Kenneth Copeland Ministries

Your Guide Inside

by Billye Brim Its wonderful to know that we can actually hear from God. We can be led by His Spirit so we arent just blowing around like a leaf in the wind, hoping to end up in the right place. Thats so important in these last days because the safest place to be on earth is in the center of Gods will. Whether you are planning a trip to Israel or the grocery store, you need to be in the right place at the right time. Only the Spirit of God can lead you there. I learned how to be led by the Spirit from Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin. I worked closely with him and as long as I knew him, Brother Hagin based his ministry on faith in the Word of God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. When I was editing his book How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God, he shared some of his personal experiences. Although this is not the primary way God guides His people, He does sometimes speak through visions. He did so eight times in Brother Hagins life. When he was in the hospital in 1959, Jesus appeared to him and taught him for an hour and a half about the ministry of the prophet, emphasizing: I did not put prophets in the Church to guide the New Testament Church. My Word says, As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). Now if you will listen to Me, I am going to teach you how to follow My Spirit. Then you are to teach My people how to be led by the Spirit. Jesus also told Brother Hagin, The most important thing you can teach My children in the last days is how to be led by My Spirit. To be a child of God, you must receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord and be born again. That is the first requirement to be led by the Spirit of God. As Gods children, our leading must not come from fortunetellers, horoscopes or other false things. We are to be led by the Creator of the universe who knows everything.
2004 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries.All rights reserved.

The Comforter Has Come When Jesus was about to be crucified, He taught His followers about the One who would soon come to help and guide them. He was preparing them to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you ( John 14:1, 15-17). The word comforter in Greek means one who is called to the aid of another, primarily as an advocate in a court of law, but, more widely, as a helper in any form whatsoever. The Amplified Bible calls Him Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby. Jesus promised His disciples, When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come ( John 16:13). Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit came upon the prophets, priests and kings. And the prophets were responsible for giving direction from the Lord to the people. Because of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, you and I live under a better covenant based on better promises. Believers need not seek guidance through prophets. As Brother Hagin said, We not only have the Spirit of God upon uswe have Him in us! Hes the third person of the Godhead, and He is in you right now if youre a believer. I call Him my guide inside. The prophet wont be there at 2 a.m. when your baby is sick. But God can lead and guide you in your own spirit, by the Holy Spirit. He will lead you in the big things and in the little things because He cares about you. God Leads His Children You were created in Gods image (Genesis 1:26-27). John 4:24 says, God is a Spirit. Man is also a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Brother Hagin explained in his book that with our bodies we contact the physical realm, with our souls we contact the realm of the intellect, and with our spirits we contact the spiritual realm.
2004 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries All rights reserved.

If you are a son of God (Romans 8:14), the Holy Spirit will enlighten and direct or guide you in your spirit. Verse 16 says, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. According to 1 John 5:10, He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself. Being led by an inward witness is the number one way God leads His children. When something is right, you may get a kind of velvety sense in your spirit or green light indication. If something is wrong, you may have a check in your spirit or sense a giant stoplight. This inward witness is the primary way God leads His children. Many Voices The second major way God leads is through the still, small voice. Thats the voice of your spirit. Its sometimes called conscience, intuition or a hunch. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin ( John 16:8). But if you are born again, and you purpose to follow God, your own spirit will correct you. The third way God leads is by the voice of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit within you speaks, it is more authoritative than the everyday inward witness or inward voice. A sentence may come to you or an impression so strong that theres no doubt about it. It may almost seem like an audible voice. Thats the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to your spirit. In all this you must have discernment, because the devil can also speak to you. First John 4:1 says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God. Try them with the Word of God. See if they line up with what the Word says. Hebrews 4:12 says, For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The Holy Spirit will remind you of what the Lord said in His Word ( John 14:26). An extremely important part of being led by the Spirit is spending time in the Word so you have a strong understanding of what God has said in black and white. When your mind is renewed to that, you will know how God thinks and youll know what He says is right. Then when the Holy Spirit speaks to you, it wont seem foreign. You will recognize it. A Life-Changing Experience There is another experience available to every believer that is a huge key to being led by the Spirit of God. Its the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

2004 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries All rights reserved.

When you are born again, you receive the Holy Spirit as the disciples did in John 20:22. Thats when they were born again of the Spirit. But the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate experience. On the Day of Pentecost, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). This experience made an even bigger change in me than the new birth. My daughter, who was 9 years old at the time, called it the day Mama changed. Being filled with the Spirit and praying in the spirit helps us stay in tune with God, even in a busy world. First Corinthians 14:14 says, For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. The mind, will and emotions dont get in the way. Praying in tongues every day will sharpen your spirit man to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. And verse 13 says, Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret. Brother Hagin said the most leading he ever had was when he prayed in tongues. Sometimes he would pray and then get the interpretation. Most of the time there was just a knowing what to do. Im so grateful to Brother Hagin for sharing this life-changing teaching. Being led by the Spirit of God is critical in these last days. But if youre not looking for Him to guide you, theres a good chance youll miss it. Sometimes you have to be quiet and give Him a chance to speak to you. Proverbs 20:5 says, Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out. Take time to pray and listen in your heartyour spiritand expect to hear the Holy Spirit lead you. Your future may depend on how you hear and receive His leading. Hes your guide inside. VICTORY Billye Brim is the president and founder of Billye Brim Ministries. For ministry materials and information write to Billye Brim Ministries, P.O. Box 40, Branson, MO 65615, call 1-417-336-4877 or visit her website at www.billyebrim.org.

Taken from the May 2004 edition of the Believers Voice of Victory magazine. 2004 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries All rights reserved. 10-6010