Follow the Leader

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching 

I once heard someone comment that the Trinity of evangelical Christianity is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Scripture. Their point was that, while we may have correct beliefs concerning a number of things from God’s Word, we tend to forget about a very important person: The Holy Spirit. If we’re honest, many of us would admit that He scares us a little. He seems unpredictable, and people who emphasize the Holy Spirit sometimes have practices that seem strange to us. It seems easier just to acknowledge the existence of the Holy Spirit, but to leave it at that.

As we have walked through Galatians, however, ignoring the Holy Spirit has seemed like less and less of an option. Paul says that it is the Holy Spirit who leads us to freedom and victory when it comes to our battle against our destructive impulses. We are told to “walk by the Spirit” (5:16), to be “led by the Spirit” (5:18), to “live by the Spirit” (5:24), to “keep in step with the Spirit” (5:25), and to “sow to please the Spirit” (6:8). When Paul gets practical about freedom, the Holy Spirit takes center stage.

According to Paul, if we walk by the Spirit then we will stop gratifying our destructive and deceitful impulses. Most of us want to take Paul up on this offer, but the command to walk by the Spirit seems vague and unattainable. In order to help with this, I want to talk briefly about three practical ways that we can walk by the Spirit.

The Sword of the Spirit. In Ephesians 6:17 the Apostle Paul calls the Word of God the “sword of the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is seen as the voice behind all of Scripture and all prophecies (2 Peter 1:20-21). There is a strong connection between the Spirit of God and the Word of God. If we want to hear the voice of the Spirit, we should pay close attention to what the Spirit has said through Scripture.

Reading the Bible is a vital part of the life of believers. When you read, don’t do so simply to say that you did. Read to listen to the voice of God. Scripture exposes us to God and the world as God has presented it. It brings us teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction. Read, learn, listen, reflect. If you want to hear the voice of the Spirit, dive into God’s Word.

Pray in the Spirit. In Ephesians 6:18 Paul says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” If we want to sow to the Spirit, we must pray. We must be engaged. We must bring our hearts to Him and allow Him to lead us. We must confess our sins and weaknesses, and plead with Him to bring us power and victory. We must ask Him to remind us of Jesus’ words and help us to understand them.

When we approach the Spirit, it is for the purpose of being empowered and led. In order to be led, we must humble ourselves. There is no activity that is more humbling than prayer. It is our conscious admission of absolute dependence. We open ourselves up to the leading of the Spirit when we yield to Him and pray.

Be Faithful with the Little. Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” When we think of the Spirit empowering us, we often mistakenly think of the big things in life. We think of the Spirit leading us to the mission field or empowering us to perform a miracle or emboldening us to evangelize an entire campus. It is wonderful if we want to see the Spirit work through us in such big ways.

But walking by the Spirit is not simply made up of following His lead in the big decisions. It is made up of following His lead in the “little” decisions of life. If we are faithful to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit in the little decisions of life, we will be faithful to follow His lead in the big decisions of life. We must follow the lead of the Spirit when we sense Him calling us to pause and pray with someone, when He calls us to turn off the television and pick up our Bible, when He calls us to say a kind and encouraging word (or a bold word of reproof) to someone, or when He calls us to give some of our money to someone in need. If we listen in the “little” decisions of life, we are likely to be more attuned to the voice and leading of the Spirit, and we will be entrusted with greater tasks in the work of God.

The Holy Spirit is an amazing gift from God. He is God’s very presence living within us. He endows us with power and boldness in order that we can be free to follow Christ in new and powerful ways. The Spirit is leading believers forward. Let’s keep in step with Him and follow His lead.

Check out the video from our Deeper event on August 4, 2013 that talked more in-depth about the Holy Spirit. You can download the notes and bonus Spiritual Gifts resource here as well.