Being Led by the Spirit

We often hear from our Pastors, teachers, or those in Spiritual Leadership that we need to be led by the Spirit. In fact, The Apostle Paul said it best in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now. No condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

We often quote this verse, “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,” but in our 11th-grade Bible class, we were talking about how that is not the end of the verse…. It says those who walk according to the Spirit, not the flesh. 

Paul says in Romans 8:5-6 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

I asked one of my high school classes, What do you think it means to be led by the Spirit instead of someone led by the flesh? Here are some of their answers; 

– “Having convictions, the Spirit will convict you to the things of the Bible. When the Spirit leads you, you get convicted when you sin, and your moral standard is the same as that of the Bible. When you are led by the flesh you don’t have that moral compass” – Hunter

“When you are led by the flesh, you are going after your own selfish desires and being led by the Spirit would be living life for God and a higher purpose” – Nolan

“Being led by the Spirit would be making good choices and who you surround yourself with so you can find people that point you closer to God, not take you away from Him.” – Izzy

“Being led by the Spirit causes you to have inner peace, and you have more of a desire to follow the Bible; you have more opportunities to share your faith and what you are learning in the Bible. You are led to people who need to hear it.” – Addison

“When the Spirit is leading you you are dying to your flesh, your flesh might want something else, but you are choosing to be led by God and what He has for you” – Aryn

“Being led by the Spirit is choosing to give over things that you are holding that hold you back to God, like your anxieties, for example.” – Violet

I reflected on this idea of being led by the Spirit and how I can practically apply it daily. I currently have a lot of different hats that I wear in life:

I am a Child of God, a Disciple of Jesus

I am a Wife and a Mother

I am a Teacher and School Counselor

I am a Photographer and Musical Director

These are all very different roles that I play, but in every area of my life, I want to be evidently following the Spirit. I began to pray, “God, how does this look? How do I make sure that I am following your Spirit and not my flesh and my own desires?” 

And I stumbled upon this verse, and it changed my life forever:

Jeremiah 7:23-24

“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”

This verse reminds us that sometimes, our hearts are not leading us in the right direction. Have you ever felt stuck in the same cycle? You keep feeling like you moved two steps back instead of forward. Have you ever felt like you have the same issues with people that you had before? 

One time I was seeking counsel from my mentor about an issue I was having with my boss in college. And leave it to a Godly mentor to help us grow and call us out in truth and love; she told me, “Danece, isn’t this a similar issue that you had with the previous leader you were under?” I nodded but felt offended deep down. She said, “Danece you can’t be led by your feelings of offense or pride; you have to be led by the Spirit because when we look at the issues we’ve had with people, there is only one common denominator. Ourselves.” She continued: “You are the common denominator in the offenses in your life. You have to look at each role and relationship and ask the Lord, How can I be led by you in this and not led by my offense or my pride?” I asked her, “Ok so where do I start?” Her response was genuine and straightforward: “Read your Bible—read it a lot. Read your Bible in your downtime, and as you pursue Him and His word, watch your heart change, your actions change, your attitudes change, and your situations change.”

Being led by the Spirit doesn’t have to be complicated. I need to know what God has said and obey His voice. I need to lay aside my own desires for an outcome in any situation and trust God with the outcome. 

This has not always come naturally to me; I like fixing things and am a justice seeker. So here is how I have applied it in my own life and pray it can encourage someone in their life and daily roles:

I am a Child of God, a Disciple of Jesus – I seek Him first. “Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” I talk to Jesus first. When something happens I don’t run to anyone to tell them. I don’t sit around and talk about it; I often don’t even include my family in it; I seek God and ask for His hand to lead me and for His favor to be on it. I seek His help first. If I don’t have God’s help, what do I have? If I tell everyone about my issue or offense, how does that help me? It doesn’t – But God can. I run to Him. 

I am a Wife and Mother. I often have to pause in my daily interactions with my Husband and Family and ask myself, “Am I responding in this moment how the Spirit would lead me to respond or react, or am I responding in my flesh?” This has helped me a lot, from raising little ones who need a gentle response to raising teens who need clear boundaries. Who is at the core of how I parent or respond as a wife to my husband? 

I am a Teacher and School Counselor – Every day, I have 200 young people who see me and know that I am a Bible Teacher. Does His voice lead my interactions? Am I being the Shepherd that He would have me to be? Am I setting a good example in action and speech? When I am out in the world, am I the same person? Am I speaking in an honoring way about my students and leaders? Am I practicing what I teach? Would my students catch me doing or saying something that isn’t honoring God? 

I am a Photographer and Musical Director. How can I use these gifts to glorify God? How can we be led by the Spirit as we plan, create, and organize? How do we shine the Light of Jesus through the stage?

Being Led by the Spirit looks a lot more like acknowledging Jesus in my every move, in my daily actions, in my speech, and making sure that when someone walks away from me, they feel the Love of God. 

My challenge to the students is always that they read their Bible—more and more and more until they fall in love with this beautiful gift that we have in God’s Word. I know that as they read daily in my class and hopefully on their own, they are being transformed by the renewing of their minds! My prayer is that they will leave HCA as young adults who can confidently be led by the Spirit. 

My challenge for myself and anyone reading today is that we would not be swayed by culture or politics, that we would not take up offense, and that we would be slow to speak and quick to listen and honor with our words. I want the legacy that I leave to be that I was known as a woman who was led by the spirit and not the flesh. That I had the opportunity to be offended or to lash out or to gossip or to walk in the flesh, but I chose not to. 

That’s my prayer.