Being led is a necessary part of the Christian life and service before God. Thus, we need to consider this topic carefully.
The Bible shows that the Lord uses many marvelous ways to lead us. There are at least nine kinds of leading in the Bible.
1. “The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things” (1 John 2:27).
The Lord leads us in a subjective way: He lives in us and leads us. The Lord’s anointing lives in us and teaches us concerning all things. This is His leading. In chapter 21 we saw that the anointing spoken of in 1 John 2:27 refers to the moving of the Holy Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit moves within us like an ointment. He anoints us with the Lord’s intention and causes us to know the things of God. Thus, the anointing within us, which is the moving of the Holy Spirit, teaches us concerning all things so that we may know the Lord’s desire and be led by Him.
The anointing does not teach us only occasionally. It abides in us and teaches us constantly. It does not come into us for a moment and then leave. It abides in us forever; therefore, it teaches us constantly. It does not teach us about only a few things; it teaches us concerning all things. Since the Lord’s anointing continuously teaches concerning all things, we do not need anyone to teach us. If we would accept the teaching of the anointing at every time, in every place, and concerning all things, we truly would have no need for anyone to teach us. Regardless of whether the teaching of the anointing concerns God, man, mundane affairs, important events, material things, or spiritual matters, as long as we are willing to receive its teaching, it will teach us inwardly.
The most precious thing about being a Christian is to receive the teaching of the anointing within us and to walk according to this inner anointing. When brothers and sisters have a problem, they often ask others for advice in order to be taught by them. This shows that they are outward Christians. But the Lord wants us to abide in Him, to fellowship with Him, and to receive the teaching of His anointing concerning all things and thus be inward Christians. Merely consulting others and being taught by them does not have much spiritual value. We must contact the Lord inwardly and receive the teaching of the anointing directly. This is precious. If we live this way, we can truly experience the reality of not needing anyone to teach us. The Lord’s anointing will teach us in everything. Then we can fellowship with the Lord at any time and in any place, and no matter what we are doing, we will sense the teaching of the anointing.
1. “Led by the Spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14).
One of the most powerful ways in which the Lord leads us is by the leading of the Holy Spirit. We should focus more on the Holy Spirit than on natural or supernatural things. The Lord always leads us through the Holy Spirit. Although His leading seems to occur in conjunction with natural things, the leading of the Lord through the Holy Spirit often is unrelated to natural things; it is something spiritual, which we feel directly in our spirit.
1. “Having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit...the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (Acts 16:6-7).
The phrases forbidden by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them are like the two rails of a railroad track. When a train stays on its track, everything is normal. When we follow the two rails of the forbidding and restricting of the Holy Spirit within us, we feel very normal. Whenever we leave the railroad track of the Holy Spirit’s leading, however, we no longer feel normal. Instead, we feel an inward forbidding and restricting. Brothers and sisters, whenever we feel that something is wrong, we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s forbidding and restricting. For example, we may want to go to the house of a brother or sister, but when we arrive at the door and are about to ring the bell, we may inwardly sense that something is wrong. We should obey this feeling, refrain from ringing the door bell, and go home.
There was once a man in England who was much used by the Lord. On one occasion some people planned to trap him. They wrote a false letter and asked him to come to their house to help solve a spiritual problem. He went to the address in the letter, but as he was standing at the door, he felt a strong inward forbidding. Rather than ringing the bell, he turned around and went home. Later he learned about the trap that had been prepared for him. The Lord’s inward forbidding stopped him and saved him. Oh, how precious is this forbidding! If we live in the Lord and follow Him, the Holy Spirit will often use this kind of forbidding and restricting to preserve us on God’s track so that we can act according to God’s will. If we are about to go against God’s will, the Holy Spirit within us will not allow us. His forbidding and restricting are one way of the Lord’s leading.