A guide is someone or something that takes you from one point to another. Many hire guides when they are going on a trip into unfamiliar territory. We may not hire someone to guide us, but many times in life we need a guide. However, a guide is only as good as the knowledge he has. If his information is not correct, he can lead you down the wrong path that can lead to destruction.
In the Bible it was a star that guided the wise men to see Jesus as a young baby in Matthew 2:9. In Luke 1:9, it was John the Baptist that would guide people to Jesus. God had blessed Elisabeth and Zacharias with a son that would be the forerunner to Jesus. John would be used by God to guide others to Jesus. When God sent Philip to Gaza, it was to guide the Ethiopians to a relationship with Jesus Christ. When Philip asks him if he understood what he was reading, his reply was, “How can I except some man should guide me.” Philip obeyed the Lord and guided this man to a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Luke 1:79 “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Acts 8:26 “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.”
Acts 8:30-31 “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.”
All of the scripture should be a guide for us. After we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we have an internal guide, the Holy Spirit. John 16:13 teaches us that the Spirit will guide us to all truth. John 8:32 teaches that Jesus is the truth. The Holy Spirit convicts us before we are saved and guides us to Jesus. After we are saved, He will guide us as we pray. He will also bring scripture to our mind that we have studied as we need it.
John 16:13 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:”
John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free
The Holy Spirit is also our guide to help us to resist sin. The sins that are mentioned in Galatians 5:16 deal with the lust of the flesh. These would be sins that lead us to put the things of this earth first. Money, power, pride, and fleshly lust are areas we all battle from time to time in our lives. When the Holy Spirit lives within us, He will help us to resist temptation.
Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
The Holy Spirit will also be our guide for making decisions that determine what we do in life. When we seek God’s will for our lives, He will help us to discern.
Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.”
The Holy Spirit will also guide us to use the fruit of the Spirit he endows us with when we are saved. We receive it the moment we are saved, and if we yield to the Spirit, He will guide us to use each element of the fruit to God’s glory.
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
Many people spend their lives wandering around looking and searching for what they are to do with their lives. Many fail to see their purpose because they do not follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. He is the best guide we could ever have, but He will not force Himself on anyone. We can only be guided if we are willing to follow. Have you surrendered to the one who is willing and capable of guiding you into God’s perfect will for your life?
