How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God

by Kenneth E. Hagin, 1986
How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God

A great many Christian books have been written on the importance of being Spirit-led. Unfortunately, there are very few that actually explain how to do it. The lack of knowledge in this area is so great that many abuses have been excused by attributing the odd behaviour to “being led by the Spirit.”

One book that seeks to remedy this situation is How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God. This book describes the true leadings of the Spirit better than any other. It also gives warnings concerning some methods of seeking guidance which lead to trouble. The Scriptures on guidance are examined and carefully explained. After reading this book, you will better understand what being led by the Spirit of God is really like.

  1. The Lamp of the Lord — God guides us through our spirit, not our physical senses or our mentality.
  2. Man: An Eternal Spirit — There is a difference between our inward man and our outward man. The inward man is a spirit. God does something with the inward man, but not the outward man. We must do something with the outward man.
  3. Spirit-Conscious — The first step in being led by the Spirit of God is to become more aware of our own spirit.
  4. What Is the Difference Between Spirit and Soul? — The soul contacts the intellectual realm. The spirit contacts the spiritual realm.
  5. The Saving of the Soul — Saving the soul is a process. The spirit is reborn, but the soul must be renewed or restored with the Word of God.
  6. Presenting the Body — The inward man must become the dominant one. We must place our body in submission to our spirit.
  7. Number One: The Inward Witness — This chapter describes the primary way that God leads, the inward witness. It is not a physical feeling; it is either a velvety-like go ahead feeling in your spirit, or a check in your spirit that stops you. Sometimes it takes time to wait upon God before the inward witness becomes discernable enough to act on.
  8. Know-So Salvation — The first experience we have with the inward witness is that confident knowledge of being a child of God that comes with salvation.
  9. Fleeced! — Some warnings against the practice of putting out fleeces. Fleeces are an Old Covenant method of guidance used by spiritually dead people. We have a better guide — the living Spirit of God in direct communion with our spirit.
  10. Following the Witness — This chapter provides some good examples of ways to discern and follow the inward witness. Get confirmation. Don’t be in a hurry. The leading will come in your spirit, which is the real you, so it will seem like it is “just you.” If your flesh fights it, it must be brought into submission to your spirit. Most of the time, God’s guidance is not spectacular... but it is always supernatural.
  11. Number Two: The Inward Voice — The conscience is the voice of our spirit. It is a still small voice that will speak to us if we are willing to listen to it.
  12. Effects of the Spirit’s Indwelling — For those who have been born again, the conscience is a safe guide.
  13. Two Experiences — There is a difference between being born of the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. The new birth is a well of water that blesses you. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is rivers of water which flow out of you to bless others.
  14. God Inside — The Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit. He communicates with you through your spirit.
  15. Depend on Your Spirit — Since the Holy Spirit is in your spirit, your spirit knows things that your head does not know.
  16. Tenderhearted — When you do wrong as a Christian, it is your own spirit, not the Holy Spirit that tells you. Your conscience, the voice of your spirit, must be kept tender or spiritual things will become indistinct.
  17. Feelings: The Voice of the Body — Our faith must be based on the Word of God, not on our feelings. Feelings can change with the circumstances, but the Word of God is always constant.
  18. Help From Within — The Holy Spirit dwells on the inside of us and passes God’s messages on to us through our spirit.
  19. Number Three: The Voice of the Holy Spirit — When our spirit speaks to us, it is a still, small voice. When the Holy Spirit speaks, it is more authoritative. It may almost sound audible, but it comes from within us.
  20. Judging by the Word — The Spirit of God and the Word of God always agree. This chapter offers some warnings about listening to voices. Some voices contradict the Bible directly, while others quote the Bible out of context. The Holy Spirit will communicate with our spirit on the inside of us and always in agreement with the whole redemptive message of the Bible.
  21. My Spirit? The Flesh? or the Holy Spirit? — The question “Is it just me?’ misses an important distinction. If “me” refers to my inner man, my spirit which is born again, then it can be “just me” and still be valid guidance since my spirit is in communion with the Holy Spirit. It is when we allow the flesh to dominate us that we miss God.
  22. I Perceive — Many people believe that God causes or allows bad things to happen to us to teach us something. On the contrary, God warns us in our spirit about these things and if we learn to cooperate with Him, we can avoid many of the things that would harm us.
  23. Spectacular Guidance — Many people seek only spectacular guidance like visions or angels and they miss much of God’s guidance.
  24. The Spirit Bade Me Go — Some Scriptural examples of the Holy Spirit speaking.
  25. Guidance Through Prophecy — When guidance comes through a prophetic utterance, it must be judged by the Word of God and what we have in our own spirit.
  26. Guidance Through Visions — This chapter describes the three kinds of visions and gives Scriptural examples of each.
  27. Listen to Your Heart — Some examples of the mistakes that have been made when people chose to ignore the guidance of their spirit.
  28. How to Train the Human Spirit — Details on the four steps to training our spirit: Meditating the Word, practicing the Word, giving the Word first place, and instantly obeying the voice of our spirit.
  29. Praying in the Spirit — Praying in tongues every day keeps our spirit in direct contact with the Spirit of God and is one of the greatest spiritual exercises there is.
Also by Kenneth E. Hagin:
He Gave Gifts Unto Men
The Believer's Authority
The Art of Prayer
Love: The Way to Victory
Understanding the Anointing
Other Items on Related Topics: led
Man: The Dwelling Place of God
A.W. Tozer
Take Heed
Watchman Nee
Spiritual Knowledge
Watchman Nee
The Normal Christian Life
Watchman Nee

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