Basics of discerning and leadings (AC231122)

We will start making plans and drain up some New Year resolutions and all that for the following year. And one thing is quite important to note. Very, very important to note is about the leadings and the savings of God. You see, most Christians, they struggle with one of two things or two things. One is not being able to or better put, they think they don't hear from God because God talks to every of his child. Then the second thing is when it comes to understanding or being able to the same leadings of God, they find it somewhat of an issue. But if you turn to John chapter 10, John chapter 10 verse 4, verse 4, Jesus said, "And so I am dropping into the middle of your thoughts, but we're just good for wisdom and patrons." John chapter 4, John chapter 10 verse 4, it says, "When he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them and the sheep following for they know his voice." This is phenomenal. Let me read it again. "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them. The sheep follows him for they know his voice." You see, Jesus likened himself to be the great shepherd, but not just like and he is actually the great shepherd. In Hebrews chapter 10 verse 20, the Bible calls him "the great shepherd of the sheep." So we are the sheep of his pasture. He is the shepherd, but not just the shepherd, he is the great shepherd. Now, if you look at the sequence, it is something worthy of note. Let's foresee, when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them. The sheep doesn't go before the shepherd. The shepherd goes before the sheep. He says, "He goes before them and the sheep following him why don't know his voice." So there are some people, and one of the reasons why this meeting is also important is that you can also instruct other people or teach other people or be able to tell other people how to learn to the same from God. You see, there is this mindset that God doesn't speak to me. God's word says that every believer knows the voice of the great shepherd. You see, the sheep from Jesus' statement is not trying to fool the shepherd. The sheep will not follow the shepherd. The sheep follows the shepherd. Why the sheep knows his voice? The first thing you tell people, or the first thing you tell yourself, if one is having difficulties in knowing the voice of God, is the simple fact. And is this, the Bible says, "I know his voice, so I agree with the Bible, I know the voice of God." Start where the Bible starts. Start where the Bible starts. The Bible says, "I know the voice of God." I know the voice of God. Look at John chapter 10, verse 27. He says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." So, these two passages sorts out the two issues many believers tend to have. You see, it is not really of an issue, because every born-again person, every man that has believed in the dead, is a rare and resurrection of Jesus. On the stands the voice of God. Why? Look at what Jesus said in verse 4. John chapter 4. Jesus said, "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep following him for they know his voice. They know his voice, so I know the voice of my papa." In verse 27, Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and they know them, and they follow me." So, one is talking about knowing the voice. One is talking about a hearing the voice. So, one talks about receiving the leadings, or receiving the voice, or knowing the voice. Sorry, one talks about receiving the leadings. One talks about knowing the leadings. I want you to pay attention closely, because this chapter sorts out the issue of, "Oh, I don't know the voice of God. I don't know when God speaks to me. How can I just say when God talks to me? I don't even hear from God." A believer's position should start from the very fact that one, "I know the voice of God." Two, "I hear the voice of God." This is very, very, very important. Now, why is it possible that a believer knows the voice of God? If you talk to first Corinthians chapter 2 from verse 12, it says, "Now we have received." Look at the tenses. I wanted to pay close attention to the tenses. It says, "Now we have received." "I am not going to receive." "You are not going to receive." "You have received." Not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual, now for ten. But the natural man does not receive the things or the spirit of God for their foolishness to him. Trying to use my will, my natural understanding, my human observation to know or hear the leadings, the cause of the voice of God will result to no achievement. It says, "But the natural man, a man with that Christ, does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for their foolishness to him, nor can he know them." Can you see that when it comes to the leadings of God or the setting the will of God, it has to do with two major things, one, receiving them, two, knowing them, receiving them, two, knowing them. So tonight without taking a crash course on the will of God, the sentient and leadings, the sentient and leadings walking into the will of God, subsequent times we will go into how do I know the will of God and will delve deeper into all those aspects. But can you see that in all instances it deals with knowing and receiving? It believes as a position when it comes to what is the will of God or what is God saying? Or how do I know that this thing is God that said it or all those kinds of situations? Before checking it out by the word or by the spirit, because those are the two main ways we are led of God, by the word, by the spirit. And when we talk about the spirit, we can branch it into things like the local assembly or pastura instructions and the communal instructions as we fellowship with one another. So those are the two main ways God leads us by the word or by spirit. But before we even get there, there are the basics of lead and the sentient. In John chapter 10, we saw that Jesus said, "My sheep year my voice, so I maintain that position I year the voice of God." Jesus also said, "My sheep know my voice. What I do, I maintain that position I know the voice." So God. Now, are there Christians who find it hard to know or to hear the voice of God? Yes. There are those types of Christians. Not because of anything, it just happens. Maybe because of lack of proper study or not being in tune or in sync with God's word. But apart from all those things, a Christian's position should start in agreement with the word. See, I'm repeating this often and often because of a subtle fact, the mind of things forgets. How does God lead us by the word by spirit? Where is that spirit in us? Paul, we now say we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God that we may know. So listen carefully, the spirit within us is the right to know. On what grounds do I know the will of God? On what grounds do I know the plans and the purposes that God has set out for me? I have the spirit. The spirit within you is your legal right to know the will of God. See, I wanted to look at verse 12 again. It says, "The second and first Corinthians 12." It says, "Now we have received past tense." You see, it's important that as you studied the word of God, you pay close attention to context. And in the context, you pay much more attention to tenses. You see, tenses can change a sentence, can change the meaning, sorry, the meaning of a sentence just by the tenses. For example, if it was in verse 12, now we will receive the spirit of God. It's not mean that, "Oh, we have not yet received the spirit of God." So at the second point, you know, a Christian world, you receive the spirit of God. But it says, "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who not what who is from God, that we might know the things that are freely giving to us." In verse 15, it says, "But he who is spiritual, judges all things, yet he himself is not judged." By no means. "For who has known the mind of God that he may instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ." It says, "My receiving not the spirit of God is my right to know the things that are freely giving to me of God." So for Christians who find it hard to know or to the sin, the will of God, they should start from where the Bible starts. They should confess what the Bible states, right? What does the Bible states? You have received the spirit of God that you may know the things freely giving to you. In Galatians chapter 4, in Galatians chapter 4, verse 6, sorry I'm jumping to the middle of a thought again, you know, you started the Bible not in verses and chapters. Bases and chapters we added some 500 years ago for two main purposes, for citation and translation purposes. So for citation and translation purposes, but if you observe, if you read the Bible, you observe when they want to put a certain place in the Bible or in the scriptures, they will just say as as Zaya said or as Jeremiah said or as the prophet said in the entire Bible, this is just a side information though, just a side information. In the entire Bible, it is only once that it please was referenced chapter by chapter in Acts 13, when Paul said as it was written in the second Psalm, that is the only place you see them referencing a chapter, but apart from that, you will just see as David said, as Zaya said, as the prophet said, as Jeremiah said and all that so on. It's important that you study a Bible in a thought's form. So when a communication takes place from the starting point to the end point, it's very very important that you know, you know this, but back to our main discourse, Galician chapter 4, verse 6, it says, "And because your sons, not gender, that's what has to do with gender, sons in Bible language means one who inherits the promises, the blessings and the ministry of the Father, it has to do with gender because both male and female, for those who have accepted Christ, they are sons because they have received the will, the ministry and the inheritance of the Father." So on Gweinon, Galician 4, 6 says, "And because your sons, God has set forth the spirit of his son into your heart, crying about Father, therefore you are no longer asleep but the son, and if his son, then an heir of God to Christ." So where is the spirit of his son in you? Where is God's spirit right now? In the man, in the woman that believes, that spirit that is in you is what Paul will call the right to know in first Corinthians 12. It says, "You have received the spirit of God, not the spirit of this world, that you may know so that end, so one of the end points of receiving the spirit of God. Remember, the spirit of God came into you in the new birth, right? When you believe in the death of the birth and resurrection of Jesus, the spirit of God came into you. You now have the spirit. That spirit is the right to know the things that are freely given to you, of God. So the question is this, where is that spirit in you, right? The spirit of God is in you. So if the spirit is the right to know, where will lead in and direction come from? From within. You see, many people look for signs, look for symbols, look for or one spectacular experience, I know that. But you see, leading direction will come from you. In subsequent teachings, you see where Paul and the Jesus will say, "I perceived in my spirit." So it's not coming from outside in, it is from inside out. That spirit, which is your right to know, is what made Jesus to see the prophetic that my sheep year my voice. So you year the voice of God. Settle it in your heart today. You have no heart issues. You don't have a hearing issue. Ever believe I, yes from God. Why Jesus said it? I was saying earlier that John chapter 10, John chapter 10, does a phenomenal job of answering the two major questions that are mostly faced by believers today. You year the voice of God, you know the voice of God. Now, what if your mind doesn't agree with this fact? Films will not trump the word of God. The word of God will trump fillings. I don't feel God hits me, it's a fact. Now, if that fact contradicts the truth of scripture, you don't accept it. What you accept, "I have received the Spirit of God." That's it. "A spirit I have received is my right to know." So I know the voice of God. I hear the voice of God. You start there. You start there. You say what the Scripture says. You agree with the truth of the Scripture. Praise God. So what we are doing tonight is just a crash course. There's like more like the ABCs, the ABCs of all of the legends and the saints on the standard of the will of God. On the standard of the will of God. You know, many people making plans for the New Year. You see, one of the reasons why the sentimental legends is so important is remember 2020. Many people made plans for the New Year. Many people. They talked about how it's going to be the best year of their lives. This decade is going to be great on all these. But you see, the best of man's ability, the best of man's planning, can go as far as logic and human calculation will allow. In the year 2020, very few people saw COVID. COVID crushed a lot of businesses, spoiled many deals, hampered travelings, hampered investments. So the strength of a man's calculation will only go as far as reasoning and logical allow. But a man led by the spirit of God. Oh, glory to God. A man led by the spirit of God is not caught on a verse. Why? He has received the spirit of God. He knows the will of God for his life. He hears the will of God for his life, rather, and then he knows the will of God. So the spirit of God can lead a man into the next six months, five years, ten years, twenty years, thirty years. That's why you see a man or a woman just having progress after progress, after progress in this walk. He is not the pain that a human calculation. You see, and my mind goes back to Genesis 26 and 27, when Isaac was in a land that had famine, many people left what did Isaac do? Isaac prayed. Go to the to stay in that land. You see, sometimes one of the reasons why people find it hard to descend the will of God is not often. It doesn't happen often, but most times it contradicts your own plans. Number two, it doesn't even make sense. How can you tell a man who has family, who has children? I mean, who are the family, who are servants and cuttles and housemaids and all that to stay in a land of famine? Now, if Isaac can be obedient, much more are we, for we are new creations, very little God. Much more can we, and we will, by spirit. We will, by spirit. So, this is important to note, you hear the voice of God. You see, I talk to many believers in my place of work and in other places. They say, "God doesn't speak to me." No. We have allowed these things to influence our knowledge of the Word of God. Somebody was saying that, "How can I know the living of God in big matters and small matters?" You see, when it comes to God's living, it's not situation sensitive. The living of God is not situation sensitive. It's not as if God will lead you for a big stuff. And when it comes to small stuff, he would also say, "It doesn't really matter. You can have your own say in it." God loves you, but much more than that, his spirit is in you. You see that all through those teachings, I mean emphasizing on his spirit in you. His spirit in you. His spirit is the right to know. That spirit in you is the right to know. See, this is so important. This is so important. So, let's say I'm praying for a job or I'm praying for, let's say I want to relocate. Or I don't know if I should do my masters in this school or in this school. And you see, those type of decisions is not something covered in the Word. Like a wish, a situation, children attend or where do you relocate or when will you start your business. Those kind of situations are not something that can be covered by written Word and is written down. It starts your business in May or go to this school in Abhyukudha or a portacot and all that. So, that's why we started there. We were saying that two men with Godly souls is by the Word and by his spirit. And they also said that the spirit can be further broken down into things like the local assembly, that communal fellowship and after that communal fellowship instructions can spring out. Let me show you something before we close tonight's meeting. Acts 13, Acts 13, you know, the missionary of Paul and the Barabbas, this is how we started in a fellowship. That is how Paul got his call to minister. Earlier, if we read Acts 36 years already to Paul on his way to Damascus, because of Acts 26, it's like an elaborate explanation of what happened to the root of Damascus in Acts 9. And Jesus told him that he's going to send Paul to the people to open their eyes, turn them from the power of Satan to the power of God, turn them from darkness to light that they may receive for the goodness of sins and their inheritance. But when the Paul at least at this ministry, if you read Acts 13 this one, it says, "Now in the church that was at Antioch, Acts 31, says, "There be a certain prophets and teachers, Barabbas, Simeon, who was called a major, Lucio-Sosirin, Manien, who had been brought up in Herodic tetra and Saul. Look at verse 2. So these people were already their prophets and teachers. Verse 2 says, "As they minister to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, "You see that phrase, the Holy Ghost said, 'It's not as if a building, the roof of the building was split wide open, and then there was a voice.' Most often than not, when he says the Holy Ghost said, 'It's talking about tongues and interpretation of tongues or prophecies.' Or prophecies. So as they minister to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, 'Now separate to me, Barabbas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them.' Past ends, called them so they already had a call. Now it was time to start that ministry. Then the street, then having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So you can see that the spiritual God communicated something important to Paul and Barabbas, via men, via the fellowship of men. So are happy are you? Happy are you if you have a group of people that you pray together, that you study together, because out of those activities, the Spirit of God will reveal His will and plans to you. That's another way he also does it. Yes, he can also speak by the A1 witness. That's correct, that's true. It happens. That is when you not see when Paul will say, 'I perceived in my Spirit.' That is the inward witness in operation. But another fact that is very, very important to note is that your fellowship, your fellow brethren, instructions will come up from there. Prophecies, words will be said that will resonate with your Spirit. Remember, Saul, nice Paul, already knew that he was called. to minister the gospel. Like I said in Acts 26, which was elaborate of Acts chapter 9. But not the timing of that call was what was communicated to Paul and Barnabas via fellowship. So let me say it again, happy are you if you have a group of two, three, four, five, ten or whatever the number may be that you fellowship together, that you pray together. It can be in a group, it can be in a physical meeting, it can be a Zoom or Google Meet. But happy are you if we have those kind of friends. Happy are you indeed because that is one of the ways instructions also come. One of the ways in which men are also led or given instructions by the spirit. Praise God. Also our stop here for tonight and on Friday we will continue. Like I said tonight was just a crash course on these on leadings and the settings and all that. Later on we will go in depth and unravel the truth that God has us to unravel. Praise God. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your watch. We thank you for the potency of your world. This world crystallizes on our hearts. It grows big on our inside and not thin or smutters. We give you praise and glory. In Jesus name we pray.