The Practicality of Being Led By The Spirit Part 1

The Practicality of Being Led By The Spirit Part 1

Few days ago, I read this verse and I suddenly had a fresh understanding. I had read it so many times through a period of saturated meditation but I didn't really think of this.

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Rom 8:13

How do you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit? Paul was a very practical writer. He wasn't saying something that is vague or merely a concept. This verse is, in fact, extremely practical. To understand it, we first have to understand what it means to be led by the Spirit.

The phrase 'be led by the Spirit' has often been misunderstood, especially in the charismatic circles.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. - Rom 8:14

Apparently, some think that being led by the Spirit means that you have to be flaky, spontaneous and unpredictable. "The Spirit told me to buy a candy to eat...."; "the Spirit told me not to reach out to this lady with spectacles", "the Spirit told me not to finish my food", etc. And there is a whole list of "the Spirit says..." 

Well, if the Spirit is unpredictable most of the time, then perhaps it is a different spirit from God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8) in His nature and character.

Granted, there are occasions when the Spirit directs you to do something out of the norm but it is not the norm. Look at Jesus' life and tell me if He is flaky or naturally supernatural. Furthermore, I shared in the practicality of hearing His voice in the earlier post that the Spirit of Christ and us are ONE ---- that includes our desires, inclinations, etc. Don't try to live as though the Spirit is separated from who we are. That's when people fall into deception and stuff like "the Spirit tells me to divorce my spouse" can happen.

If we like to say "the Spirit tells me this and that...", then nobody can reason with you because God has been used as the 'ultimate authority' in whatever you say.

If we look at the life of Jesus and the life of apostle Paul, we will discover that they were rarely waiting for the Spirit to move them. Most of the time, it wasn't "the Spirit tells me to do this". On the contrary, they just went ahead to do what they were sent to do. They knew what it meant to live in Oneness with the Spirit of God. Read the book of Acts and you will see that Paul was unstoppable and was continually on the move until the Spirit stopped him (Acts 16:6). Well, he is the same author who wrote 'be led by the Spirit.'

If you have to wait until the Spirit says this and that, then you are  probably not co-labouring with the One who loves you and lives in you. "Jesus takes the wheel" is not the New Covenant life by the way.

In the next post, we are going to see some passages that explain what being led by the Spirit means. Scriptures have to interpret Scriptures.