As a believer, your choices and God’s Spirit are never in conflict because He is in you! Choosing to side with God’s Word is a continual challenge. It’s not something you do just once. It’s a process of choosing to believe and act upon The WORD of God over and over in every circumstance.
That’s what everyone has to do. Years ago I decided I was going to choose Jesus. Since then I’ve had to choose Him again and again in situations every day. I’ve chosen Him as my Lord and Saviour, and my Healer. He is my Financier, and the head of my household. I’ve chosen Him as head of this ministry. And I still have to choose Him moment by moment.
Sometimes that choice gets tough, but God has promised it will never get too tough. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, He says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able.” What the Lord is saying is that He will not allow you to be subjected to a temptation you’re unable to overcome. With every temptation, He’ll make a way of escape. He’ll always make sure you have a choice.
Your Choices and Your Inner Witness
But, do you ever have trouble hearing from The Lord? I’ve had that experience. I knew His written word and acting on it changed my life. But I was uncertain when I had to make decisions about things The WORD didn’t specifically address. Things like whether to move to one city or another, for example.
What held me back was my ability to know that I was doing the right thing. You see, God’s Word and the inward witness are two different things. They never contradict each other, but they’re both a vital part of our walk with God.
God expected Israel, for example, to obey His written words. But He also said to them, “Obey my voice” (Jeremiah 7:23) because He wanted them to know His will in specific situations. That’s what happened when Israel invaded Jericho. They heard God’s voice. Where else do you think they would have gotten that strange battle plan? It wasn’t written in the law of Moses. And certainly, no human being would suggest a seven-day march around a city as the most effective form of invasion!
God’s Spoken Direction and Your Choices
But exactly how, you may wonder, does God speak to us? Does He just shout at us from heaven? Not usually! Romans 8 says the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. That means that God’s directions come from inside, not outside, of you.
At times when you hear His guidance, you may even wonder: was that me, Lord, or was that You? That’s because God doesn’t normally inject thoughts directly into your mind from the outside. Instead, He speaks to your spirit, and your spirit translates it into a thought.
God’s directions come from inside, not outside, of you.
Tune in today to that inward witness, to that quiet knowing, that urging, prompting and leading arising within you. If it sounds like you, don’t be surprised. It is you! It is your spirit being influenced by the Spirit of God! After you’re born again, your spirit is a safe guide because you are born of God’s Spirit. You have His nature. And the Holy Spirit lives in your spirit to teach you and to give you direction.
The devil doesn’t come tempt you while God is off somewhere else, unaware of what is happening to you. The Spirit of God is constantly with you, providing you with the way to overcome. In other words, God matches even the toughest temptations with the weapons and power you need to conquer them. He always makes it possible for you to choose life.
So, choose to walk in love. Choose to walk by faith. Choose to live by the Word. Jesus is the Way! Choose Him!
About the Writers:
Kenneth and Gloria Copeland founded Kenneth Copeland Ministries in 1976 after hearing from The Lord to take The WORD of God from the top of the world, to the bottom and all the way around the middle on every available voice. Over 50years later, Kenneth Copeland Ministries serves five global regions – over 100 countries – taking believers from milk to meat in different languages everyday.
