hello everybody good to see ya I say hi to all of our campuses and those of you who are joining us online welcome to Saddleback if you take out your message notes we're continuing in a series we started last week you know if you had been invited to go to a brand new city let's say you won some game show and you go to some exotic city somewhere that you've never been to you've pretty much got four options on how you're gonna know what that city is you could just walk around with no Direction no input and you say let's just walk around see what this city is all about and if you just get off the bus or get off the plane and you walk around that city you'll see some interesting things but you're gonna miss most of the city because you don't know really what's there and if you just walk around and kind of you know drift through the city you don't get the best of what it's all about now your second option is to get a map and you can get a map of Paris or or a map of London or a map of Tokyo and you open it up and now you got a little bit more direction and you can use that map to walk right now that'll let's go there let's go see that and that's actually better than just drifting through the city but it's not the best you could then number three get a guidebook and then a guidebook it tells you here's the cool stuff to see in the city here's the best places to eat here's the the attractions you don't want to miss here's the stuff that's most fun here's the stuff that's most fulfilling here's where you get the best bargains and having a guidebook now really opens up the city far better than a map far better than just walking around but the best of all is the hire a personal guide somebody who's been there or lived there all their lives they know all the best spots they know how to avoid the tourist traps they know how to get to the real Paris the real London the real Tokyo they know how to point out stuff that nobody else knows out they'll often know the history they'll know the background they know the full experience they know the best place to take the picture having a personal guide is the best of all last year can i I went and rented a car to simply drive around Ireland then we could have just done that on her own but at one point we got a guide to help us see some stuff that we would have missed and we saw all kinds of really cool things learned all kinds of really cool insights and had a lot of fun experiences that we would have totally missed we would have picked the wrong restaurants we would have seen the wrong things we would have missed the stuff that the locals know about that the tourists don't know about because we simply got advice we got a personal guide now the same is true for your life you can just drift through life you can get a map you can get a guidebook or you can get a personal guide through your life and depending on which of those things you choose will determine how effective how meaningful how significant and how fulfilling your life is you can just drift through life and most people do they don't have a map they don't have a guidebook and they certainly don't have a guide I highly recommend you avoid that kind of lifestyle that's just that's just existing and and you go through life not knowing what really to see what really to do what's important what's not important now the world will give you plenty of maps you can go up to Hollywood and you can get a map to the homes of the celebrities and you get you know go look them up yourself but God has given us both a guidebook that's this the Bible and he has given us a guide and that guide is called the Holy Spirit now in this series which we started a week ago we called it choosing your future I said we're gonna look at five different choices in life and the first week if you missed it you want to go back to here that message on choosing the right values for your life because if you don't choose the right values you got the wrong foundation you're gonna waste your life totally waste your life and the world's value system is the exact opposite of what God says you ought to value in life and so if you if you listen to the world you're gonna miss out on what your life was really all about choosing the right values this weekend I want us to look at choosing the right guide for your life now there are plenty of guides out there you choose you know some talk-show host on TV you can choose some radio commentator you can choose a friend there are lots of people who'll be glad to guide you through life not necessarily in the right direction but there are plenty of guides out there but God has provided both a guidebook the Bible and a personal guide will help interpret the guide book called the Holy Spirit I don't know if you've ever thought about this but why did Jesus go back to heaven after he came to earth why didn't he just stay here why didn't he just stay on earth so we would have a physical visible model and go oh that's how God wants us to live that's the way to handle that kind of situation that's out a way how to handle that stress that conflict that's that just look at Jesus he's living in Minneapolis right now let's go ask him and and why did not Jesus stay on earth after he rose back from the dead he went back to heaven why well he said it's actually better for me to leave better how could anything be better than having Jesus guiding us personally through life he said because when I leave I'm going to send the helper the helper the counselor the Advocate the Bible calls the Holy Spirit many things he said I'm gonna send my spirit back to earth the Holy Spirit was just the spirit of Jesus the Spirit of God and and he says this is actually gonna be better than me personally being here how the world is the Holy Spirit better than Jesus and how is it going to help you make the right decisions in life and how the Holy Spirit want to be your guide counsel or guidance counselor and not just have a guide book but actually have a personal counselor or a personal helper through life why did Jesus go back to heaven cuz he said I want to send the Holy Spirit no look at this verse up here on the screen jesus said this in John 16 he said it's actually best for you that I go away in other words that I go back to heaven because if I don't the helper won't come to you but if I do if I go back to heaven I go away he will come because I will send him to you and when he the Spirit of Truth now I want you to remember this the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth when the spirit of truth comes he will guide you there's the guidance he's the guide for your life he will guide you he will lead you he will direct you he will show you he will guide you into all truth I've given you he says the truth but I'm gonna give you the guidance counselor who's gonna guide you into all truth he's gonna explain this to you and and he will tell you what is yet to come in your life that is a guide and he is called the Holy Spirit how is having the Holy Spirit better than Jesus because when Jesus was here he was limited to one location when he was physically in a body he could only be in Jerusalem he couldn't be in Jerusalem and you know Hong Kong at the same time he couldn't be in Buenos Aires and Berlin and Manila all at the same time but now his Holy Spirit can be everywhere he can be with all of us and he can help all of us and he can be in all of us this is a big deal now Jesus says this look on your outline John chapter 14 verse 16 Jesus said the father will give you another helper he's talking about Holy Spirit who will be with you forever that helper is the Spirit of Truth now the world cannot accept him because it doesn't see him you don't see the Holy Spirit or know him but you talking about to believers you know him because he lives with you and he will be in you so how does the how does the Holy Spirit help me and how can he help me on Monday morning how could he help me on Tuesday night how could he help me when I'm you know out playing some sport or in some business deal well let me give you a five or six ways number one if I listen to the Holy Spirit I let him be my guide he will help me number one know what I need to know he not only helps you know what you need to know he helps you know what you need to know in that moment the very moment I need it now we're talking it's not like I'm gonna teach you all this stuff and I hope someday you use it the Holy Spirit brings to mind in your mind what you need to know when you need to know it at the very moment you need it so it's not just what there's the wind and he's gonna give it to you the very moment you need it for instance have you ever read a Bible verse maybe at the beginning of day and later that was the exact Bible verse you needed that day yeah well that was the Holy Spirit you didn't even know but it was the Holy Spirit calling your attention to a certain thing a verse you didn't even know you needed it but he said I know what you're gonna need at 10 o'clock I know what you're gonna need at 2 p.m. in the afternoon and he helps you in advance he gives you what you need to know when you need to know it and sometimes he gives are you right before it happens and sometimes that'll give it to you the day before but he knows already what's gonna happen in your life and so he gives you what you need know when you need to know it sometimes you'll you'll read a book and later on in that week years ago that is exactly what I needed they just read that it just read it yesterday that was the Holy Spirit he was being your guide sometimes it's a song and a song comes on the radio and you hear that break that song you know that is exactly the song that I need right now I'm discouraged I'm frustrated I'm mad I'm angry I'm sexually frustrated whatever and that's exactly what I needed to hear that was the Holy Spirit he gives you what you need to know at that moment sometimes you read an article and like at a Christian magazine or something and you know a few hours or a few days later you're talking with a friend and you go you know I just read an article on this and you share a truth that was the Holy Spirit he was giving you what you needed to know when you needed to know it now sometimes God does this for you for your benefit but sometimes the Holy Spirit gives you what you need to know for somebody else's benefit when are you an example Tuesday night I went home and Andy Andy Lewis Kay's brothers my brother-in-law was at our house he's at our house for dinner and we're sitting around talking and all of a sudden Andy just out of the blue brings up the subject of the who was the very first Christian rock artist the very first contemporary Christian artist of the modern era and his name was Larry Norman some of you remember Larry Norman his first album came out in the 1960s he put out about 30 different albums it's most famous song was called I wish we'd all been ready there's a song that came out and he was very big in the 60s and the 70s Larry was the original Christian rocker there was nobody before him he broke ground nobody had ever heard of Christian contemporary music everybody was still singing hymns in those there's none of the kind of music we use in churches today Larry took a lot of flack for taking modern contemporary music and putting Christian words to it and he was really a pioneer in that in his first three albums that came out in 68 69 71 were really classic and they were so good at people like Capitol Records who had the signing for the Beatles wanted to sign Larry Norman because he was that good he was respected by secular as well as as Christians and Andy and I just got it I hadn't talked about Larry Norman in least 35 years okay I'd even thought about the guys and as we were talking about that and he goes let's listen to music and something inside me Holy Spirit said sit down and listen and I had this little nudge that said just sit down and listen and for the next couple hours Andy and I listened to those original two or three albums and just talked about the implications of those songs I had plenty of other stuff I needed to do tons of other stuff and he did it was enjoyable but I really need to be doing something the next day I was flying the Nashville to speak to the National Religious broadcasters and then I had to come back for Rick my shells fly back here for his surgery and then I had to fly back to North Carolina for Billy Graham's funeral and it was very very busy week for me God just gave me this little Nigel sit down and listen and we listened then we talked and we listened and we talked about Larry Norman hadn't talked about him in 35 years the next day I flew to Nashville to the rillette National Religious broadcasters I spoke there was the opening keynote speaker after I was through that's pretty tired as gonna go straight to bed I was walked out of the big Grand Ballroom locked out and a woman came up to me and she looked like she was in need and I said can I help you and I looked down at her name and saw her name and I call her my name she said how do you know my name I said well I just read sure named egg you love those I'm spooky it's right there on your name okay how do you know my name she goes I'm Larry Norman's wife now he died probably a decade ago and she was in deep need do you think that was an accident the night before no God had prepared me to help her to help her why because I listened to the nudges of the Holy Spirit sometimes I'd always seem right there's a shoot I got a million things to sit down and listen to this music and I did now you call that a coincidence you have to have a pretty big faith to believe in the astronomical odds of that happening me talking about her husband me flying to Nashville me being there her being at there her walking upright at the right time and me saying can I help you God knew what he's doing I could give you tens of thousands of examples of that in my life because I listen to the Holy Spirit I listened to his nudges and by the way he doesn't always speak in net fact he never speaks in these and the house you know it's not like that Warren to sit down us and listen to through thy song us now it's more like Rick sit down and shut up got it Lord got it okay so I could give you thousands of examples of that now the Bible says in John 16:13 when the spirit of truth comes that's Holy Spirit he will lead you into all truth he's gonna give you the truth you need and you need the truth because if you build your life on lies you got a faulty foundation it's gonna stumble it's gonna break it's gonna fall over it's gonna crack up now when the Holy Spirit tells you what you need to know when he gives you the truth that you need at that particular moment there's a word for it it's called revelation revelation is when God tells you something you need to know this book of course the Bible is God's complete revelation to humankind but God also reveals things to you how does he do it through the Holy Spirit and he'll give you these little nudges and he'll give you these little insights and there'll be thoughts you go I would have never thought of that it's a revelation the Bible says in Luke 2 26 about Simon it had been revealed a to simeon by the holy spirit and simeon had been told he said you're not gonna die until you see the messiah he would have never known that the holy spirit had to tell him that and God will reveal things to you it's never gonna contradict this book in fact if it does kind of dick the book it's not from God God's Word and God's will never contradict each other so if you God tells you to do something that's the opposites in this book you're wrong that was not the holy spirit that was the evil spirit giving you that thought but the first thing Holy Spirit does is he helps me know what I need to know when I need to know it number two if I listen to the Holy Spirit he will help me get to where I need to go he will help me get wearing not only know what I need to know but go where I need to go he'll help me get where I need to go there are some places you need to get in life and there's no way you're gonna get there by yourself God has put a dream in your heart a desire in your heart a vision in your heart and you have a dream of where you're gonna be someday there's no way you're gonna get there on your own but if you'll let the Holy Spirit guide you he will guide you into places that you never ever imagined you'd be and I could give you a lot of examples of that in my life he will help me know what I need to know help me get where I need to go he's gonna open doors of opportunity for you the Bible tells us in Luke 227 the Spirit led Simeon this is the guy we just talked about to go to the temple and when he got there you know what he saw Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus and Simeon was the man given the highest privilege of dedicating the baby Jesus to God in the temple of jerusalem if Simeon had not been sensitive to the Holy Spirit he's probably sitting at home in his Barcalounger you know doing a crossword puzzle and all of a sudden he gets an impression and the Holy Spirit says go to the temple and so he gets up and go cuz he knows the voice of God and he goes to Tim when he gets a low and behold there's buried Joseph the baby Jesus and he gets the privilege of dedicating the baby Christ he would have missed it and you will miss things in your life if you don't learn how to listen to the Holy Spirit my Bible is full of examples of the Holy Spirit we're doing what I call nudges where he nudge as he puts an idea go do that go do he'll tell you stuff to know but it'll also tell you where to go if you'll listen to him in Acts chapter eight twenty nine it says then the spirit told Philip go catch a ride with that chariot now let me tell you the background Philips walking down a dusty road one day minding his own business singing songs having fun walking down a dusty Road and all of a sudden a guy comes buying a chariot which mean the guy obviously was a man of wealth or power or influence he's probably an official he sees this black guy go by in a chariot we later find out that he is an Ethiopian leader major leader in Ethiopia and as that chariot goes by and Philip sees this black guy go by on a chariot the Holy Spirit says to him I don't want you to snow what you need to know I want you to go where I want you to go he says go catch a rider that you hitchhike go catch a ride with that chariot so he runs up to the chariot and and he sees the guy's got a book in his hand and I said what's your reading and the guy goes well it's the Book of Isaiah but I don't understand it now Philip knows why he's there well I know it I understand it and he said tell me what you read and he's reading the passage in Isaiah about how the Messiah is gonna come one day and Philips goes by the way the guys come and he was just crucified and a few days ago he was resurrected and he's alive and he's walking around Jerusalem now for forty days and it's a very cool thing my guy says tell me more and God had that that Ethiopian reader coming by and a chariot and and said and he gives a nudge to Philip said go catch a ride with him he explains to him with Christ he gets up in the chariot they keep travelling together as he's kind of talking with the guy and he says well you know I I guess what I need to do next and fell because you need to be baptized as a symbol that you've you know you've said I've in I have accepted Christ as my savior and they're driving along and he sees a creek bed in the Ethiopian a leader goes well there's some water what's to keep me from being baptized right now and total goes nothing so they stopped the chariot you read the whole story go down to the creek Philip baptized this guy gets up guy takes off in his direction heads back home Philip goes back the other direction that man Christianity to Africa and that's why the oldest Christian churches in Africa are actually in Ethiopia why is that how did Christianity expand Africa because somebody listened to a nudge of the Holy Spirit somebody said go catch a ride with that chariot that was Holy Spirit and so he did if I had time I could give you hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of examples of this happening in the history of this church at Saddleback we'd call it catching a wave now surfers know that waves have to be caught and surfing looks easy but it's actually pretty hard requires balance but most of all it requires patience did you get on your board and you paddle out past the waves and you get out there too out back and you just stop and you wait for the right wave and every surfer knows that not every wave is worth surfing some were short waves some are duds some of them are incomplete ways some are broken waves and so you go out there and you just wait and you wait and you wait until God brings the right wave along and then you start paddling as fast you can jump your knees jump up and you write it in and the whole goal is to ride that wave without losing your balance and then getting off the wave before it wipes out and that's how God wants you to live your life now every surfer knows surfers don't make waves only God makes waves only God can make a wave surfers job is just to surf the waves of God great you know what I see I see so many business guys out there trying to make a wave I'm trying to make the wave I'm trying to make a way so my business will grow I'm gonna try to make a way you can't make a wave but I tell you what if you listen to the Holy Spirit and he tells you what waves to catch God will do more in one year than you can do in ten years on your own in your business it's whether you're listening the Holy Spirit listen to yourself most people are out there trying to make a wave I want to get married I want to do you know whatever and you're true you can't make a wave sorry this growth the growth of Saddleback Church was not my business and it was not the business of anybody else is because God is creating a wave and we had enough people in this church you're smart enough cuz that's the way God's going let's hop on that one and we're always looking oh where's the next wave and we've touched that we caught many many waves over the last four decades we don't try to create him only God creates waves number three if I listen to the Holy Spirit he will help me say the right things he helps me know what I need to know he helps me go where I need to go and he helps me say what I need to say at the right time and in the right way that is extremely important when you're having a conflict with your spouse that you listen to the Holy Spirit because if you listen to yourself you're gonna say something really dumb and make the problem worse I am exhibiting of this I could tell you many many dumb things I've said in an argument with Kay on the other hand when I listen I say Holy Spirit you need to ever let's say I haven't slightest idea what say what this moment just had then God will teach you what what you need to say mark chapter 12 verse 36 the Holy Spirit led David to say now not only does he tell you what to know tell you where to go but he tells you what to say if you listen that's what a guide does and if you'll listen you'll stop saying so many stupid things if you just listen more to the Holy Spirit and you won't get yourself in so much trouble now the Holy Spirit has used you many if you're Christian he's used you many many times without you even know it and he puts an idea in your mind and you say it and it had affected somebody in a way and you didn't even know that they needed to hear that you were sitting in your small group and you said something offhand and you don't even honestly don't even remember it but it was like the light turned on for somebody else in that small group and it was like God spoke directly to them and shot an arrow at their heart God used you to say what they needed to hear and you didn't even know it you just got an idea so you said it you didn't realize this from the Holy Spirit how many times have you come to church and then you walked out you said shoot I felt like Rick was talking directly to me I was you said I feel like you're reading my mail I don't need you I have the Holy Spirit and and I pray every time God I don't even know what you want me to say but you put in me what I need to say cuz you know who's gonna be there that's why I'm effective I'm not brilliant I just depend on the Holy Spirit God tell me to say what I need to say and how to say it because you know who your brand so if you know who you're bringing the church next weekend and you know what you want to say them it's okay with me you can just do it through me or Tom or buddy or anybody else as long as the word gets out Holy Spirit is use you many time Matthew 10 verse 19 20 do not worry what to say or how to say it you got to make the presentation you got to go for a job interview you got to make a proposal do not worry about what's say how to say it at that time you will be given what to say for it will be you speaking but the Spirit of your father speaking through you this is why the Holy Spirit is here know what we need to know to go where we need to go to say help us know - what to say what we need to say number four if I listen to the Holy Spirit he will help me this is a big one wait for God's perfect timing he will help me wait for God's perfect timing there are always three parts to a vision you need to write this down it's not of the notes write this down three parts to a vision when God gives you a vision for your business or your marriage or anything else number one first he tells you what he's going to do that all a vision always comes in three parts he tells you what he's going to do now what happens is once we know what God says yeah I'm gonna do this in your life then we go out we started as if we just do it any way we want to it in the old time wanted no no we started we started probably too soon and in the wrong way and then we fall flat on our face and we come back crying to God and go oh god did I miss you did I miss your will I thought you told me to start this business I thought you told me to start this career I thought you don't and I said well I did you just didn't wait for part two and part three of the vision part two is the how and how God does what he does in your life will usually be the exact opposite of the way you'd like to do it in fact you can you only take the the normal way you would do something and do the opposite and you'll probably be in God's will by God says my ways are not your ways I didn't say do it like I said I was gonna bless your business I didn't say I was gonna bless it anyway you wanted to do it you got to wait for the how and then you gotta wait for the third part of vision which is the win and that's the timing and that's the most important at all God often will give you a peak to your future we'll look at this in the door series a peek to your future and he says this is where I'm taking it you're not there yet I've got to get you ready I've got to build your spiritual maturity I've got to get you stronger in the Lord because the success that I'm gonna give you with you're not ready to handle timing is everything and so one of the things Holy Spirit does is he is he gives you the right timing now there's no way you know the right timing for everything but there is a way for God to know the right timing for everything and the Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes there's a right time and a right way to do everything and so if you're gonna wait on God's timing you know what it means it means this you don't freak out over delays when you freak out over delay I have this vision but it isn't happening as fast as I wanted to happen it means you're not trusting God's timing we waited 13 years to get our first piece of property for the Lake Forest campus 13 years of delays and the church kept growing from two people to 200 to 2,000 to 4,000 to 8,000 to 10,000 we were having over 10,000 and at 10 as before we got property for the first building now we're waiting on property for all of our other campuses and and and God will give us the property in due time in the right way but we don't get worried about delays because God's timing is perfect if we had jumped ahead of God's timing for instance at the Lake Forest campus we would have settled for so much less when God wanted to give us a hundred and twenty acres that was way beyond my idea my big when I started church my big dream must have 50 acres which was crazy because no church California had 50 acres God said well good idea Rick but it's just a little small I'm gonna give you a hundred and twenty and if we hadn't waited we would have missed if you don't wait God always gives his best to those who leave the choice to him that's true and a mate a husband or a wife in a career God always gives his best to those who leave the choice to him God you at the right time in the right way bringing the right business the right job the right piece of land the right partner and on and on and when the Holy Spirit is guiding you this delays don't bother you you just wait confidently you're not discouraged Galatians 5 5 we are led by the spirit to wait sometimes the Spirit says go but sometimes spirit says wait we're led by the spirit to wait how in the confident hope of righteousness through faith master what are you waiting on what are you waiting on in your life let me ask you another question are you talking to the Holy Spirit while you're waiting or are you just out there waiting I highly recommend you talk to the Holy Spirit while you're waiting and he'll help you understand where to go what to know what to say how long to wait number 5 if I listen to the Holy Spirit to find listen-only spirit he will help me this is a big one resist things I can't normally resist I'd like this one if I listen to the Holy Spirit if I let him be my life guide he will help me resist things I can't normally just I'm talking about temptations compulsions desires addictions relations 5 17 and 18 the desires of self-indulgence are always in opposition to the spirit in other words what I naturally like to do that's the opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants me to do and the desires of the Spirit are in opposition to yourself indulgence which keep keep prevent it keep you prevented from doing the things you want to do but when you are led by the spirit you are not in bondage to the law what's he saying here the Holy Spirit's power is stronger than willpower the stuff that you say I really wish I didn't say that I really wish I didn't act that way why do I get so insecure why do I get so angry why do I get so shy why do I get so impatient why do I get so lustful why do I oh I wish I didn't do that well the Holy Spirit's power is stronger than the self-indulgent power of your natural self relations 5:16 says that this on screen if you're guided by the spirit you won't fulfill notice you won't fulfill the selfish desires of your sinful nature now I want to leave that up there for a minute notice it does not say if you're guided by the spirit you won't have selfish desires you're gonna have them it doesn't say you won't have them it says you don't fulfill them this is very important whatever your area of weakness is whether it's sex or anger drugs or bunny what whatever your downfall is you're gonna struggle it with it the rest of your life it doesn't say that when you follow the spirit you no longer have no temptation no in fact the more you grow as a Christian the more Satan tries to tempt you not less more because he's trying to take you down Satan hates you God loves you has a wonderful plan for your life Satan hates you that's a terrible plan for your life why does Satan even care about you he wants to hurt God the quickest way to hurt somebody's hurt his children and so there you'll never have an area in your life where your temptation free it just says if you walk in the spirit if you're guided by the spirit you don't fulfill you may still have that natural chin the rest of your life but an attraction is not an action an attraction is not a sin an action is if you walk in the spirit you don't fulfill the lust of the flesh I might have a natural attack attraction to want to have sex with other women who aren't my wife but an attraction is not an action and inaction is the sin I know I'm not gonna do that white because the Holy Spirit gives me the power to say no because there's some other things that are more important to me far far more important to me so I'll be able to resist the things I can't normally resist let me give you one more if I listen to the Holy Spirit he will help me this is a big one avoid dangers and mistakes this is why it's so important to be led by the Holy Spirit if I listen to the Holy Spirit he will help me avoid dangers in the state so if you want to avoid mistakes and dangers in life you just have to listen to the Holy Spirit the less I listen to them the more mistakes I'm gonna make the less I listen to them the more problems I'm gonna have the more dead ends I'm gonna face now I want you to write this down on your outline I am most likely to hear the Holy Spirit when I'm relaxed write this down I am most likely to hear the Holy Spirit when I'm relaxed it's almost impossible to hear the Holy Spirit when you're tense when you are nervous when you are upset when you're angry and especially when you're fearful you say how do I know if what I'm hearing right now is my fear or God's Spirit okay read my lips on this one if there's an element in fear in it it is not from the Holy Spirit the Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear but power and love and a sound mind anytime you feel fear that's not God talking the Holy Spirit can warn you about something don't do that but it's not gonna be a fear-based thing fear-based is never of the Holy Spirit never of the Holy Spirit so he will warn you and letting oh spirit lead you'll spare you from a lot of unnecessary pain acts 21 for the Holy Spirit warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem why because there was a conspiracy there to murder him he didn't know about it and Holy Spirit and told him and and said don't go there and he said okay I don't have to know why but I'm not gonna go and so he didn't all right quickly how does the Holy Spirit guide and then I'm gonna give you just quick steps and this is fast how does the Holy Spirit guide oh ye of little faith forget and I'm going home figure it out yourself all right all right you wimpy wimpy wimpy people have I told you lately that I love you do I preach to you long yes do you still come yes it's the whole Council of God now it's like the farmer said to the farmer buddy it's good to feed your flock but you'll have to come the whole bale hay yes I do how does Holy Spirit guide well I could give you a big long list of ten ways but because you're so weak I'm gonna give you just three all right write these down there don't don't write the ones I'm mentioning right now look up here God can lead you through wise counsel he can lead you through visions he can lead you through dreams he can lead you through circumstances he can lead you through miracles we'll go over that some of the time but let me give you the three most common waves that the Holy Spirit Guides 99% of time it's one of these three ways number one by revealing the meaning of what he said by revealing the meaning of what he said I'm talking about the Bible if he's the spirit of truth he's certainly going to use the Bible because the Bible is the truth so if you want to know God's will get into God's Word God's will is found in God's Word stop looking for a vision start looking for a verse stop looking for a sign start looking for a scripture the Spirit of Truth will lead you in truth and so he's going to take you to the word but here's the problem sometimes you get to the word and it doesn't make sense anybody ever had that problem or sometimes you read a story go nice story what in the world's have to do with me that out you ever had that question of course you have of course yeah that's why you need the Holy Spirit because we not only have the guidebook we have the author and his personal commentary in our ear it's the only book that you can read that when you're reading the book you can go now what did you mean when you're saying this and the author's right there to go well here's what I mean so you get not only the guidebook you you get the guide sometimes we don't understand a verse look at this first Corinthians 2:11 4:14 the man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God for their foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned first place if I'm not a believer if I don't have the whole spirit there's no way I'm going to understand the Bible I cannot understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit to understand the truth I need the Spirit of Truth so God knew this and he assigns the Holy Spirit to be our interpreter and in John 15:26 the helper will come the Holy Spirit the Spirit who reveals the truth that's why I said with this book you get both the book and live commentary from the author because the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible so the first way is I need to know what you want me to do Lord I read the Bible and he reveals to me the meaning of passages you know this is what it means in my life right now that's called an application this is what it means in my life I know it happened long ago what does this mean to me right now the Holy Spirit gives you the application he applies it he illuminates it he reveals it and he applies it to your life second way that the Holy Spirit Guides first as I get in the book and he helps me understand it number two by reminding me of what he said he not only reveals what he said reveals the meaning of what he said in the Bible he now reminds me of what he said one of the Holy Spirit's job is to remind you of truth that you've already learned it is his job to be your mental reminder to bring it to remembrance John 14:26 the helper will teach you everything and notice that circle it will cause you to remember all that I told you this helper is the Holy Spirit now follow me on the logic on this the more the word you put in your mind the more he can bring to remembrance that makes sense right so the more Bible I get in my in my brain the more he can a bigger library he's got if I only got a little bit of Bible they didn't have a lot to pull out the Holy Spirit cannot remind you of stuff you've never heard in the first place this is why you need to read the Bible every day this is why you need to listen to God's Word you need to read God's Word every day you need to fill your mind with God's Word the more you put in your mind the more he can remind you but he can't remind you of stuff you haven't ever heard so you got to get in to the Word of God okay so he he helps us understand what he said he reminds us what he said and the number three he guides us by giving us nudges and confirmations nudges and confirmations now these are mental impressions it's often called an internal witness the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit it's just a sense that you know internally nobody's told you this but you know that you know that you know that you know that you know because the Holy Spirit has said this is the truth and you know it and it's hard to recognize it first but the longer you walk with God the better you can hear God's voice if you're in the word Romans 8:16 I love the message paraphrase says God's Spirit touches our spirit our spirits and confirms what we really by the way let me just say this I know I'm running behind but act feeling the pressure right now here's a really important thing every time you get an impression to do good act on it don't go I'll do it later why because every time you do it you strengthen the muscle that hears the holy spirit every time you know I got it how many times they've something you've been told say something nice to that person do something for that person send that note call that person offer a meal give some advice offer some prayer all these goods and you know I just don't have time right now when you do you weaken the muscle that hears the Holy Spirit all right real quick how do I let the Holy Spirit lead me and I'll just give you the points and won't even go into number one here's the steps you need to start doing every day to let the Holy Spirit be your guide number one pause and be quiet you can't hear the Holy Spirit very well on the run so I'm thirty seven seven be still and know that I am God sit down and shut up okay pause and be quiet Isaiah 30 verse fifteen in quietness and confidence will be your strength so you got to just pause and be quiet alright number two humbly ask the Holy Spirit to guide you you have not because you ask not you've got to ask but you've got to ask with a humble spirit it's your attitude that the Holy Spirit is looking for Psalm 25 9 god guides the humble in what is right and he teaches them his way the more humble you are the more you're gonna hear the Holy Spirit God guides the humble not the crowd not the arrogant not those who think they've got it all figured out god I'm humbly asking you Psalm 27 verse 11 teach me Lord what you want me to do lead me down the right path number three be willing to do what he says if for he tells you now if you approach this with God I'll do what you tell me to do but you got to tell me first and then I'll decide what I'm gonna do it or not you're gonna hear nothing you must want to be led you start with desire with longing with craving I've got to have God's guidance John 7:17 whoever is willing to do what God wants and chooses it will know what I teach if what I teach comes from the knowing comes after the choosing God I choose to do your will now let me know what it is number four look to God's Word look to God's Word your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path we have the guide but we also have a guidebook and you need both we have the guide and the guidebook the Bible says guide my steps by your words so I will not be overcome by evil number five expect his guidance in faith expect his guidance in faith if you're not expecting the Holy Spirit to tell you that well why should he tell you anything James chapter one if you want to know what God really wants you to do ask him and he'll gladly tell you for he's always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him but but be sure that you really expect him to tell you if you don't ask in faith don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answers we trust God's guidance cuz he's never wrong but you have to believe and finally number six it's important wait for God's response don't get in a hurry don't get in a hurry don't get in a rush God hadn't told me yet so I'm gonna go ahead and start that business I'm gonna go ahead and get say yes to that engagement wait for God's response the Bible says God does speak sometimes one way and sometimes another even though people may not understand it and if you wait the waiting will get clearer and clearer and clearer let me pray for you this is the most important thing you can know as a Christian how to be led by the Holy Spirit father I pray for our flock I pray for this family of God I pray for every person at every campus who's going to have to make some difficult decisions this next week may we never again make a decision on our own but make it first in consultation with you you've given us a guidebook you've given us a guide Holy Spirit help us to learn to hear your voice to listen to your nudges help us to get into God's Word to fill our minds with your word so they will remember and then you can cause us to remember what we've stored in our hearts Lord for everybody is having a tough time this week Holy Spirit give them new insight help them to know what they need to know help them to go where they need to go help them to say what they need to say help direct them along the way help those who need to wait for your perfect timing to not get in a hurry help those who are struggling with something that just they sent can't seem to resist to stop relying on willpower and to rely on spirit power and I pray you would protect this flock that you would protect them from dangers and mistakes and lord help us to be smart enough to listen to your warning and then not walk foolishly in the areas you've told us to avoid Lord for anyone who doesn't know you here today may they right now say Jesus I want to know you just say that Jesus I want to know you and I in my life may they begin this journey today for the rest of their life I pray this blessing in your name amen
