Guidance That Can Be Trusted - Part 2

II. The Inner Witness In Our Spirit Can Be Trusted As Safe Guide 

1. 1Cor 3:16. Because the W.F.& D. don’t have access & because all that’s in our spirit is of God.

2. We’ll prove this: Jn 3:3-7. The spirit is the part of man that is born again. 

3. 2Cor 5:17-18. And everything in our spirit is new and of God and can be trusted as a safe guide. 

4. Acts 16:7. See how Paul obeyed the witness of the Holy Spirit in his spirit - X on map.

X

III.  Beware of ‘Guidance’  Coming From The World

A. ‘Urges’ coming from outside are from the world, through our senses to our mind & cannot be automatically trusted without the witness of our spirit.  1Jn 2:16, 2Cor 4:18, 5:7.

B.  So,  look to things ‘unseen’ rather than things seen. Peter (Mt 14:30), 10 spies (Num 13:32), and Saul looked at things seen (1Sam17:11). Caleb and David looked at things unseen (vs 30, 37).

IV. Beware Of  ‘Guidance’ That Appeals Only To Your Emotions Or Flesh

A. Pr 20:27, Rom 8:16,Col 3:15. God deals with man in his spirit - primarily by the inner witness. The inner witness might be described as ‘inner knowing’; or ‘intuition’;  or a ‘check’ which is a ‘No’ or ‘Stop’; or a ‘lifting’ or a ‘light velvety feeling’ in my spirit which is a ‘Yes’ or ‘Go ahead’. 

Where do I experience these? In my spirit.  If it comes from my spirit, I can trust it. 
 
B. But, what I ‘like’; what makes me ‘happy’ or ‘excited’; what ‘calms’, or is ‘reasonable’ to my mind; are of the soul (mind, will or emotions), and not to be trusted as guides by themselves.

Where do I experience these? In my mind or my emotions. It is not from my spirit and therefore, I can’t trust it by itself. Guidance comes from my spirit; soulish emotions come from circumstances.

C. Similarly, what appeals to my senses, what makes me ‘feel good’, what I ‘like to look at’, what ‘is pleasant to hear’, are of the body and not to be trusted as guides by themselves. Where do I experience these? In my flesh. It is not from my spirit and therefore, I can’t trust it by itself.

HOMEWORK HBS-61

___. The devil doesn’t have access to my spirit if I’m a believer.

___. When I was born again I was made a new creature in Christ.

___. The part of me that was made new was my soul.

___. The inner witness in a believer’s mind to take a particular course of action can always be trusted as coming from God.

Temptation comes from the W_ _ _ _  or the F_ _ _ _ , or the D_ _ _  _ .

___. The Holy Spirit told Paul not to preach the Word in Asia.

___. Then Paul was tempted to go to Bithynia (it may have seemed logical, or easier - a land trip rather than by boat, or it was what he had in mind before the trip), but the Holy Spirit said ‘No’ to this too. 
 
___.  It was a good thing for the Philippians, Thessalonians, Corinthians and Ephesians that Paul and Silas were influenced by the Holy Spirit to change their mind.

___. The Holy Spirit decided on His own to make this change in plans. (Hint: Jn 16:13)

Why do you think the Holy Spirit did not tell Paul where he was to actually go at the same time He said ‘NO’ to going to Bithynia? ____________________________________________________.

Urges coming from the world, through our senses to our mind cannot be  trusted without  _ _ _ 
 _ _ _ _ _ _  _   _ _   _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ _.

God deals with man in his __________;  most frequently by the _____________   ____________.

Emotions such as ‘liking’, ‘happiness’, ‘excitement’, ‘calmness’, ‘reason’ come from my _______. 

___. A strong, happy desire to do something I really want to do must come from God or I wouldn’t want to do it so badly and I wouldn’t feel so happy thinking about it.

___. Guidance based upon reason, emotions, or what is pleasant to think about should be suspect.

___.  What appeals to my senses, what makes me ‘feel good’, what I ‘like to look at’, what ‘is pleasant to hear’ is of the body and not to be trusted as guides by themselves. 

Name three things that we might do that would help us to be led by God or to know God’s will. 
________________________      ________________________      ________________________

**Bonus (this will take some research!) Can you think of any reason why the Holy Spirit in Acts 16:6 may have forbidden preaching in Asia? (Hint: Read what happened there in Paul’s 1st visit in  Acts 13:44-51, 14:19. See also Jesus’ ministry: Mt 7:6, 10:14,15, 13:9-15, Lk 10:13, Mk 8:22-26.) _______________________________________________________________________________