Our Greatest Need
Learning to Be Led by the Holy Spirit
What is your greatest need today?
You might say you need a better job, a promotion, more money, a breakthrough in your business, the right relationship, an answer concerning your family, or clarity about your future.
Those things are important, but I want to reframe the way you look at your life.
As a Christian, my greatest need is the ability to hear God’s voice. My greatest need is to be Spirit led.
Why? Because the Holy Spirit knows everything about everything. He knows where I have been, what I have experienced, what has been spoken over me, my strengths, my weaknesses, my disappointments, my opportunities, and my challenges. He knows where I am right now, and He already knows what is waiting for me in my future. That means there is no leadership decision, business challenge, family situation, relationship, opportunity, or obstacle that catches the Holy Spirit by surprise. He knows everything about everything.
Look to the Holy Spirit First
One of the greatest changes I can make in my life is learning where to look first. When I need direction, where do I look? When I have a major decision to make, who do I ask first? When I do not know what to do next, where do I turn?
Too often, we look everywhere else before we look to the Holy Spirit. We call people, search online, ask friends, ask mentors, and analyze the situation over and over again.
There is nothing wrong with receiving wise counsel. I believe in counselors, mentors, coaches, doctors, and professionals. But I do not want them to become a substitute for the Counselor with a capital C.
Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter.” John 14:16
The Holy Spirit is my Counselor, my Helper, my Intercessor, my Advocate, my Strengthener, and my Standby.
So when I face something I do not understand, I want my first response to be to look to Him. I want to ask, “Holy Spirit, what are You saying about this?” That is a powerful habit for every leader to develop.
Lean on the Holy Spirit
Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to lean on our own understanding. That is difficult for leaders because leaders are trained to solve problems. We gather information, analyze, strategize, and make decisions.
Those abilities are valuable, but my reasoning was never designed to replace the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
There will be situations where everything looks right on paper, but something is not right on the inside. There will be opportunities that make sense logically, but the Holy Spirit is telling me not to move. There will also be times when God leads me in a direction that does not make sense to everyone around me.
I have learned that respected people can give me different answers. People I admire can disagree. People with experience can see the same situation completely differently. That is why ultimately I have to hear from God for myself. Wise counsel should agree with the Great Counselor.
I want to look to the Holy Spirit, lean on the Holy Spirit, learn of the Holy Spirit, and be led by the Holy Spirit.
Learn Who the Holy Spirit Is
The Holy Spirit is not a force, a mood, an attitude, or simply a symbol. He is a person. He has a personality, and He wants a personal relationship with me.
Jesus teaches us about the Holy Spirit throughout John 14, 15, and 16. These chapters reveal who He is and what He wants to do in our lives.
John 14:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit teaches us and brings things to our remembrance. John 15:26 calls Him the Spirit of Truth. John 16:13 tells us that He will guide us into truth and reveal things that are to come.
Think about what that means for your leadership. The Holy Spirit can teach you, remind you, guide you, strengthen you, and reveal truth to you. The Holy Spirit knows your future. I cannot afford to ignore Him.
Develop Close Fellowship With the Holy Spirit
Jesus said something powerful in John 16:7. He described the Holy Spirit coming into close fellowship with us.
Close fellowship.
That challenges me.
How much have I thought about the Holy Spirit this week? How much have I talked to Him? How often have I asked Him for help? How often have I surrendered my plans to Him? How often have I stopped before making a decision and asked Him what I should do?
We hear voices all day long. Social media is talking to us, news is talking to us, friends are talking to us, culture is talking to us, our past is talking to us, and our circumstances are talking to us. There are voices everywhere.
But the most important voice I need to hear is the voice of the Holy Spirit.
If I only think about Him on Sunday, I am missing the relationship God wants me to have with Him every day. I want fellowship with Him seven days a week, twenty four hours a day.
The Holy Spirit Leads Through Truth
John 15:26 calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth. That gives me an important safeguard when I am learning to hear His voice.
The Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word of God. If I believe God is leading me to do something that contradicts Scripture, that is not the Holy Spirit leading me.
The Spirit of Truth works with the truth of God’s Word. This is why I cannot become a growing, thriving, Spirit led Christian without becoming serious about my Bible.
The Holy Spirit teaches me the Word, reminds me of the Word, and brings Scripture back to my remembrance at the right moment. The right Scripture can become the right word at exactly the right time.
So if I want to become more sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, I need to become more familiar with the Word He inspired.
You Are Not Helpless
Maybe you are facing something right now that feels bigger than you. Maybe you do not know what your next move should be. Maybe you feel stuck. Remember this. If you are a believer, you are not helpless. You have a Helper. The Holy Spirit is with you, and He knows what you cannot see. He knows how to lead you through the setback, the difficult season, and the unknown. He knows what is around the corner. He knows what God has called you to do. He knows what you need in order to finish strong.
John 16:13 tells us that the Holy Spirit will guide us and reveal things concerning the future. That means I do not have to live afraid of my future.
The Holy Spirit is already there. He knows God’s purpose for my life, the vision God has given me, the obstacles I will encounter, and how I can overcome them. My responsibility is to stay close enough to hear Him.
The Holy Spirit Reveals What Belongs to You
Jesus says in John 16:14 that the Holy Spirit takes what belongs to Him and reveals it to us. Think about that. There are things God has already given me in Christ that I may never experience if I do not allow the Holy Spirit to reveal them to me. He reminds me who I am. I am a child of God. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I am an ambassador. I am more than a conqueror. I have been called. I have been appointed. I have purpose. I have a future. If God is for me, who can be against me? The Holy Spirit wants to make those truths real in my life. He wants to move me beyond what people have said about me, what circumstances have told me, and what my past has tried to make me believe. Without the leadership of the Holy Spirit, I can live restricted by what I can see. With the leadership of the Holy Spirit, I can begin to see what God sees.
Four Decisions for Spirit Led Leadership
I want to challenge you to build these four decisions into your life.
Look to the Holy Spirit. Before I make the decision, I will ask Him.
Lean on the Holy Spirit. I will not depend only on my own reasoning.
Learn of the Holy Spirit. I will study His character, His ways, and His Word.
Be led by the Holy Spirit. When He gives me direction, I will obey.
Leadership becomes different when I stop asking only, “What do I think I should do?” and begin asking, “Holy Spirit, what are You leading me to do?”
Questions to Consider
What situation in my life am I trying to solve without first looking to the Holy Spirit? Whose voice has been influencing my decisions the most lately? Am I leaning more heavily on my own understanding than on the leadership of the Holy Spirit? How much time am I intentionally spending in fellowship with the Holy Spirit? Am I serious enough about God’s Word to recognize when the Holy Spirit is bringing truth to my remembrance? What decision am I facing right now that I need to surrender to the Great Counselor? Is there something the Holy Spirit has already been prompting me to do that I have delayed obeying?
Leadership Challenge
This week, I want you to spend time reading John chapters 14, 15, and 16. Do not rush through them. As you read, pay attention to everything Jesus says about the Holy Spirit. Look for what He calls Him, what He does, how He helps us, and how He guides us. Then begin practicing this simple prayer before decisions. “Holy Spirit, You are my Helper. You know everything about everything. What are You leading me to do?”
Then listen. Look to Him. Lean on Him. Learn of Him. And be led by Him. Your greatest need is not simply another opportunity, another connection, another promotion, or another strategy. Your greatest need is the ability to hear God’s voice.
When you learn to hear Him and follow His leadership, He can guide you into the future God has already prepared for you.