing! I have followed a lead from the psalmist (131:1-2) to make room for a peaceful area inside of me to make sure that I might make out the "whis"--the partly whis-pered inner voice. This requires some effort but it is worth it to gain the knowledge or joy of the next audacious thing to do!
4) Agreement of Wise Counsel. Even though there is no substitute for forming judgment for yourself, it would be absurd not to solicit other people for their insights. God frequently has sensible people close to us who are worth listening to. It is one of His techniques for examining our humility and intertwining us as a Body as well. I love these "holy huddles"--they have been indispensable for enabling me to stay on track! However, don't follow someone's suggestions like a slave. The Holy Spirit wants you to get the hang of how to hear Him and no one knows about your life like the Spirit who is searching your heart and revealing it to you.
5) Exterior Conditions. These are normally the very first detail which people watch out for, but they ought to be last. It is too tempting for the enemy to mix up the signals! Don't be deceived: closed doors aren't always from the Lord and neither are open doors. Occasionally God desires for you to linger at a barred door and give Him time to open it when you have prayed and grown some endurance. And an open door can conveniently be a not so subtle trap set by the evil one. How do you test it? You don't madly race through the opening as soon as you find it. You pray, wait, listen, then go forward with watchfulness if you believe you are still receiving a green light.
All 5 of these sources of guidance need to confirm each other. You don't need to receive all 5 to step out in faith, but if any one of them throws a flag on the play, you should stop and start praying in earnest. With repetition, undeterred attempts, childlike faith and tons of grace your life in Christ will grow into an exciting adventure, floating in the Spirit in a stream of peace.
