What those of the world and those of the churches of this world crave is Guidance. But sadly where and to whom does one turn for this Guidance is another matter all together. As a youngster growing in a some what devote family with a heritage within one to the worlds religious orders, a denominations composed of many united churches, there was little spoken of of GODS Holy Spirit. What was proclaimed was a gospel in form but lacked substance, there were all kinds of stories and good book reports about the activities of others such as missionaries. Then at least once a year there was the push for what they called stewardship, which I was to learn years latter was not what they had brainwashed the membership that it was in the churches estimation. You see they used it to raise concern and money to meet the financial needs of the pastor and religious system their denominations our bond by. This placed the congregations at the disposal and bondage of the denominational decrees and edicts. And the man at the front and his words of emptiness as they lacked any spiritual impact in the lives of those seated within the church house walls. To day I know that there was no presence of the LORDS Holy Spirit in these houses of either the person at the front or the congregations who were present. There was no motivation as seen in the second letter to the Corinthians written by Paul reveals. All that was present was a from of godliness form. But there was no power that should accompany that form. Now this may sound harsh and even bitterness to some. But the hard reality in the following scriptures will bear me out on this, many in the worlds religions and churches believe and have more trust in their particular pastor and church denominational creeds and doctrines, then they have in GOD through the LORD, Christ Jesus. There is therefore no presence of GODS Holy Spirit and the churches, therefore they lacked GODS Guidance in the life of the church and the families within it. And the denominational system that it was apart of. If and when there was anything spoken of the Holy Spirit it was in the since of being a future event after one dies.
From here I will endeavor to reveal what is contained within the context of GODS Promise of Guidance.
Of Believers Guidance:
Into a Pleasant Path:
Psalm 23:2-3 "He (the LORD) makes me to lie down in green pastures: He leads me beside the still waters. He restore my soul (revives my spirit): He leads me in the paths of (His) Righteousness for His name's sake."
In Making Decisions:
Psalm 25:8-10 and 32:8, "Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will He teaches sinners in the way. The meek will He Guide in judgment: and the meek will He teaches His way. All the paths of the LORD are Mercy and Truth to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies."
Psalm 32:5-11 "I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the LORD; and You forgive the iniquity of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found: surely in the floods of great (tribulations as trails, as the) waters they shall not come nigh to him. For You are my hiding place; You shall (will) preserve me from trouble; You shall (will) compass me about with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with My eye. (here comes the warning) Be not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near to you. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, you righteous: and shout for joy, all that are upright in heart."
To the end of life:
Psalm 48:14 "For this GOD is our God for ever and ever: HE will be our guide even to death."
This term death can have a double application, the spiritual dead of the spirit that rules natural man that leads to totality in our physical passing or the transformation of exchange brought about at our acknowledgement of our iniquities of sin as stated in verse 5 above in Psalm 32.
By wise Counsel:
Psalm 73:22-28 "So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before You. Nevertheless I am continually with You: You have taken hold by my right hand. You shall (will) guide me with YOUR counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside You. My flesh and my heart fails: but GOD is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever. (here comes the warning) For, lo, they that are far from You shall (will) perish: You have destroyed all them that go a whoring from You. But it is good for me to draw near to GOD: I have put my Trust in the LORD GOD, that I may declare all His works."
By the still small Voice:
Isaiah 30:18, 19-23 "Therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious to you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is GOD of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for (adhere to) Him.
For the people shall dwell in Zion at (the heavenly Spiritual) Jerusalem: you shall weep no more: HE will be very gracious to you at the voice of your cry (of repentance); when He shall (will) hear it, He will answer you. Though the LORD give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not He your teacher be removed into a corner any more, but your eyes shall see Him your teacher: And your ears shall (will) hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left. You shall (will) defile also the covering of your graven images of silver, and the ornament of your molten images of gold: you shall cast them away as a menstruation cloth; you shall say to it, Get you hence (far away from me). Then shall He give the rain of you seed, that you shall sow the ground withal; and bread of the increase of the earth, and it shall be fat and plenteous: in that day shall your cattle feed in large pastures."
This last passage speaks of our service in ministry to the LORD within those we lead to Him and assist in their learning of Him. In their spiritual walk and growth with the helper and aid of the Holy Spirit within them, as promised.
In the Midst of Uncertainties:
Isaiah 42:14-17, 18-22, 23-25 and 48:17-19 "I have long time held My peace; I have been still, and refrained Myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do to them, and not forsake them. They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, you are our gods.
Hear, you the deaf; and look, you blind, that you may see. Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the LORD'S servant? Seeing many things, but you observe not; opening the ears, but he hears not. The LORD is well pleased for His Righteousness' sake; He will magnify the law, and make it honorable. But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivers; for a spoil, and none said, Restore. (Repent)
Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come? Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? did not the LORD, HE against Whom we have sinned? for they would not walk in his ways, neither were they obedient to His law. Therefore HE has poured upon him the fury of HIS anger, and the strength of battle: and it has set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart."
Isaiah 48:17-19 "Thus said the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD your GOD which teaches you to profit, which leads you by the way that you should go. O that you had (would have) hearkened to My commandments! then had your peace been as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea: Your seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of your bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me."
By Divine Illumination:
Luke 1:67-79, 80 and John 10:1-6 (John the baptizers father) "Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the LORD GOD of Israel; for HE has visited and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David; As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, and to remember His holy covenant; The Oath which He swore to our father Abraham, that He would grant to us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve Him without fear, in Holiness and Righteousness before Him, all the days of our life. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest: for you shall go before the face of the LORD to prepare His ways; To give Knowledge of Salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our GOD; whereby the day spring from on high has visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing to Israel."
John 10:1-6 (Jesus is here speaking) "Verily, verily, (of a Truth) I say to you, He that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But He that enters in by the door (in His coming death for the cross is this door and after His ascension His becomes the spiritual door) is the shepherd of the sheep. To Him the porter opens; and the sheep hear His voice: and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when he puts forth His own sheep, He goes before them, and the sheep follow (serve) Him: for they know His voice. A stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spoke Jesus to them: but they understood not what things they were which He spoke to them."
Into All Truth:
John 16:12-15 (Jesus is here speaking) "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear (receive) them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall (will) glorify Me: for He shall (will) receive of Me, and shall show it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall (will) show it to you."
This is the end of this portion under the heading of Guidance, however it is not complete as it is. I will be adding these headings later, Inspiration, Spirit Teacher and Enlightenment.
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