How To Be Led By The Holy Spirit - Part 1

Welcome to the Lone Start Church Podcast.

Pastors DF and Nicole Ray are here to share the Word of God with you each week, helping you grasp the fullness of God's plan for your life.

We hope you'll be blessed by this week's message.

If you live in northwest Missouri or southern Iowa, we invite you to join us in person on a Sunday morning.

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Well I mentioned, right, we talked about vision.

And then I was thinking about what are some things that we need to uh to talk about here as we're still at the beginning of a new year.

And one of those things, and it's really uh one of the most important things that'll go on in your life, is this.

The most important decision you'll ever make in life is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Amen.

Why?

Because that changes everything.

And so when Nicole and I, when we're dealing with people that have issues or problems, uh the one of the first questions we ask, even if someone comes to the altar, one of the first questions we'll ask them many times is, Are you born again?

People say, Well, why does that really matter?

Well, it changes everything.

Changes everything, right?

Before you're born again, uh you don't know it.

Most people don't know it, but you're serving the devil.

The devil is your master before you get born again.

I know, he's not a good master.

Right?

He's a he's a tough task master.

In fact, Jesus talking about the devil said his burden is heavy, right?

He's going to overburden you, he's going to make your life hard.

And so uh people say, Well, well, uh, don't you just know if they come to church they're born again?

Well, that's not true.

I know.

There have been people, in fact, uh, Nicole and I've had this situation.

There are people sometimes that have been going to church here for like five, ten years, and then you finally nail them down and talk to them, and you say, Are you born again?

They're like, No.

Let me say this: not being born again doesn't mean you're a bad person.

I think we need to make that clear.

Not being born again doesn't mean you're a bad person.

Because sometimes people are like, So you're saying I'm a bad person?

No, I'm saying you need to get born again.

In fact, Nicodemus, right, in John chapter 3, and that's a very popular chapter, right?

John 3 · chapter mention

John 3.16, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life, right?

One of the most quoted scriptures of all time.

But in John chapter 3, a guy who went to church who was a good guy named Nicodemus came to visit Jesus at night, and he said, he goes, How do you get to heaven?

John 3 · chapter mention

Have you ever thought that?

How do you get to heaven?

How do you get to heaven?

Do you join a church?

Do you just do it right at the end of your life?

If if we have the scales there, if there's just a little bit more good than bad at the end of my life, does that get me to heaven?

I mean, no, that's that's the thought of a lot of people.

Or they think, you know, I've been a pretty good person.

I'll go to heaven when I die.

Well, Jesus in John said this.

He said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

That's right.

How do you get to heaven?

You accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

And once you make that decision, it doesn't mean that all of a sudden you're you're walking on clouds and rainbows and lollipops.

That's right.

It's the beginning of a journey, but I'm now fighting the battle.

I'm now going on that journey from a place of victory.

Yes, from a place of authority in Jesus' name.

It changes everything.

Now, my master is who?

Jesus.

God, the Father, right?

And so it changes everything.

So the first thing you need to do is you need to get born again.

The next most important thing, and it's really the thrust of the ministry that we've had here for the most part, you need to learn to how to live by faith, because the Bible says we're to live by faith and not by sight.

Walk by faith, not by sight.

And then you need to also have an understanding how to be led by the Spirit of God.

So we're going to talk about how to be led by the Spirit of God, because guess what?

Your 2026 will be a much better 2026 if you'll understand how to be led by the Spirit of God.

You've got to understand that.

Amen.

And so let's look at some scriptures here.

Uh, Jesus, before he left in the book of John, the Gospel of John, uh, was talking to the disciples.

And so when Jesus was on this earth, you ever thought, boy, wouldn't it be wouldn't it have been great to be here when Jesus was here?

Anyone ever thought that?

Boy, wouldn't it have been great to be on earth when Jesus was here?

Well, first of all, they had no internet, they had no electricity, they had no cars, uh, they they didn't have plumbing.

That's right.

There was a lot of things that they did not have.

But people like, boy, it would have been better to be here when Jesus.

Well, in fact, Jesus told them, It's better that I leave so that he, the Holy Spirit, can come.

What's amazing about that is there are a lot of Christians that probably wouldn't agree with that.

They're like, no, it would have been better to be with Jesus.

Well, uh, then you're saying Jesus is a liar because he said it's better that he leave so the Holy Spirit can come.

So you go to John 14.

Before Jesus left this earth, he's doing a lot of teaching on the Holy Spirit.

Why?

Because he knows he's getting ready to leave and that they're going to need to understand what comes next.

Because when Jesus was on earth, right?

Jesus, we know, uh, lived 33 years on this earth.

His ministry only existed for three years.

And during those three years, in fact, uh John says, uh, if they put everything that he did in books, there's not enough books or libraries to hold it.

So we have the gospels, which tells what Jesus did.

And so when Jesus was here, think about the way he was to the disciples and those around him.

What was he?

He was their teacher, rabbi.

They often called him rabbi, rabboni, which means teacher.

He was their guide, he was their shepherd, right?

He was their leader, he was he was everything.

In fact, they'd wake up in the morning and they'd be like, What are we going to do today, Jesus?

He'd be like, Let's go over there.

And they just go over there.

There were times they'd get in a boat, he said, Let's go over there.

They'd get in a boat, they go over there, he'd do what he needed to do.

They're like, What next?

He goes, Let's go back over there.

And they just follow him like a little puppy.

Everywhere he went, they went.

Whatever he told them to do, they did.

Right?

He'd say, Hey, go get that donkey in the coal.

Okay.

He was their guide, he was their teacher.

So now he's getting ready to leave, and in John chapter 14, verse 16, Jesus starts to uh teach them some things about the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16

Jesus says, I will pray to the Father, and he, God, the Father, will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever.

Keep it right there just for a second.

So that word another, remember the Bible was not written in English.

Uh, the New Testament was written in Greek.

That word another means another one just like me.

Or another one identical to me.

I'm leaving, but I'm asking the Father, and he's going to give you someone that's just like me.

He'll be your helper.

Notice it's capitalized there.

And he says, here's the thing.

I'm leaving, but the one coming after me, he'll be with you for how long?

Forever.

Verse 17.

He explains who this helper is.

He says he's the spirit of truth.

The world cannot receive him.

This is why you need to get born again.

If you're not born again, you can't receive the Holy Spirit, the helper, on the inside of you.

The world cannot receive him.

Why?

Because the world, it says, neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him.

Why?

Because he dwells with you.

And listen to what Jesus says, he's going to be in you.

Not only will he be with you, but he'll be in you.

Amen.

Go down to verse 26 here in John 14.

Look at John 14, 26.

Jesus again says, But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will do what?

He will teach you all things.

And he'll bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

So what's the Holy Spirit going to do?

He's going to teach you.

And he'll bring things back to your remembrance.

Have you ever had a Bible verse just come back to your mind at the right time?

What's he doing?

He's bringing things to your remembrance.

He's teaching you things.

He's our teacher.

Amen.

Now let's go a little further.

Let's go over to John 16 and verse 13.

This isn't everything about the Holy Spirit, but these are the things we're going to hit on today.

Right?

Jesus calls him a helper, a comforter.

Other words, our counselor, advocate, strengthener, standby.

He's a teacher.

Now look at John 16, 13.

However, when he, I think it's important we realize the Holy Spirit is a he.

How do you know he's a he?

Well, Jesus told us he was.

It's so interesting.

We understand God, uh, the Trinity.

That word's never in the Bible, right?

But but it gives us an identity to who God is, that he is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

He is three in one, right?

The Godhead.

He says, when he, how many of the Holy Spirit is as much God as God the Father?

The Holy Spirit is as much God as God the Son.

And so many people, when you talk about the Holy Spirit or King James the Holy Ghost, they're like, oh, that's spooky.

That's spooky, Pastor.

Right?

Lucy, when she was little, this is how you know you're a preacher's kid.

Lucy, when she was little, put a put a sheet over her head, walk around the house and go, whoo, I'm the Holy Ghost.

People be like, are your parents pastors?

Yeah.

Okay, you're good.

But right, that's just her little two, three-year-old mind.

That's where it went when you say Holy Ghost.

She thought it was like Casper.

Some of you too spiritual know who that is, but it's a ghost.

But right, Jesus says, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost is a He.

What else did you say?

He's just like me.

He's just in another form.

But look why he says.

The second time we we see him called the Spirit of Truth, he says, He will do what?

He will guide you into all truth.

For he'll not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he'll speak and he'll tell you things to come.

So not only will he tell you some things that are going on right now, it says he'll tell you some things in your future.

What is he?

He's a guide.

He's a teacher.

He's a guide.

Think about this.

If you were to go, right, you're like, boy, I've always wanted to see the Amazon rainforest.

I want to go there.

And someone would be like, Well, I've watched some documentaries on that.

Aren't there like frogs you touch that'll kill you?

Aren't there animals there that'll kill you?

Aren't there plants there that'll kill you?

Who wants to go someplace?

Everything will kill you.

I want to go.

It just looks beautiful.

Well, if I were to go to the Amazon rainforest and I know everything there will kill me, what am I going to do?

I'm going to hire a guy.

And I don't just want some some Joe Blow that came in from out of state.

I want a guy that grew up there.

Right?

I want a native guy who knows every dangerous place, every dangerous thing.

And he and I are going to get to know each other real well.

I mean, he's going to stop and my nose is going to hit him in the back.

Because I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to die.

Right?

When I was a kid, I used to watch uh those old Tarzan movies.

Anyone remember those old Tarzan movies?

Black and White, Johnny Weiss Muller.

Some of you don't, but so here's the thing.

They used to be on Sunday afternoons on channel 5, CBS.

There'd either be Abbott and Costello or Tarzan movies on Channel 5 out of Kansas City.

And so Tarzan, uh, watching those as a kid, you know what I really thought would happen when I became an adult?

I really thought there'd be more quicksand in the world.

Because it seemed like every movie he's in he's trapped in quicksand.

I'm like, boy, I gotta watch out for quicksand.

I don't know what awaits me in my future, but I think quicksand is involved in it somewhere.

He gets in quicksand and he goes, oh, and he'd call and here come his chimp and he'd throw him a stick or something and drag him out.

Well, guess what?

I need to avoid quicksand in my life.

I need to avoid pitfalls in my life.

I need to avoid poisonous frogs in my life and poisonous plants in my life and jaguars and everything else.

I need to, well, who's going to help me avoid those things?

The helper?

The Spirit of Truth?

The Holy Spirit.

Why?

Because he'll guide me into all truth.

He'll guide me, teach me, show me things to come.

Not only will he show me what's uh just around the corner, he'll show me what's five years down the road at times.

Here's the amazing thing the Holy Spirit will lead you to something and you'll make a decision.

And if in the immediate aftermath of that decision, you're like, boy, this doesn't look like it was a good decision.

Well, you know what the Holy Spirit knows that you don't?

He knows what's five years down the road.

He knows that investment that all of a sudden you invest in it into it, and you're like, Well, I feel like the Holy Spirit told me to invest in this or this person or whatever.

And all of a sudden it goes, Well, what's that gonna look like in five years?

I saw a thing the other day, this guy was uh hired uh when Facebook first started.

He was hired, uh he was actually a graffiti artist.

He was hired to put this really cool artwork on the outside of the building.

And instead of taking payment, they're gonna pay him a few hundred thousand dollars.

He said, Give me 0.01% of the company.

It's worth over a billion dollars.

I know from the beginning that maybe look like a stupid people like you you didn't take$200,000, you're an idiot.

You took 0.01% of something of some face page, Facebook, face whatever.

Who's gonna get on and just look at pictures of people doing stupid stuff?

Who cares what that guy's doing?

Your old friend.

I mean, that's just stupid.

No one's gonna invest in that billion dollars later.

Holy Spirit knows.

Holy Spirit knows you need 0.01% of something more than you need$200,000 today.

Why?

Because he knows what's to come.

The the great thing about it, right?

We we we now have these stupid contraptions, but they're part of our life now, so just get used to it, right?

And so you go somewhere and it can guide you, it can show you, but you know what it doesn't know?

Everything.

In fact, there's stuff on here that's a complete lie.

Stuff on here is a complete lie.

Even right, like yesterday, uh, we we we were going to to the restaurant and and we were going.

You know what it didn't know?

That uh sometimes it will, but it didn't know that there was a road closure.

It just popped up.

And I'm like, that's a stupid thing.

And it's trying to tell me to go another way.

It will it will I mean we're right downtown Kansas City Rise, you come around that that bend.

Right, and it's like take 71, then keep on 71.

I'm like, I'm not keeping on 71, I'm gonna get over here and get back over on 35.

It doesn't know everything.

It knows some stuff, right?

It'll be like police ahead.

You get over the corner and you're like, they're not there anymore.

I do enjoy that part though.

Here's the thing.

I I pretty much drive close to the speed limit.

Your definition close, by definition close, I don't know.

I drive slower than my wife does.

Um but right it knows everything.

Knows everything.

You ever met anyone who knows everything?

You ever met someone that thought they know everything?

I sometimes fall into that boat.

Thinking, not that I know everything, but I think I know everything.

At least my wife would say it.

She goes, Man, you think you know everything.

My my my son may have that gene.

Right?

You know what has caused me recently to realize I don't know everything?

A teacher had a baby and they asked me to teach algebra.

They said, we'd like you to teach algebra.

I said, Well, I'd like you to come to church on Sunday.

Right?

But you think you know everything, and all of a sudden you're teaching algebra.

And I'm like, I'd like to think I'm a pretty smart guy, but I'll tell you right now, I'm almost 54 years old.

The last math class I had was in the fall of 1990.

I told the students that, and one student goes, My parents weren't even born then.

I looked at him, I said, Shut up.

They're like, Mrs.

So-and-so doesn't let us say shut up.

I said, You can't say it, but I did.

Shut up.

They have realized I am not Mrs.

So-and-so pretty quickly.

I'm like, look, in fact, some kids their day are like, Mr.

Rainey, are you are you Gen X?

I go, yeah, they go, ooh.

I go, that's right.

You kids back up.

Gen X, we don't mess around with stuff.

But it's just, right, you realize you don't know everything.

But you know who does?

God.

You know who does the Holy Spirit.

Where's He live?

On the inside of me.

Amen.

And so we're going to just uh introduce this today.

So go with me.

We're going to look at a couple of verses in Romans.

Go to Romans 8 and verse 14.

We're going to look at Romans 8, 14 and 16, and then we're going to go back to Proverbs and look at a verse, and then we'll probably close this up for the day.

Great thing about pastoring a church is we don't have to have a five-hour sermon today.

Right?

We can introduce this, and then we can do part two next week and part three, part four, however long it takes.

But here in Romans 8, 14, Paul writing to the church at Rome.

He says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God or the children of God.

So the Bible tells us here that God wants to, and we can expect to be led by the Holy Spirit.

God wants to lead us, right?

He doesn't want us not knowing what to do.

He wants to lead us.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.

Verse 16.

And you can read verse 15 if you want.

It just isn't pertinent to what we're talking about this morning.

But we're not omitting it for a reason.

It doesn't have something in there, and you're like, ooh, why don't you read verse 15?

Well, just for time's sake, we're going to verse 16.

Now look at this.

We get back to the Holy Spirit himself.

No, it's not the Holy Spirit itself, the Holy Spirit himself bears witness where?

With our spirit, that we are the children of God.

The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit.

So Brother Hagin, right, the founder of the Bible college, Nicole and I went to their Ramah, he said this the number one way that the that God wants to lead believers is by what he calls the inward witness.

The inward witness.

And that's what Romans 8.16 says.

The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

So if we're to understand that the Holy Spirit, when we get born again, comes to live on the inside of us, the thing you have to understand is you've got to locate him.

You've got to locate the Holy Spirit.

Well, how do I locate the Holy Spirit?

Well, where does he live?

Where does it say right there?

In our spirit.

Right?

He lives in our spirit.

The Holy Spirit lives in our spirit.

The thing you have to realize, and the Bible tells us, right, all the way back in Genesis 2, we're not going to read it, but the Bible tells us there in Genesis 2 that we were created in the image of God.

Is that correct?

We were created in God's image.

Well, what is God?

He is a three-part being.

He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What are you?

You are a three-part being, right?

Paul, writing to the church at Thessalonica, said, the whole spirit, soul, and body.

We'll look at that verse next week.

But just trust me, he says, spirit, soul and body.

So you are a three-part being.

You are a spirit.

You possess a soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions, and you live in a body, this flesh, that's just the house you live in.

I know, have you ever drove home and pulled up and going, Boy, I look pretty.

No, right?

You realize your house isn't you.

Your house is just where you live.

You're like, boy, don't I look at me, look at my shutters, look at my no, you just realize that's where you live.

So quit spending so much time looking in the mirror.

Getting the Bible, look at some things, right?

Some of you could have spent a little more time this morning.

But, right?

The Spirit Himself bears witness where?

In our spirit.

That's where he's going to talk to you.

You've got to locate him.

Right?

If you don't you don't locate him, he's not going to speak.

It doesn't say he bears witness with our mind or our intellect or our emotions.

How many know your emotions are like this?

Anyone's emotions like this?

Half of the people in this room, half of the people in this room struggle more with emotions like this.

Weren't sure if I was going to say that again this service, were you?

I like to live on the edge.

I'm not saying which half is more like this, but I'm saying half the people in the world are more like this, the other half are more steady.

You choose which half you think is that way.

Male, female, I don't know.

I might.

But I have to live with someone.

We all realize we can all be, right?

Even men, right?

We can be emotional.

But so if the Holy Spirit bore that's a little much over here.

But if if if if if if we live by our emotions, then life is a roller coaster.

I've said this numerous times.

How many of you enjoy roller coasters?

I even, right in my 50s, I still enjoy roller coasters.

You know the great thing about them?

They're like 90 seconds.

Uh at the fair this last year in Bethany, Olive got on one of those spinny rides, and uh and the guy, the carney running it, got busy looking at his phone.

And those kids were on there for like five minutes.

I mean, a long time until Nicole finally was like, Stop the ride.

I mean, it literally out of a movie, like every kid just puking.

Because they're fun for 90 seconds, but but five minutes of this, right?

How me know when you come over the last hill and it slows down back into the station, you're like, Woo, that was fun.

Let's get off.

No, the Holy Spirit doesn't bear witness with your emotions, he doesn't bear witness with your intellect.

Aren't you glad?

Pastor Mark says it this way.

He goes, uh, the Holy Spirit's a genius.

If you'll listen to him, you'll make better decisions.

He knows more.

He's the spirit of truth.

Where's he speaking to me?

Not through my flesh, not through outward signs in my spirit.

Can God lead through outward signs?

He can.

Has God led through outward signs?

He does.

But the number one way, now that we're born again, and we'll look at this over the weeks, you've got to remember a lot of outward signs, the leading of outward signs happened when?

Before people got born again.

I mean, literally, before they got born again, uh, and it got filled with the Holy Spirit, they they were still throwing dice, casting lots to see who's gonna be the one to fill in for Judas.

After that, you never see them do that again.

In fact, you read the book of Acts after that, and they they say things like uh, the Holy Spirit forbade us from going here, or the Holy Spirit led us to go here, he guided us to go here.

No, he bears witness with our spirit.

Thank you for tuning in to the Lone Star Church podcast.

We hope this week's message strengthened your faith in God's word.

Remember, if you live in northwest Missouri or southern Iowa, we invite you to join us in person on a Sunday morning.

For more information about us, visit our website at Lonestarchurch.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.