"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." {Romans 8:14} This passage, and many others, have prompted some very strange conclusions concerning what it means to be "led by the Holy Spirit." People say: "I'm being led by the Spirit--God is calling me by His Spirit." They say they pray to God for understanding and wait till the Spirit tells them the direction in which to move. No doubt, the Bible clearly states that God's children are "led by the Spirit." The question is -- how?

• The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness." {Luke 4:1}
• The Spirit led Paul and his companions on their preaching journeys, forbidding them to go into certain regions. "Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them." {Acts 16:6,7}
• The Spirit led Peter to the household of Cornelius, "While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them." {Acts 19:19,20}
• The Spirit led Philip to preach to the Ethiopian eunuch. "Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot." {Acts 8:29}

Yes, the Holy Spirit led all these people. But the question we must ponder is: how does the Spirit lead men today?

• Is the Holy Spirit an irresistible force that goes before and guides us through life?
• Does the Holy Spirit perform a "direct operation" that enables us to be certain we are saved?
• Does the Holy Spirit miraculously lead us to salvation and sanctification?

The common thread that runs through all these beliefs is: the Holy Spirit is the one who guides, leads, and forbids; man is not part of the equation. One man claims to preach -- not knowing what He will preach until the Spirit moves in with the topic of the day. Another believes the Holy Spirit issues a little "warning signal" to keep him on the straight and narrow path. But is this, according to the Scriptures, how the Holy Spirit leads?

"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." {Luke 10:16} If we hear the apostles, we hear God. "For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me ... I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." {John 17:8,14} Jesus gave the word, which He got from the Father. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word." {John 17:20} To attain unity, we must accept the words of the apostles. But we have no apostles. "If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord." {1 Corinthians 14:37}

The Godhead Leads. Learning how deity leads should clear up the confusion in the minds of many. God has not always directed men in the same manner? "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds." {Hebrews 1:1,2}

God Leads. "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith." {Hebrews 11:7} Also read Genesis 6:13-22. God led Noah to build an ark for the saving of his house, and Noah obeyed (Genesis 7:5). God led Noah by giving detailed instructions in language Noah understood.

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise." {Hebrews 11:8,9} Also read Genesis 12:1-4. God led Abraham away from his homeland to a land that he would never inherit personally. Abraham received and followed God's instructions.

"When your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock." {Deuteronomy 8:14,15} God led the nation of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. He did so by using Moses, who voiced His will to the people, as well as Aaron, and later, Joshua.

Christ Leads. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." {John 6:44,45} Christ made disciples by giving instructions for them to follow. People were not converted by supernatural power that made them obey. Miracles were given as signs that He came from the Father, and that He also was God. The teachings--His words--along with their acceptance of, and obedience to, those words made them His disciples. He spoke truth, and they believed and obeyed. In essence, He led them.

The Holy Spirit Leads Through God's Word. "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." {Ephesians 6:17} To go about proving this, I want to show you what the Holy Spirit, and the Word, do.

We are led into sonship, not slavery (Romans 8:15); courage, not fear (2 Timothy 1:7); inheritance, not rejection (Romans 8:17); glory, not shame (Romans 8:17). The Bible is the word of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-13; Hebrews 3:7-11). Those who would be "led by the Spirit," must follow His word. We are free moral agents. Are you being "led by the Spirit"?