How to Be Led by the Spirit
When a big decision comes our way, many of us do the same thing. It might be a job offer in another city, an alliance for our daughter, or a flat / house we have been eyeing for years. We call the pastor or a church elder and ask, “Is this right or wrong, is there God’s will?” Most often, whatever they say, we go with it. It feels safe. It feels spiritual.
But that is not what it means to be led by the Spirit.
God created each one of us to do his will on this earth.
For some, it is to lead, as a minister or a leader in any role: at work / in business / in government.
For some, it is to work in an office, run a small business, or do an ordinary day job.
For some, it is being a homemaker for life.
For some, it is a full-time calling to preach the gospel as a minister of God.
For some, it is serving him part-time, doing his will in the way he has planned for them.
Each of these is a purpose in his creation.
We are in this world for a short time, and we are called to do his will in that time. Satan does not want us to succeed in God’s will. He wants us to take a detour from God’s plan and be led by our own plans, through the desires of the flesh. Our pastors and elders, and the Word of God itself, keep telling us to do the will of God. But honestly, that is difficult to do unless we are connected with God.
[Romans 8:14 NIV] 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
Being led by the Spirit needs a relationship, a fellowship with God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity. It means kneeling in prayer and understanding, through his Word, the plans he has for us. Not based on what the world says, but based on what he speaks to you.
The Book of Acts teaches us a great deal about living a Spirit-filled life. Read it again and again, along with Paul's Epistles. You will see how God worked in the early church and find principles you can apply to your own life. There are many things to learn being led by Spirit – We learn today from Paul's journey to Jerusalem.
Paul's Third Journey
Read thru Acts 19–21
Even knowing the trouble ahead, he obeyed
Paul always went where the Spirit led him. But his third journey is different. This time he knows trouble is waiting for him in Jerusalem, and he still obeys. So why Jerusalem?
God's will for Paul was revealed from the start. When God sent Ananias to Saul, he made his purpose (Will) clear:
[Acts 9:15-16 NIV] 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
He was the chosen instrument to proclaim God's name to:
The Gentiles
Their kings. He would be arrested and taken all the way to the kings in Rome.
The people of Israel, in Jerusalem
Jerusalem was where his old life was. It is where he was raised as a Jew, where he persecuted the disciples, and where he stood with the officials as Stephen was killed. Paul said it himself:
[Acts 22:18-20 NIV] 18 and saw the Lord speaking to me. 'Quick!' he said. 'Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.' 19 'Lord,' I replied, 'these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. 20 And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.'
God wanted the Good News to reach the kings, and beyond. Through Jerusalem, the message of grace would travel to the kings and across the whole Roman Empire. Jerusalem was not the end point. Rome was.
[Romans 1:15 NIV] 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
So, to be led by the Spirit is to:
• Be guided by the Holy Spirit's promptings
• Move in God's timing, not personal convenience
• Follow divine strategy (like starting in the synagogues), not human logic
• Make decisions aligned with God's mission, even when they are uncomfortable
Lesson 1: Spirit-Led is not Emotion-Driven
Read thru Acts 18:20-21; Acts 19:1-22; Acts 20:1-5
Obedience is the key, not feelings
Three things stand out when we compare Paul's second and third visits to Ephesus.
1. Timing is Spirit-led, not emotionally driven
On the second visit, people wanted Paul to stay, but he resisted the pressure.
[Acts 18:20-21 NIV] 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
Instead of responding to human need or invitation, Paul waited for God's will.
When the Spirit opened the door later, the third visit had lasting fruit.
[Acts 19:10 NIV] 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
2. Ministry depth follows Spirit-led obedience
The third visit shows Paul walking in deep alignment with the Spirit: laying hands, seeing miracles and birthing churches.
If he had stayed earlier, out of emotion or logic, he might have missed God's timing and the soil God had prepared.
3. Being led by the Spirit includes saying no
Sometimes the Spirit leads by prompting action. Other times he says "not yet."
Paul's "no" in Acts 18:21 was just as Spirit-led as his "yes" in Acts 19:1.
From Ephesus to Macedonia and Troas
Paul stayed in Ephesus for about three years. Then the Spirit prompted him to move on. Read the same verse in two translations and see the difference:
[Acts 19:21 NLT] 21 Afterward Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to go over to Macedonia and Achaia before going to Jerusalem. "And after that," he said, "I must go on to Rome!"
[Acts 19:21 NIV] 21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also."
The NIV says Paul "decided." The NLT shows where that decision came from: he "felt compelled by the Spirit." This was not Paul's own plan. It was the Spirit leading him.
But notice what he did not do. He did not rush out. He sent his co-workers ahead and stayed back himself:
[Acts 19:22 NIV] 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
He waited for the right time to start. It was a "not yet." He left for Macedonia only after the uproar (Acts 19:23-41) ended:
[Acts 20:1 NIV] 1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.
When the time came, he did not go alone. A team went ahead and waited for him at Troas:
[Acts 20:4-5 NIV] 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
Lesson to Learn:
When Emotion Pushes
A colleague resigns in anger and asks you to join him at a new company or A relative / friend pushing you to buy a flat "before prices go up." Emotion says decide today. The Spirit may say "not yet," and that no is obedience too.
For a homemaker, it may be the pressure to say yes to every family ritual or church responsibility just because someone asked. Paul said no to a request in Ephesus. Sometimes saying no to people is saying yes to God.
When the Spirit Says Go
When the peace stays, the Word confirms it, and the door opens without forcing, move, even if it is uncomfortable. Like Paul, send your preparation ahead and go when he says go.
Lesson 2: Spirit Led with Patience and Forbearance
Read thru Acts 19:23-41; Acts 20:1-6
Two characters the Spirit builds in us as we are led by Spirit.
God needs to shape two characters in us if we are to be led by his Spirit: patience and forbearance.
We have to wait for the Holy Spirit to tell us what to do.
The timing, when to move, matters as much as the move itself.
Patience and Forbearance are fruits of spirit (Galatians 5:22) and its one of the key to knowing and walking in Spirit
Many times the front face of things will look wrong. Paul still waited to be led by the Holy Spirit.
Ask the Holy Spirit for a spirit of patience and forbearance, especially when the urge to move is strong.
Patience | Forbearance |
Enduring difficult situations | Enduring difficult people |
Deals with time/trials | Deals with relationships |
Waiting without quitting | Bearing without reacting |
Often inward strength | Often outward restraint |
"Lord, I will wait." | "Lord, I will bear with them." |
The Will of God — Four Aspects
We saw God's will for Paul in Acts 9:15-16. Scripture shows four aspects of God's will:
1. Secret will — known only to God. No one else can open it or even look into it.
[Revelation 5:3 NIV] 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.
2. Revealed will — shown to us through his Word and the Holy Spirit.
[1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 NIV] 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
3. Permissive will — what God allows, including the negative side. God placed the tree in the garden, gave Adam the command, and allowed him to choose.
[Genesis 2:9 NIV] 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
[Genesis 2:16-17 NIV] 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."
4. Directive will — how God actively leads us by his Spirit. His primary tools are the Bible, prayer, fellowship, peace, faith and the Holy Spirit. His secondary tools are circumstances: open doors, counsel and common sense.
[Romans 12:2 NIV] 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
This is how God works in a Spirit-led life. As we pray and walk with God, He reveals His secret will to us through His Spirit. The work moves in three steps:
Secret will → known only to God
Revealed will → made known to us through the Word and prayer
Directive will → shown to us through prayer, the Word, peace, counsel, fellowship and common sense
We see this same work in Paul’s experience as well. We see the two characters of Fruits of Spirit working thru in Paul
Patience in Paul. Paul stayed on in Ephesus through the riot (Acts 19:23-41). We would have rushed out, saying, "This trouble is a sign I shouldn't stay." But he was led by the Spirit to stay through the suffering, and God's glory was revealed in it.
Forbearance in Paul. Through Acts 20, Paul does not rush. He spends three months in Greece, five days sailing to Troas and seven days there. That is the outward restraint of forbearance. [Acts 20:6 NIV] 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Lesson to Learn:
Patience in Practice
A man whose promotion has been delayed twice: patience is not quitting or job-hunting in frustration, but staying faithful until God moves.
A mother waiting for her son to come back to faith, or for the right alliance for her daughter: patience is praying without forcing a decision because relatives are talking.
Forbearance in Practice
A manager who takes credit for your work: forbearance is not responding back an angry email, but bearing with him and letting God handle it.
A relative who comments on every decision at home: forbearance says "Lord, I will bear with them," instead of reacting to every word.
Lesson 3: Spirit Led - What to Do in the Waiting Time
Read thru Acts 20:7-12
Waiting time is not personal time
What did Paul do while he waited? He preached and prayed. Waiting time is not personal time.
[Acts 20:7 NIV] 7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
Then something happened:
[Acts 20:9-11 NIV] 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.
A young man falling into deep sleep during a sermon is something we still see today. But we see here he fell from sleep to die. We see a similar pattern in Elijah and Elisha.
What Paul did is the same thing Elijah did for the widow's son and Elisha did for the Shunammite's son:
[1 Kings 17:21 NIV] 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD, "LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!"
[2 Kings 4:34-35 NIV] 34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy's body grew warm. 35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
The Strength the Spirit Gives
When you are led by the Spirit, the power given is enormous, even physical strength is higher.
Just picture this: standing to preach and pray continuously from evening to the next morning is not easy, and that too all through the night. I made a rough guess of Paul’s age at this point, around 50 to 60 years. Yet he preaches from evening, through midnight, until daylight.
When the young man died, Paul ran down, threw himself on him and held him.
Then he went back upstairs and carried on as if nothing had happened. We see that today It's like a baby crying during a sermon, except this was a dead man raised to life. See how that would have filled the congregation with a new spirit of faith.
Imagine the concentration in that room after a dead man came back to life, and Paul simply continues to preach. That is the power of the Holy Spirit leading him.
They had been up since the previous day and went on until morning. The Holy Spirit strengthened not only Paul but the whole congregation to listen and turn toward repentance.
He broke bread in the morning and left. We don't know if he even slept.
When we go to an all-night prayer, most often we keep checking when we can go to bed. Here Paul works hard and moves from one place to the next. I'm not saying rest is wrong. But see the zeal of a Spirit-led life: doing when he asks us to do, and stopping when he asks us to stop.
Lesson to Learn:
Keep in Step
• Ask God for this kind of spirit: the zeal to do his work, the power to show his glory and the patience to wait for his timing. Not running ahead, not lagging behind. [Galatians 5:25 NIV] 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
• For Paul, the waiting time was for preaching and praying. For us, it is for reading the Word and praying until his will moves from secret to revealed to directive.
Waiting While Working
• If you work full-time, use your commute to pray, in the traffic or on the train. Read one chapter of Acts at lunch, and keep a small notebook of what God speaks to you. If you drive, play worship songs and praise Him along the way, so His praise travels with you. Let your heart be moved by the words, not just the tune.
• At home, pray over each family member while cooking or doing chores, and end the day with family prayer, even if it is only for ten minutes. Give the first half hour of the morning to the Word, before you pick up the phone.
Lesson 4: Spirit Led - Information vs Instruction
Read thru Acts 19:21; Acts 20:16-23; Acts 21:3-14; Philippians 1:12-14
We are deceived by what we see, as we are trained that way in our old life.
Another important lesson in being led by the Spirit is learning the difference between information and instruction.
First Account — Informed, Then Waiting
In Acts 19, Paul first mentions Jerusalem, with Rome as the end goal (Acts 19:21). He is informed this will happen, but he has to wait. By Acts 20, he is wasting no time in following the Spirit's guidance:
[Acts 20:16 NIV] 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
Second Account — Compelled, Not Knowing
[Acts 20:22-23 NIV] 22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.
When we are led by the Spirit, we often don't know what will happen. But faith in the Holy Spirit is there. Our confidence is not in the information. It is in the Holy Spirit who guides us.
Three Warnings on the Road
1. The disciples at Tyre
[Acts 21:3-4 NIV] 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
The believers urged Paul not through ordinary conversation but "through the Spirit."
2. Philip's four daughters
[Acts 21:8-9 NIV] 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
Not one, but four daughters who prophesied.
3. Agabus
[Acts 21:10-11 NIV] 10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"
Who is Agabus? A proven prophet. He had earlier predicted the famine:
[Acts 11:28 NIV] 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)
He warned Paul of the struggles coming: chains, hands and feet tied. The Spirit had already told Paul the same thing in every city (Acts 20:23).
Information Taken as Instruction
[Acts 21:12 NIV] 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
[Acts 21:13-14 NIV] 13 Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."
What the Chains Actually Did
Later, Paul wrote to the Philippians from prison. They had sent Epaphroditus to help him, thinking the work of Christ had stopped behind bars. Normal eyes would see it that way. Paul saw it differently:
[Philippians 1:12-14 NIV] 12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
He wanted the Gospel preached in Rome, even to the Roman kings. He was led there by the Spirit of God, chains and all.
Lesson to Learn:
Information Is Not Instruction
The prophecy was there to confirm and prepare Paul for what was coming, not to instruct him to stop. We often miss this difference, and it makes us walk away from the will of God.
Satan often uses this information to derail us to walk away from the will of God to scare us thru.
The believers took the information as instruction and pleaded with him not to go. For Paul, it was reconfirmation: told many times, through many sources, so that the will of God would be done.
Ask for Discernment
When we walk in the Spirit, God gives a spirit of discernment.
The Spirit of discernment is not only for telling the Holy Spirit from a false spirit. It is also for telling information from instruction. Depend on the Holy Spirit, not the human spirit, and with a renewed mind you will be able to test and approve his will (Romans 12:2).
In Our Daily Life
A medical report, a slow market, a warning that "the new manager is tough": these are information. They tell us what may come. They do not tell us whether God wants us to stay or go.
When family pleads, "Don't take up that ministry, it's risky," hear them with love, but go back to the Spirit for the instruction. Information prepares you. Instruction directs you.
Lesson 5: Compelled by the Spirit, Not Pushed by People
We started with the call to the pastor: "Is this right or wrong?" Paul had many voices around him too. There were disciples at Tyre, four prophesying daughters, Agabus with a belt and friends in tears. Every one of them loved him. But Paul knew the difference between being pushed by people and compelled by the Spirit.
Being led by the Spirit means:
Waiting when the Spirit says "not yet," and moving when he says "go"
Growing in patience with situations and forbearance with people
Using the waiting time to pray and stay in the Word, not as personal time
Treating information as preparation, and the Spirit's voice as the instruction
Our time on earth is short, and each of us has a purpose: in an office, in the home, in public life or in full-time ministry. Don't let the enemy detour you into your own plans. Paul's words can be ours:
[Acts 20:24 NIV] 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.
Information tells you what is coming. The Spirit tells you where to go.
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