The genuine and trustworthy and proper leading is this kind of leading. It is not a leading as an activity of God, as an action of God, but just God Himself. It is just the Triune God Himself in you to be your life, to be your nature, to be your everything. When you look at Him He leads, and you are led. When you are led in this way you know from within that you are living, that you are full of anointing, that you are refreshed, that you are watered, and that the light is within you. You have the comfort and encouragement.
But the other kind of leading—following the inner feeling plus the Word plus the outward circumstances—may leave you still dry, still discouraged, still full of death. It may leave you short of encouragement. All these are signs that that kind of leading was not the genuine leading because there was no life with it. But the genuine leading which is full of life and freshness and watering and enlightening and comforting and strengthening is the leading that is described in Romans 8:14. You have to underline this short word “by.” As many as are led by the Spirit, directly by the Person, these are the sons of God. This is the leading that we should have. I hope that many of us could receive a clear vision concerning the leading, and that we would all pass through the crisis of being led by the Spirit.
As we have seen, the leading of the Spirit is just the Spirit Himself who is so practical and so present. So all the time before saying anything, before doing anything, before going to any place, even before thinking anything, we must firstly look at the indwelling Spirit. You may ask how you can have the turn to do this. The answer is simple: you have to build up a habit. Don’t say anything before you look at the indwelling Spirit. Don’t do anything before you look at the indwelling Spirit. Don’t go to any place before you look at the indwelling Spirit. Even don’t think anything before you look at the indwelling Spirit. Supposedly you have already passed through a crisis so that it is no more you that lives but He that lives. It is no more you to be your life, your nature, your everything. But the indwelling One now is your life, your nature, and your everything.
We all love the Lord, but I would like to tell you that the best love we can render to the Lord is not doing anything before looking at Him. I don’t say looking unto Him. Unto Him may indicate that He is far away from you, in the heavens. I mean looking at Him, realizing He is not only with you, but in you. You need such an intimate contact, even such an instant and constant contact with Him. You must learn to build up such a habit. If we all could live this way, what a revolution it would make in our daily life! Please take this word in a simple way.
Now we need to go a step further. In this chapter you have the leading by the Spirit. You have the setting of the mind upon the spirit. You also have the walking according to the spirit. By experience we could realize that being led by the Spirit is the initial step and, strictly speaking, this is in our spirit. Being led by the Spirit is not something in our mind or in our outward being. It is absolutely a matter in our spirit because the indwelling One is within our spirit. It is in our spirit that the indwelling One leads us.
Following the leading there is the second step, to set your mind upon your spirit. This means don’t let your mind go away somewhere else; don’t let your mind be distracted; don’t let your mind be carried away. It is not only to concentrate your mind, but to set your mind upon your spirit. Finally comes the third step, walking according to the spirit. This is the outward doing. The outward doing is to walk according to spirit. Firstly, you are led by the Spirit in your spirit; following this you set your mind upon the spirit; following this you just walk according to the spirit. This is the Christian walk, and this is the Christian living. This is the living that is led by the Spirit. If this is your case then you become one of those who, being led by the Spirit, are the sons of God.
Of course, in another message, we mentioned another group of three things: the Spirit’s residing, the Spirit’s life giving, and our putting to death the practices of the mortal body. These three things are spontaneously included by these three steps. The residing of the Triune God is included in the indwelling of the One who leads us. The life giving is included in the setting of your mind upon the spirit. And the putting to death of the practices of your mortal body is included in the walking according to spirit. As long as you walk according to spirit, that really means you put every bit of your natural activity to death. So there are not six steps of the spiritual leading; there are only three. The first step, the initial step, is in your spirit. The second step is in your soul or in your mind. The third is in your body where there is the outward doing. These three steps include God’s residing in you, His supplying you with life, and your putting to death of your natural activities.
Then we are persons led by the Spirit. Then we are the sons of God. I hope that we all may see a clear vision so that we would pass a crisis. This is the way to take the leading by the Spirit, and this is to be led by Him.
Whether you feel you can practice this or not, you have to. Before doing anything, before saying anything, before going any place, even before thinking anything, you must look at Him. You do have another One living with you and in you. Look at Him. Whether you feel you can look at Him or you feel you cannot look at Him, just look at Him. Forget about your ability and forget about your disability. Don’t consider whether you are able or disabled. Just practice it.