CHRISTIANS SOMETIMES TRY to receive guidance other than how the Bible teaches. For example, the Bible never says that God will guide you through your soul. People sometimes use the words “spirit” and “soul” interchangeably, but they are not interchangeable.
We know from the Word that our soul and spirit do not refer to the same thing. Hebrews 4:12 differentiates between the two: “The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the DIVIDING ASUNDER of SOUL and SPIRIT.”
Paul also made a distinction among the three parts of our being: “I pray God your whole SPIRIT and SOUL and BODY be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). THE WORD CLEARLY SHOWS THAT WE ARE A SPIRIT, WE HAVE A SOUL, AND WE LIVE IN A BODY.
The Holy Spirit abides in our spirit when we are born again.
JOHN 14:16–17
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
You are a spirit being, and you contact the spiritual realm with your spirit.
Since God dwells in you—in your heart or spirit—that is where He will speak to you. He does not communicate directly with your mind because He’s not in your mind. He’s in your spirit.
You are a spirit being, and you contact the spiritual realm with your spirit. You contact the mental realm with your intellect. And you contact the physical realm with your body.
Because God guides you through your spirit, it’s important that you allow your spirit being—the inner you—to dominate your life.
THE INWARD WITNESS
Romans 8:14 and 16 say that you are to be led by the Holy Spirit as He bears witness with your spirit. The number one way God guides all His children is by the inward witness.
Let me explain what I mean. Suppose you are praying about going in a certain direction in your life, but you get a check or a red light in your spirit. To say it another way, on the inside of you there is something that tells you no or stop. On the inside—in your heart—you don’t feel good about going in the direction you’re praying about.
That check in your spirit is the Holy Spirit telling you not to go in that direction, no matter how good the circumstances may look. On the other hand, if you pray about a matter and you get a go-ahead signal or a velvety-like feeling in your heart, that’s the witness of the Holy Spirit to proceed.
So first, God leads His children by the inward witness. Second, He leads us by the inward voice. With the inward voice, our own spirit tells us what it picks up from the Holy Ghost. God also can lead us by the more authoritative Voice of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Ghost within us speaks, it can almost seem to be an audible voice.
Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit itself [Himself] beareth witness with our spirit.” Many Christians think Paul is referring to some kind of physical witness or evidence. But Paul never said the Spirit bears witness with your physical senses. No, the Holy Spirit bears witness with your spirit.
You can’t base your Christian walk on your physical senses or feelings. Feeling is the voice of your body. Reason is the voice of your mind. And conscience is the voice of your spirit.
YOUR SPIRIT—THE INWARD YOU—HAS A VOICE; it is your conscience! Is your conscience a safe guide? It is if your spirit has been born again and your mind renewed by God’s Word.
If you are being led by your feelings or by your physical senses instead of by your conscience, you are heading for trouble. If your mind or body dominate you, Satan can gain entrance into your life by controlling you through your feelings or senses. You can’t walk by faith if you are led by your feelings.
It makes no difference if you feel like something is or isn’t so. Our faith is based on God’s Word, not on how we feel. Feelings can tell you something that is contrary to scripture. But the Holy Spirit will communicate to you through your spirit, and it will always be in line with the Word.
Jesus said the Holy Spirit will show you things to come (John 16:13). How will He do that? By bearing witness with your spirit. The Holy Spirit endeavors to guide you in all the affairs of life.
A biblical illustration of how the inward witness operates is found in the Book of Acts.
ACTS 27:9–10
9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
10 And said unto them, Sirs, I PERCEIVE that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.
Notice Paul didn’t say, “The Lord told me.” No, he said, “I perceive.” Paul didn’t perceive this mentally. He didn’t perceive it physically through his senses. In his spirit, he had an inward witness that “this voyage will be with hurt and much damage.”
A key principle to following the inward witness is to develop and train your spirit. How do you do that? Number one, feed on God’s Word. Number two, make sure you walk in love. And number three, pray much in other tongues.
When you pray out of your spirit, you become more conscious of your spirit and of spiritual things. Supernaturally you’re in direct contact with God, the Father of spirits (Heb. 12:9). If you’ll develop your spirit being, after a while, you’ll always know what to do.
Too many Christians spend most of their lives in the mental and physical realms. Many times we’ve developed our intellects at the expense of developing our hearts. Our intellects take the throne in our lives, and our spirits—which should guide us—are kept locked away in prison and not permitted to function. But even if we don’t listen to our spirits, the Holy Spirit through the inward witness is always seeking to guide us.
Author
Kenneth E. Hagin
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