HowYouCanKnowTheWillOfGod

ByKennethE.Hagin

ThirdEdition

TwentiethPrinting1995

Contents

1TheInnerMan—TheRealYou

2GuidanceThroughtheInnerMan

3GuidanceThroughVisions

4GuidanceandtheGiftofProphecy

Chapter1

TheInnerMan—TheRealYou

ThewriteroftheBookofProverbssaidthatthespiritofmanisthe candle (lamp) of the Lord (Prov. 20:27). That means thatGodwillenlightenandguideusthroughourspirits.

Toooften, however,we seekguidanceevery otherway exceptthe way God said it was going to come. We judge by ourphysicalsenses,butnowheredoesGodsayHewillguideusbyour senses. Or, we often look at things from a mentalstandpoint.

But God said, "the spirit of man is the candle of theLord,"whichmeansthatHewillguideusthroughourspirits.

Manisaspiritbeing.Hehasasoul,andhelivesinaphysicalbody.ButheisaspiritbeingbecauseheismadeinthelikenessofGod.JesussaidthatGodisaSpirit.

When the body is dead and in the grave, man lives on. Paul,speaking of physical death, said, "For I am in a strait betwixttwo,havingadesiretodepart,andtobewithChrist;whichisfarbetter" (Phil.1:23).Toshowhewas talkingaboutphysicaldeath,hethensaid,"Neverthelesstoabideinthefleshismoreneedful for you" (v. 24). Hewas saying, "When I depart I amgoingtobewiththeLord."

You see, there is an outward man and an inward man. Theoutward man is not the real you. The outward man is onlythe"house"(body)youlivein.Theinwardmanistherealyou.

BeforewecanunderstandhowGodwill guideus throughourspirits,wemustfirstfindoutwhataspiritis.Thisinwardman—orasheiscalledbyPeter,"thehiddenmanoftheheart"

(1Peter3:4)—isthespiritofman.WhentheBiblespeaksoftheheart,itisspeakingofthespirit,theinwardman,orthehiddenman. This is the realman.When Paul says, "Therefore if anymanbe inChrist,he isanewcreature... " (2Cor.5:17),he istalkingabouttheinwardman,therealman.Youcertainlydidn'tget a new body when you were born again, but the real youbecameanewmaninChrist.

Oftenourtermsaresoindistinctindescribingthings,theyareconfusing. It would be better to say things as the Bible saysthem.For instance, inFirstThessalonians5:23,Paulprays forthe Church at Thessalonica saying, "I pray God your wholespirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto thecomingofourLord JesusChrist. "Paulbeginswith the insideandcomestotheoutside.Hebeginswiththeinwardmanandcomes to the outward man. Usually people misquote thatScriptureandputthebodyfirst insteadofthespirit.Theyaremorebody-consciousthanspirit-conscious.Weneedtoreversetheorderandbecomemorespirit-conscious.

Until we become spirit-conscious, we will not be able tounderstandwhat God is saying to our spirits. Spiritual thingswillbeindistinct.Butthemorespirit-consciouswebecome,themorerealtheleadingoftheLordwillbetous.

Weneedtothinkofourselvesasspiritbeings,possessingsoulsandlivinginbodies.

Some of the leading Bible scholars in our land seem startledwhen Iask, "What is thedifferencebetween the spirit ofmanand the soul ofman?" They say, "Well, I have always thoughtthey were the same." Many times preachers use the termsinterchangeably, leaving the impression that thespiritandthesoul are the same. But they are not. "For theword of God isquick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,piercing even to the dividing asunder of SOUL ANDSPIRIT...."(Heb.4:12).

Paul said, “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spiritprayeth,butmyunderstandingisunfruitful”(1Cor.14:14).Ourunderstanding is a part of our soul. Paul said, "Myunderstandingisunfruitful.Idon'tprayoutofmysoul(intellectormind).That isn'tmysoulpraying."Hesaid,"If Ipray inanunknowntongue,myspiritprayeth."

I especially like the expression used in Proverbs 20:27, "Thespirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the

inwardpartsofthebelly."Jesussaid,"Ifanymanthirst,lethimcome unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as thescripturehath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of livingwater.(Butthisspakeheof theSpirit,which they thatbelieveonhim should receive: for theHoly Ghost was not yet given;because that Jesuswasnotyetglorified)" (John7:37-39).AsaresultofreceivingtheHolySpirit,outof the"belly"shall flowriversoflivingwater.

TheAmplifiedtranslationofFirstCorinthians14:14says,"ForifI pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spiritwithinme]prays."When youpray in tongues, it comesout ofyourinnermostbeing,yourspirit.

RenewingtheMind

A man's spirit—the innermost man, the real man—receiveseternal life and is born again. But his intellect and emotions,whichcomposethesoul,stillhavetobedealtwith.Theyarenotbornagain;instead,theymustberenewed.

Paul speaks about the renewing of the mind in Romans12:2, "And be not conformed to this world: but be yetransformedbytherenewingofyourmind...."Thisisaprocess.Theepistleof Jameswaswritten toChristians.Yet in the firstchapter he said, "Receivewithmeekness the engraftedword,whichisabletosaveyoursouls."

Jesussaid,"ThatwhichisbornoftheSpiritisspirit"(John3:6).It isourspiritthat isbornagain.Oursoulcanberenewed,orrestored,bytheWordofGod.

Withourspiritwecontactthespiritualworld;withoursoulwecontact the mental world; and with our body we contact thephysicalworld.

Sometimeswehearpeopletalkabout"dyingouttoself."

However,wedon'twant to die out to self;wewant tocrucifytheflesh.Thisisn'tsomethingGoddoesforyou;youmustdoityourself.

Paulsaid,"Ibeseechyoutherefore,brethren,bythemerciesofGod, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"(Rom.12:1).Hedidn'ttellyouto"dieouttoselfortheflesh,"buthedidtellyoutodosomethingwiththeflesh.

Paul said inRomans 6:13, "Neither yield ye yourmembersasinstrumentsofunrighteousnessuntosin...."Afteryouarebornagain, your body is going towant to keep on doing the samethingsitalwayshasdone,butPaulsaidnottoletit.Themanon

the inside, the inwardman,hasbecomeanewman inChrist.Letthisinwardmandominatetheoutwardman.

The reasonmanypeoplehavehad amistaken concept of souland spirit is that they don't thoroughly understand the newbirth.Wearemorethanjustified.Wehavebecomeanewman;anewcreatureinChrist.

Thismanontheinside—thespiritmanthroughwhomGodwilldeal—hasbecomeanewman.Theold things thatwere in theoldmanaregonenow.Spiritualdeathwasinthere.Thenatureofthedevilwasinthere.Hatredandlyingwereinthere.

ButnowtheloveofGodisinthere.NowthenatureofGodisinthere.Thisisthemanwhoistobethedominantone.Wearetolistentohim,because it isthroughthisman—ourspiritman—thatGodwillguideus.

Chapter2

GuidanceThroughtheInnerMan

TheinwardmanwediscussedinChapter1hasa"voice"whichwe call the conscience, intuition, inner guidance, or inwardwitness.Asaborn-againbelievertrainsanddevelopshisspirit,thisvoicewillbecomemoreclear.Hisspiritwillbecomeasurerand surer guide. One thing that has held back the Christianworldasawholeisthatwearemorephysical-conscious(body-conscious) and more mental-conscious (soul-conscious). Wehavedevelopedthebodyandsoul,butwehaveleftthespiritofmanalmostuntouched.

Yourspiritcanbeeducatedjustasyourmindcanbeeducated.Yourspiritcanbebuiltupinstrengthandtrainedjustasyourbodycanbebuiltandtrained.

Ofcourse,apersonwhohasneverbeenbornagaincouldnotfollowthevoiceofhisspirit.Hisspiritwouldbeunregenerate.

Hisconsciencewouldpermithimtodojustaboutanything.Butwhen you have the nature and life of God in you, yourconsciencewon'tpermityoutodojustanything.

If youareaborn-againChristian, theHolySpirit is livingandabiding in your spirit.Hedoes not communicate directlywithyourmind,becauseHeisnotinyourmind;Heisinyourspirit.Hecommunicateswithyouthroughyourspirit.

Jesus said, "We [His Father andHe]will come unto him, andmakeourabodewithhim"(John14:23).Paulsaid,"Knowyenotthat ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of Goddwellethinyou?"(1Cor.3:16).Again,writingtotheCorinthians

in the second letter, he said, "Ye are the temple of the livingGod;asGodhathsaid, Iwilldwell inthem,andwalkin them;and I will be their God, and they shall bemy people" (2 Cor.6:16).IfGodisdwellinginus,thenthatiswhereHeisgoingtospeaktous.

Itisyourspirit,nottheHolySpirit,thatcondemnsyouifyoudowrong as aChristian. TheHoly Spirit does not convict of sin.JesussaidtheonlysintheHolySpiritwillconvicttheworldofisthe sinof rejecting Jesus. It is yourownspirit thatknows theverymomentyouhavedonewrong.

GoingbyFeelings

Notice in Romans 8:16 Paul said, "The Spirit itself bearethwitnesswithourspirit, thatweare thechildrenofGod. "Toomanytimespeoplethinkthatthiswitnessheistalkingaboutisaphysicalsomething.Itisn't.TheBibledoesnotsaytheSpiritbearswitnesswithourbodies.

Feelingisthevoiceofthebody.

Reasonisthevoiceofthesoulormind.

Conscienceisthevoiceofthespirit.

Ifwegobyfeelings,wearegoingtobeintrouble!

People say, "I felt like the Lord heard me." It makes nodifferencewhether you felt like it or not. If theWord of Godstates it, it is true. If God said He heard and answered yourprayer,Hedid.

Base your faith on theWord; not on your feelings. This versedoes not say that the Spirit bears witnesswith ourbodies orwithourfeelings.Itsays,"TheSpirititselfbearethwitnesswithourspirit."TheWordandtheSpiritagree.TheSpiritwilltakethisWordandwitnesstoyourheart.

Jesus said, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come ... he shallreceiveofmine,andshallshewituntoyou"(John16:13,14).HesaidtoHisdisciples,"Heshallteachyouallthings,andbringallthingstoyourremembrance,whatsoeverIhavesaiduntoyou"(John14:26).Healso said, "Hewill showyou things to come"(John16:13).Hebearswitnesswithyourspirit.ThenHeleadsyou.Romans8:14says,"ForasmanyasareledbytheSpiritofGod,theyarethesonsofGod"

ItisnotforustotelltheLordhowtoleadus.IntheActsoftheApostlesandelsewhereintheBibleweseehowattimessomereceived guidance through a vision. We read whereothersreceivedguidancefromanangelwhoappearedandtold

themcertainthings.Toomanytimesweseekguidance inthatwayinsteadof listeningtowhattheBiblesays.However,suchphenomena didn't happen every day in these people's lives,either. They occurred once or twice in the entire lifetime ofsome of them. Too many times when God is trying to bearwitness with our spirits—trying to guide us—we won't listenbecausewewantsomethingdramatic,likeavisionoranangel.

FleecedbyaFleece

For guidance some people put out what they call a"fleece"before theLord. I tried thatone timeback in1941. Iputouta fleece; I followedmy fleece; and Igot fleeced!Thatcuredme.

The New Testament does not say, "As many as are led byfleeces,theyarethesonsofGod."Ofcourse,Gideondidputoutafleece.Butwearenotlivinginthedayhelivedin.Wearenotliving under the covenant he lived under. We have a NewCovenant,establishedonbetterpromises.

Itdoesn'tsayanywhereintheNewTestamentthatPeter,Paul,oranyof theapostlesever told thepeople toputouta fleecebeforetheLord.Infact,thispracticeisreallydangerous,forweputthefleeceoutinthesenseworldwhereSatanisgod(2Cor.4:4).

OncewhenItriedoutforthepastorateofachurchinTexas,IputoutafleecebeforetheLordthatifthecongregationvoted100percentformetocomeastheirnewpastor,IwouldacceptthisastheLord'swillandgo.Igoteveryvoteandacceptedthepastorate.

ThatwasthemostmiserabletimeIeverspentinmylife.Ilostall anointing to preach.While preparingmy sermons, Iwouldfeel as if a fire were in my bones, but the minute I steppedinside the church door for services, itwas as if someone hadpouredabucketofcoldwateronme.

Iwasoutof thewillofGod. Iwasonly inHispermissivewill,andthingsdon'tworkrightwhenyouareonlyinthepermissivewillofGod.

Thatwas theonly time Ievermissed it in takingachurch. Inotherchurches,Ididn'tputoutafleece.

WaitingontheLord

Sometimes people don't want to take the responsibilitythemselves, yet that is where the responsibility is. It is a loteasiertoputitoffontheLordandsay,"Lord,ifYouwantmetodothat,thenYouopenthedoor.IfYoudon't,thenYoushutit."

It is easier todo that than towait onGoduntil youknow theanswer on the inside of you. And sometimes it takes times ofwaitingtohearthisinwardwitness.

We get so busy physically and mentally that spiritual thingsbecomeindistincttous.Itiseasiertogetquietwithyourbodythantogetquietwithyourmind.Youcanmakeasmuchnoisewithyourmindasyoucanwithyourhandsandfeet!Sometimeswhenyoutrytosleep,thoughyourbodyisrelaxed,yourmindisstillnoisy.Itisstillchurningwiththeday'sactivities,ideas,andplans,orworriesandanxietiesaboutthefuture.

Hereisanareawhereprayingintonguesisagreatadvantage."ForifIprayinanunknowntongue,myspiritprayeth,butmyunderstandingisunfruitful"(1Cor.14:14).

Whilepraying,hasyourmindeverwanderedtootherthings?Itusedtotakemeanhour,sometimes,togetmymindquiet,butnowIhavefoundthebestwayistoprayinothertongues.Whenyou pray in other tongues, yourmind grows quiet. Once it isquiet, you become more conscious of your own spirit andspiritualthings.

When praying in other tongues and worshipping God, yourspirit is in direct contact with God, who is a Spirit and theFatherofspirits.Becauseyourmind isnotactive,yourprayerlanguagedoesn'tcomeoutofyourheadbutoutofyourheart.

TheInwardWitness

Ifwewouldtrainourspirits,wewouldknowinsidewitha"yes"or a "no" just what to do in every area of life; even inminorthings.We spend practically our entire lifetime in thementalandphysicalrealms.We'vedevelopedourheadalotoftimesatthe expense of our heart. The knowledge of our intellect hastakenthethroneinourlife.Ourspirit,whichshouldguideus,iskeptlockedawayinprison,sotospeak,andisnotpermittedtofunction.

Thatinwardwitnessisseekingtogiveguidancetoourmind.

Weallknowthatthereareathousandandonethingswewouldneverhavedoneifwehadlistenedtothatinwardwitness.

Wewouldnothaveinvestedandlostmoneyincertainventures;we never would have chosen certain persons as ourcompanions.(I'mnotreferringjusttomarriagepartners,buttocertainpeoplewithwhomweget involved.) Ifwehad listenedtoourinwardwitness,weneverwouldhavegoneintobusinesswithcertainpeople.

To define this inward witness in simple terms: As you are

praying along a certain line and contemplatingwhat to do, ifthereisacheckinyourspirit—a"somethingontheinside"thattellsyounottodoacertainthing—thatistheinwardwitness.

Sometimes you have to wait a while to get quiet enough torecognizeit,however.

Someoneonceaskedme,"HowcanItellwhetheritismyspiritortheHolySpirittellingmetodosomething?"

Ipointedout theScripturethatsays,"Thespiritofman isthecandleoftheLord."GodsaidHewasgoingtouseyourspirit.

Themanreplied, "But itmay justbeme that iswanting todoit."

"Yououghttobeabletotellwhetheritistheflesh—theoutwardman—who is wanting to do something, or the inwardman," Isaid."Ifitistheinwardman,itisallright,becausetheinwardmanisbornanewandisanewcreature.'Oldthingsarepassedaway;behold,allthingsarebecomenew'(2Cor.5:17).

TheinwardmanhasthenatureandlifeofGodinhim.IfyouareSpirit-filled, the inward man has the Holy Spirit making Hishome inyou. It isn't theChristian's inwardmanwhowants todowrong;it'stheoutwardman."

InJohn'sepistlehetalksabouttheseedofGodabidinginthisinwardman,who cannot sin. "Whosoever is born ofGoddothnot commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: andhe cannotsin,becausehe isbornofGod" (1 John3:9).This inwardmanhasthenatureandlifeofGodinhimbecauseheisbornofGod.

Physically,wearebornofourhumanparents,andwepartakeoftheirnature.Weoftenhearpeoplesay,"HeislikehisDaddy,"or"ShelookslikeherMother."

Spiritually,wearebornofGodandpartakeofHisnature.

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and preciouspromises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divinenature...."(2Peter1:4).PeteralsosaidwearebornoftheWordof God. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but ofincorruptible,bythewordofGod,whichlivethandabidethforever"(1Peter1:23).

Wearebornof theWordofGod; then,aswe feeduponGod'sWord,wearemadepartakersofthedivinenature.Weknowitisnot the nature of God to do wrong. Therefore, if a person isreallyaChristian,adesiretodowrongisnotinhisspirit.(Itisthe outward man he struggles with.) Looking at a Bibleillustrationofthisinwardwitness,wereadinActs27thestory

ofPaulonboardashipboundforRome.''Nowwhenmuchtimewas spent, andwhen sailingwasnowdangerous,because thefast was now already past, Paul admonished them, And saidunto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyagewill bewith hurtandmuchdamagenotonlyof the ladingand ship, but alsoofourlives"(vv.9,10).

Pauldidn'tsay,"TheLordtoldme."Itdoesn'tsaythattheSpiritofGodsaidthattohim.Paulsaid,"Iperceive."Whoisthereal"I"? It is the spirit-man, the man on the inside. Paul didn'tperceiveitmentally.Hedidn'tperceiveitphysically.But inhisspirithehadawitness.

Anumberofyearsagoafamilywentouttoeatandwhiletheywere eating they suddenly sensed—they perceived—that theyneededtorushhome.Theyquicklyfinishedtheirmeal.

Arrivinghome,theyfoundanemergencyhadarisen.Theywereabletodosomethingaboutitbecausetheyperceiveditintheirspirits,justasPaulhad.

NoticePaulsimplyspokewhatheperceived.Hedidn'tthreatenthosewhodidn'tlistentohim.Nodoubttheylaterwishedtheyhad listened. I've known people who didn't listen to me, butlaterwishedtheyhad.Youcan'tmakepeopledothings.

God doesn't tell us to use force. Some people issue direwarnings and threats if you don't listen to them and dowhattheysaytodo.

Thesepeoplehave thewrongspirit.Thegiftsmustbeused inthespiritoflove.

PaulstatesinFirstCorinthians13thatthespiritualgiftscanbeusedapartfromlove,andalthoughtheymaybringblessingtosome, they are not as effective as they should be. People aremore effective if they act in love when they have somethingfromGod.

InActs27:20,21weread, "Andwhenneither sunnor stars inmanydaysappeared,andnosmall tempest layonus,allhopethatwe should be savedwas then taken away. But after longabstinencePaulstoodforthinthemidstofthem,andsaid,Sirs,ye should have hearkened unto me.... " That was a boldstatement.

Notice Paul said, "You should have listened tome." He didn'tsay,"YoushouldhavelistenedtotheLord."Hedidn'tsay,"TheLordtoldme."Hesaid,"Iperceive."

"Yeshouldhavehearkeneduntome,andnothaveloosed fromCrete,andtohavegainedthisharmandloss.AndnowIexhort

youtobeofgoodcheer:forthereshallbenolossofanyman'slife among you, but of the ship ...Wherefore, sirs, be ofgoodcheer:forIbelieveGod,thatitshallbeevenasitwastoldme"(vv.21,22,25).

Paul perceived danger, and if they had listened to him, theycouldhaveavoidedshipwreck.But theydidn't, so they lostallthe merchandise and the ship. Yet Paul assured them therewouldbenoliveslost,"forIbelieveGod..."andeveryman'slifewassaved.

A statement in Acts 13 will help us further in receivingguidancefromGod."NowtherewereinthechurchthatwasatAntiochcertainprophetsand teachers...As theyministered totheLord,andfasted,theHolyGhostsaid..."(Acts13:1,2).

Notice under what conditions the Holy Spirit said something:"AstheyministeredtotheLord,andfasted."Iamnotawareofmanyserviceslikethattoday.Usuallythepreacherministerstothepeople,nottheLord.Mostofourchurchservicesarebuilton thatprinciple.Weareministering tooneanother.But theyministered to theLord. Itwas in thatkindofatmosphere thatthe Holy Spirit spoke. It would be good for us today to havesomeserviceswherewewouldministertotheLord.

TheInwardVoice

The Holy Spirit also leads us through what is known as theinwardvoice.WhentheHolySpiritwithinyouspeaks,itwillbea littlemore authoritative than the inwardwitness.When thevoiceoftheHolySpiritspeaks,itisstillaninwardvoice,butitis so real you almost look around to seewho spoke. At timeswhenIhavebeenprayingandtheHolySpirithasspokentome,I'velookedbehindmetoseeifsomeonewerethere.Inmyownmind,Iknewnoonewasthere,butthevoiceseemedreal.Hespeaks to us inwhat seems to be an audible voice, though itmaynot be audible to anyonearoundus.Actually,wearenothearingitwiththephysicalear.

In the Old Testament we read where the young boy Samuel,whowasjust12yearsold,heardavoicespeakingtohiminthenighttime. "Samuel," the voice called. He thought Eli wascallinghim,sohegotupandwenttoEli'sroomtoaskwhathewanted.

Eli told him that hewasn't calling him. Samuel got back intobed. Then he heard it again—"Samuel." He got up again andwenttoEli.HewassureEliwascalling.ThenElirealizedthatGodwastalkingtoSamuel,andhetoldhimtoanswerthevoicenexttimeheheardit.Whenhedid,theLordbegantospeaktohim.

Thatwasn'tanaudiblevoice.ItseemedaudibletoSamuel,butit wasn't. If it had been, Eli would have heard it, too, for hewasn'tfarfromSamuel.ItwasGodcallingSamuel(1Sam.3).

Sometimesthereisasimilaritybetweentheinwardwitnessandthe inwardvoice.Sometimes thewitness ismoredistinct, andsometimeslessdistinct.Thewitnessissimplyacheckorago-ahead signal. It issometimes likean inwardbuzzer togetourattention.

IsItinLinewiththeWord?

Atothertimes,theinwardvoicespeakstous.Whenwereceiveguidance through this inward voice, itwill be in linewith theWord.WhentheSpiritofGodmoves,Healwaysmoves in linewiththeWord.Ifit'snotinlinewiththeWord,itisn'ttheSpiritofGod.TheBibleisinspiredbytheSpirit,andifitisthesameSpiritwhoisspeakingtoyou, it isgoingtobein linewiththeWord.

Remember that the Bible says there are many voices in thisworld. In my travels I meet people who claim to have heardsome kind of voice. The minute they start to tell me whatthey'veheard,Iknowiftheyarerightorwrongwithoutjudgingthematall.IknowtheWord,soIknowif it is inlinewiththeWordornot.

I oncemet a ladywho had been awonderful Christian and agreatblessingtothechurch.Ofcourse,ifthedevilcanmisleadpeople, he can rob them of their Christian influence andtestimonyandmakethemacurseinsteadofablessing.

Thiswoman toldmeabouta revelation she said theLordhadgivenher. "I can't accept that," I toldher, "because it'snot inlinewiththeWord."

"ButIknowtheLordspoketome,"shesaid."IheardHim."

Thenshetoldaboutsomekindofvisionshehadseen.

I repeated, "But it is not scriptural," and I began to quoteScripturesthatcontradictedwhatshewassaying.ThenIaskedher, "Can you give me any Scripture to back up yourrevelation?"

Shesaid,"Well,no,Ican't."

ItoldhertoopenherBibletoacertainpassageofScripture.

Iknewifshereadthatchapter, itwouldcontradicteverythingshewassaying.ShereadtheversesIgaveher.ThensheshuttheBibleandsaid,"Well,BibleornoBible,IknowGodspoketo

meandgavemethisrevelation.I'mgoingtostaywithit."

I said, "God did not speak to you. If He had, He would havespokentoyouinlinewiththeWord.Youdon'thavetotakemywordforit;youcanreadforyourself."

She persisted, "Bible or no Bible, I'm going to stay with myrevelation."

"Allright,"Ifinallyreplied,"youstaywithyours,butI'mgoingtostaywithGod's."

There are some very dear people who have gotten off byfollowing voices. There aremany voices in theworld.We arenot toacceptanythingwithoutexamining it in the lightof theWord.

Goddoescommunicatewithusthroughourspirits,butitisn'tamatteroflisteningtovoices.Itisn'tamatterofprayingtohearsomething. IfHe speaks tous, all right, but ifHedoesn't,wehaveHisWord,andwecanwalkinthelightofit.

Chapter3

GuidanceThroughVisions

Godsometimesleadsusthroughvisions.Inthe10thchapterofActs we read, "There was a certain man in Caesarea calledCornelius...Adevoutman,andonethatfearedGodwithallhishouse,whichgavemuchalmstothepeople,andprayedtoGodalway.Hesawinavisionevidentlyabouttheninthhouroftheday an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him,Cornelius...."(Acts10:1-3).

Although Cornelius was a devout man, he was not saved. Hewas a Jewish proselyte. When Peter told the brethren inJerusalem what had happened, he said, "And he[Cornelius]shewedushowhehadseenanangel inhishouse,whichstoodandsaiduntohim,SendmentoJoppa,andcallforSimon, whose surname is Peter; Who shall tell thee words,wherebythouandallthyhouseshallbesaved"(Acts11:13,14).

TheScripturetellsusCorneliussawanangelinavision.

Angels do have the ability, as God permits, to take uponthemselvesa formthatcanbeseenwith thenaturaleye.Paulsaid,"Benotforgetfultoentertainstrangers:fortherebysomehave entertained angels unawares" (Heb. 13:2). But theScripture here calls Cornelius' experience a vision. If anyoneelsehadbeenpresent, theyprobablywouldnothaveseentheangel.

TypesofVisions

TherearethreekindsofvisionsmentionedintheScriptures.

The first is what is called a spiritual vision. You seewith theeyesofyourspirit;notwithyourphysicaleyes.WhenPaulsawtheLordinActs9,thatwasaspiritualvision.Hedidn'tseeHimwithhis physical eyes, because theBible says, "Andwhenhiseyes were opened, he saw no man" (v. 8). He was blind. SowhenheheardtheLordspeaktohim,hiseyeswereshut,andwhenheopenedthemtheywereblind.YethesaidhesawtheLord. He was not seeing with his physical eyes; that was aspiritualvision.

Thesecondtypeofvisioniswhenonefallsintoatrance.

Corneliusdidn'tfall intoatrance,buttheScripturesaysPeterdid."On themorrow, as theywent on their journey, anddrewnigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to prayabout the sixth hour: And he became very hungry, andwouldhave eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into atrance"(Acts10:9,10).

When you fall into a trance, your physical senses aresuspended.Youdon'tknowwhereyouare.Youdon'tknowwhatisgoingonaroundyou.

Thethirdtypeofvisioniscalledanopenvision.That iswhereyouactuallyseewithyourphysicaleyesopen.OfallthevisionsI've had, only two of them have been open visions. I hadmyeyeswideopen,andtomeitwasveryreal.Insomeofmyothervisions,Ifellintoatrance;otherswerespiritualvisions.

Nonetheless, the Bible calls this appearance of the angel toCornelius a vision. It tells us also that when Peter fell into atrance,hesawheavenopen,andacertainvesseldescending.Inthe19thverseweread,"WhilePeterthoughtonthevision...."

Althoughthiswasadifferenttypeofvision,itwasstillavision.He didn't know what it meant. Of course, Cornelius knewexactlywhathisvisionmeant,becausetheangelspoketohim,tellinghimwhat todo: sendmen to Joppa toa certainhouse,and call for one Simon Peter, who would tell him how to besaved.

NoticeCorneliusdidwhat theangel toldhimtodo.Theangelcouldn't tell him how to be saved. God never ordained thatangelsshouldpreachtheGospelintheChurchAge;theycan't.

Men must preach the Gospel. "Go ye into all the world, andpreachthegospeltoeverycreature"(Mark16:15).Alltheangelcoulddowas tellhimwhere togo to find someonewhocould

tellhim.

Second, notice that Peter's visionwas symbolic.What he sawwasasymbolofsomething;hedidn'tknowimmediatelywhatitmeant.He saw a great sheet let down from heaven onwhichwere all kinds of four-footed beasts of the earth—wild beasts,creeping things, and fowls of the air. Then he heard a voicesaying,"Rise,Peter;kill,andeat"(v.13).

PeterwasbornagainandfilledwiththeHolySpirit.Buthehadbeen brought up in the Jewish religion, and it is hard to getawayfromwhatyouhavebeentaught.EatingthesethingswasagainstthebeliefsoftheJewishcultureinwhichhewasliving,sohesaid,"Notso,Lord;forIhavenevereatenanythingthatiscommonorunclean"(v.14).

Jewswerenotsupposedtoeatcertainfoods.Somefoodswereclean,andsomewereunclean.Thisdoesnotapplytoustoday,however. Paul taught this very clearly. Writing to Timothy hesaid, "For every creature of God is good and nothing to berefused if itbe receivedwith thanksgiving:For it is sanctifiedbythewordofGodandprayer"(1Tim.4:4,5).

"Andthevoicespakeuntohimagainthesecondtime,WhatGodhathcleansedthatcallnotthoucommon.Thiswasdonethrice[inotherwords,hesawthisandheard thevoice three times]:and the vesselwas receivedup again into heaven.NowwhilePeter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seenshouldmean...."(Acts10:15-17).

I think somehow on the inside of him Peter knew what thevisionmeant,buthedoubted itcouldmean that.Upuntil thistime,theChurchwasstrictlycomposedofJewishbelievers.Godwas showing Peter in this vision that although the JewsconsideredtheGentilesunclean,Goddidnot.

"WhilePeterthoughtonthevision,theSpiritsaiduntohim...."(v.19)Godspoketohimthroughthisvision,buthestilldidn'tknow exactly what it meant. Yet, "The Spirit said unto him,Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore, and get theedown, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sentthem"(v.19,20).

Another illustration showing God's guidance throughsupernatural means is found in Acts 8:26-29, "And the angeloftheLordspakeuntoPhilip,saying,Arise,andgotowardthesouthuntothewaythatgoethdownfromJerusalemuntoGaza,whichisdesert.Andhearoseandwent:and,behold,amanofEthiopia,aneunuchofgreatauthority...hadcometoJerusalemfor to worship,Was returning, and sitting in his chariot readEsaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near,

andjointhyselftothischariot."

ForApostlesOnly?

Let us pause to observe one thing: Some people admit thatalthoughGodspoketotheapostles,suchdivinevisitationswerefor the apostles only. Notice, however, that Philip was not anapostle. The best we can say about him is that he was anevangelistandadeacon.YettheLordspoketohim!

"The Spirit said unto Philip. ..." It doesn't say how the HolySpirit said it (whether it was audible), but we do know thiswasn't just an inward witness. If that had been the case, theBible would have said the Spirit witnessed to Philip. But itdoesn'tsaytheSpiritwitnessedtohim;itsaysHesaidtohim.

Notice something Jesus said about the Holy Spirit in John16:13,14,"Howbeitwhenhe,theSpiritoftruth,iscome,hewillguide you into all truth: forhe shall not speakof himself; butwhatsoeverheshallhear,thatshallhespeak...."

Jesussaid theHolySpiritwouldspeak, thoughnotofHimself.This isn't referring to speaking in tongues. The Holy Spiritdoesn't speak with tongues. The Holy Spirit gives youutterance,andyouspeakwithtongues."AndtheywereallfilledwiththeHolyGhost,andbegantospeakwithothertongues,astheSpiritgavethemutterance"(Acts2:4).

TheHolySpiritwill speak to youwhateverHehearsGod say.Heisabidinginyourspirit,andHecanspeaktoyourspirit.

I am convinced that the Holy Spirit spoke on the inside ofPhilip.

NoticealsointheScripturesconcerningPeter'svisionthattheSpirit said something. "While Peter thought on the vision, theSpirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. ..." (Acts10:19).Again,itismypersonalopinion(Idonotknow,becausetheScriptureonly says theSpirit said it) theSpiritdidn't justwitnesstoPeter'sheart.Ifthathadbeenthecase,theScripturewould have said theSpiritwitnessed to him.But it says, "theSpiritsaid...."

WereadabouttwoothervisionsinActs9:10-12,"AndtherewasacertaindiscipleatDamascus,namedAnanias;andtohimsaidtheLord inavision,Ananias.Andhesaid,Behold, Iamhere,Lord.AndtheLordsaiduntohim,Arise,andgointothestreetwhich iscalledStraight,andenquire in thehouseof JudasforonecalledSaulofTarsus:for,behold,heprayeth,Andhathseenin a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting hishandonhim,thathemightreceivehissight."

Ananias,likePhilip,wasonlyadisciple,notanapostle,yetGodusedhim.

Youdon'thavetowaitonavisiontodosomethingforGod,butAnaniaswouldn'thaveknownathing intheworldaboutSaul,orthathewasevenpraying,ifGodhadn'tdealtwithhiminthisway. The Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision and told himtherewasamaninneed.HewantedAnaniastogoministertohim.

Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard by many of this man,how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: Andherehehathauthorityfromthechiefprieststobindallthatcallon thyname" (vv. 13,14). Inotherwords,Ananiaswas saying,"Areyousure,Lord,whatyouaredoing?ThelastIheardofhimhewasputtingbelieversinjail."

At the same timeGodwas also dealingwith Saul,whowas anewconvert.Hehadmet Jesuson the road toDamascus,andhe,too,hadhadavisionwhilehewaspraying.HesawamannamedAnanias come and lay his hands on him that hemightreceivehissight.

OnTrialforSeeinganAngel

Anangelalsomayappearinavisiontous.Anumberofyearsago there was a meeting of leaders of a Full Gospeldenomination in which they discussed a fellow minister whoclaimedtohaveseenanangelinavision.Thisangelwassaidtohave directed him about his ministry, and he had set out tofulfillthisministry.Someoftheministerswerequiteconcernedabouthim.

Whenitseemedtheywereaboutreadytothrowhimoutofthedenomination for having seen an angel, one of the olderministers, who was an outstanding Bible teacher, said, "Thiscomes at a very opportune moment. In the church I pastor Iasked the congregation to write on a piece of paper whatsubject theywould like to hear discussed in ourweekly Biblestudy. Tomy surprise, themajority said theyhadneverheardany teaching on the subject of angels. I announced I wouldteachonangels,thinkingIwoulddevotetwoorthreeservicesto the subject. But as I sat downwithmyBible and began tostudy,Igotsomuchmaterialittookmeseveralweekstoteachit all. The thing that surprisesme isnot that this brotherhasseenanangel,butthatmoreofushaven't."

He went on to give references from the Scriptures: how theangel of the Lord told Philip to go down by theway of Gaza,how the angel of God appeared to Paul on the ship, how theangelappearedtoCornelius,andhowtheangelledPeteroutof

prison.

Thenhesaid, "Idon'tmeanall ofus should seeangels,but itshould be amore commonoccurrence. I don'tmean that it isgoingtobeaneverydayhappening,oreventhatallofuswouldseeanangel.Butonceinawhilesomeoneoughtto.Sinceyouhaveaskedmetocomment,Iwanttoaskyouthis:Ifyoutakethisawayfromus,haveyouanythingbettertoputinitsplace?"

Theydidn't,sotheydismissedthesubjectinsteadofdismissingtheminister.

DoNotSeekaVision

LetmesaythatalthoughGoddoesleadusthroughvisionsandother supernaturalmanifestations, Iwould encourage you nottoseekavision,becauseyoumightgetoutbeyondGod'sWordwherethedevilcandeceiveyou.IfweweretowaituntilwesawavisionorheardtheaudiblevoiceoftheLord,wewouldmisstheseotherthingsthatarenotasdistinct,butarejustasreal.

Weprefertohaveamoredirectwordofguidance,butwedon'talwaysgetit.Don'ttrytomanufactureitifitisnotthere.

Just know that God always will guide you by some of thesemethods.Primarilyitwillbebytheinwardwitness;thenbytheinwardvoice;andthenbytheseotherwaysasHewills(notasyouwill).Don'tseekthesemorespectacularwaysofguidance.

NowheredoestheBiblesayyouaretoseekthesethings.Theyhappenwithoutyourseekingthem.

TheLordhas appeared tome in visions seven or eight times,butonnooccasionwas Ipraying for them. Iwasn'texpectingthem to happen when they did. Neither was I fasting at anytime when Jesus appeared to me. That doesn't mean I don'tbelieve in fasting,and thatdoesn'tmean Idon't fast, for Ido.But some people leave the impression you will receive somekindofmanifestationifyougoonalongfast.MyvisionsalwayshavecomeatatimewhenIleastexpectedthem.

Ibelievethereisareasonforthat.IthinktheLordistryingtoshowusthatwecannotdoanythingto"earn"visions.Wecan'tdo something to forceHis hand. Visions are not the result ofworks,butofgrace.

GuidanceforaGroup

WecanlearnsomethingsaboutguidanceinActs16.Paulandhiscompanyhadbeengoingabout theregionsofGalatia,andevidently they had wanted to go on into Asia. But theywere"forbiddenbytheHolyGhosttopreachthewordinAsia"

(v.6).

When they tried to go to another place, "the Spirit sufferedthemnot. " Then in the nighttime a man appeared and said,"Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (v. 9). Thenthey "endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gatheringthat theLord had called us.... " (v. 10). They didn't have anydirectwordonit,buttheygatheredthatthiswaswhattheLordwantedthemtodo.

Morethanonepersonwasinvolvedhere,fortheScripturesays"we." They didn't let just one person make the decision forthem. They didn't even let Paul make the decision for them."WE assuredly gathered that the Lord had called US for topreach...."We read that the Spirit led, theHoly Ghost spoke,and theSpirit said.Thewholegroup thatwaspresent agreedthatwasright.

Let us notice something else about the ministry andprophesyinginActs15:32."AndJudasandSilas,beingprophetsalso themselves, exhorted thebrethrenwithmanywords, andconfirmed them. " They confirmed what the others alreadyknew.

Onefinalwordofcautionconcerningprophecyandguidance:Iadmonishpeopletobeverycarefulaboutpersonalprophecies.As long as the gift stays in the realm of speaking tomen "toedification,andexhortation,andcomfort,"thatiswonderful.

Butmany times, someonewhoprophesies may see a prophetminister, and because he has a word of foreknowledgeoccasionally,hebeginstothink,"Iprophesy,soIcandothat."

Sohemovesoutoftheplacewhereheshouldbeintothisotherrealmofpersonalprophecy,andheismisledandmisguided.

AvoidFalseGuidance

Inmanypartsofthecountry,duetoignoranceoftheScripturesand because people sometimes get carried away, there arethoseendeavoringtoguidepeople'slivesthroughspiritualgiftsand prophecy. There are others who claim to be prophets, orclaimtoministeralongthisline,whoareleadingpeopleastray.

ItisinterestingtonotethatinActs21:10,11Lukesaid,"Andaswe tarried theremany days, there came down from Judaea acertain prophet, namedAgabus. Andwhen hewas come untous,hetookPaul'sgirdle,andboundhisownhandsandfeet,andsaidThussaiththeHolyGhost,SoshalltheJewsatJerusalembindthemanthatowneththisgirdle,andshalldeliverhimintothehandsoftheGentiles."NoticethatAgabusdidnotgivePaulanyguidance.Hedidn't tellhim togoornot togo;he simply

toldhimwhattheHolySpiritsaidwasgoingtocometopass.

I'veknownthosewhohavelistenedtowhatsomeoneelsesaidbyaso-calledprophecy.Ihaveseensomeenterintomarriage,and their lives have been ruined. Ministers have changedchurches or entered into other ministries because of somemisguidedprophecyandwereneverabletorecovertheir loss.Businessmen have been terribly hurt by listening to someonewhoclaimedtohavearevelationfromGod.Theyinvestedtheirmoney and went bankrupt. I can't find any place in the NewTestament where a prophet told anybody how to invest hismoney.

We thank God for the supernatural and for the inspirationalgiftsoftheSpirit.Butwemustrememberthatthesimplegiftofprophecy (I'm not talking here about the ministry of theprophet)isspeakinguntomento"edification,andexhortation,andcomfort"(1Cor.14:3).

AWordfromtheLord?

Nomatterwhohasa"wordfromtheLord"foryou,ifitdoesn'tconfirmwhatyoualreadyhaveinyourownspirit,don'tacceptit!

Weareallhumanandcanmakemistakes.Aman isn'tperfectjustbecauseheisapreacher.Hecouldbewrong.Thatwouldn'tmeanhewasn'tusedofGod.Ifyougotinyourcarandweren'twatchingwhatyouweredoing,youmightrunupoveracurb.That wouldn't mean you couldn't drive, just because youbecame a little negligent. Many times in spiritual things wearen't askeenaswe shouldbe.That iswhy theBible tellsusthesethingshavetobejudged.

Someoneoncesaidtome,"AnindividuallaidhandsonmeandsaidGod had calledme to theministry. But ifHe did, I don'tknowit."Isaid,"IfIwereyou,I'dforgetit.Ifitdoesn'tconfirmsomethingyoualreadyhave,thenforgetit."

Acts13:2says,"AstheyministeredtotheLord,andfasted,theHolyGhostsaid,SeparatemeBarnabasandSaul for theworkwhereuntoIhavecalledthem."Godhadalreadydoneit.

SaulandBarnabasalreadyhad thecalling.Theyalreadywerein the ministry, but God was separating them to anotherministry—tobeapostlestotheGentiles.

ThewayGodputsamanintoanofficeisbygivinghimagiftforthetask.Itmightbeconfirmedbyprophecysometimes,butthemanisnotcalled thatway.All theprophesying intheworld isnotgoingtogiveamanthegiftforthattask.I'veseenpeopleuponwhomsomeonelaidhandsandprophesiedthattheywere

to be an evangelist; yet they couldn't give an adequatetestimony,muchlesspreach.IfGodcallsyoutodosomething,Hewillgiveyouthenecessaryqualifications.

Thereisaveryfinelinebetweentherealandthefalse;betweenreality and fanaticism. It is easy to step across that fine line,andthena lotofdamagecanbedone.Becauseofmisuseandexcess, some people have become scared and have left thesethings alone altogether. They become dead and dry, rejectingthemiraculous.Thereareotherswhogo to theotherextremeandarereadytoacceptanything.Theygooffandfollowwhattheycall

"theSpirit"andleavetheWord.Theyendupintheditchontheothersideoftheroad.Goddoesn'twantustoget intheditchon either side of the road.Hewants us to go right down themiddle.

In Acts 11:27,28 we read, "And in these days came prophetsfrom Jerusalem unto Antioch. " (There was more than oneprophet,evidently,becauseitsays"prophets.")"AndtherestooduponeofthemnamedAgabus,andsignifiedbythespirit thatthere should be great dearth throughout all theworld: whichcametopassinthedaysofClaudiusCaesar."

Thiswasmoreorlessaforetelling,orprediction,byaprophet.But it was not prophecy. It doesn't say Agabus prophesied; itsays,"hesignifiedbythespirit."

We read in Acts 16:6 of theministry of Paul and Silas, "Nowwhen they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region ofGalatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach thewordinAsia."AgainIwantyoutonoticeadifferentexpressionisusedwhentheHolyGhostspokedirectlytotheindividual.

RegardingPetertheWordsays,"TheHolyGhostsaiduntohim."

RegardingPhilipitsays,"TheSpiritsaiduntoPhilip."ButhereitsaysthattheSpiritforbadethem.BecausebothPaulandSilaswere used in this manner, it causes me to believe that whiletheywerepraying,oneofthemspokebyprophecy.

Itsaysthey"wereforbiddenoftheHolyGhost."Itdoesn'tsay,"The Spirit told them not to go." They were forbidden of theHolyGhost topreach inAsia.Didn'tGodwant theWordtobepreachedinAsia?Yes,attherighttime,forHesaid,"Goyeintoall theworld, andpreach thegospel toevery creature" (Mark16:15).

Somepreacherssay,"Itdoesn'tmatterwhereyougotopreach.Godsaidtogointoalltheworld,soI justgo."Butdoesn'tthe

Holy Spirit have anything to do with this? If we were allmissionaries, there wouldn't be anyone to pastor the homechurch. If everyone wanted to go to India, who would go toAfrica?Wedon'twanttogetawayfromthecallofGod.Hemaynotwantcertainindividualstopreachincertaincountries.WemustbeopentodoGod'swill.

Chapter4

GuidanceandtheGiftofProphecy

Instudyingthegiftofprophecyinconnectionwithguidance,weneedtounderstandthattheministryoftheprophetandthegiftof prophecy,while closely associated, arenot the same.Manytimesthetwoareconfused.

Thefactthatoneprophesiesdoesnotmakehimaprophet.

TheWordofGodplainly teaches thateveryoneshouldseek toprophesy. If prophesying made you a prophet, then it wouldseemthattheLordwassayingeveryoneoughttowanttobeaprophet. Yet Paul stated to the Corinthians that not all areprophets."Areallapostles?areallprophets?“(1Cor.12:29).

Theanswerisno,ofcourse.Sinceallcouldnotbeprophets,theLordwouldnottellustoseeksomethingwecouldnothave.Butallcanprophesy.

TheBible teaches that thesimplegiftofprophecy is speakinguntomen"toedification,andexhortation,andcomfort"(1Cor.14:3).Prophecyisasupernaturalutteranceinaknown tongue(your own tongue). Speaking with tongues is a supernaturalutterance in an unknown tongue; that is, unknown to you. Itmaynotbeunknowntoeverybody.

Sometimes prophecy can be used in praying in your ownlanguage aswell as in tongues. I have become so inspired toprayinEnglishwiththeanointingofGod'sSpiritmovinguponmethatIhavelistenedtomyselfprayforanhour.Iknewitwascomingoutofme,butmyminddidn'thaveathingtodowithit.

Ihadn'tthoughttoprayaboutwhatIwasprayingabout.Itwasprophecy—inspiredutterance.

Sometimeswhen you are prophesying itwill seem as if thereare twoof you. Inaway, thereare: theoutwardmanand theinwardman. This prophecy is coming out of the inwardman,andtheoutwardmanlistens.SometimeswhenIampreaching,theanointingcomesuponmeandIhearmyselfsayingthingsIhadn't planned to say. That is inspired utterance. Yourminddoesn'thaveanythingtodowith it. Itcomesoutofyourspirit because of the Holy Spirit within you. This is a lower

degreeoftheoperationofthegiftofprophecy.

The simple gift of prophecy is for speaking unto men "toedification,exhortation,andcomfort,"andshouldbeusedonlyin that area. In the simple gift of prophecy there is noforetelling;nopredictionwhatsoever.

However, there is foretelling andprediction in theministry ofthe prophet, because he has the revelation gifts in operation:thewordofwisdom,thewordofknowledge,and/ordiscerningofspirits.

Spiritualthings,aswellasnaturalthings,canbemisused.

Some people say, "Well, if God is doing that it has to be allright."Butitisn'texactlyGoddoingit.ItismendoingitbytheinspirationoftheSpiritofGod.Anythingthatmangetsinvolvedwithisnotperfect.TheSpiritofGodisperfect,andthegiftsoftheSpirit inthemselvesareperfect,buttheycertainlyarenotalways perfect in manifestation, because they are manifestedthrough imperfect vessels. This is the reason that propheciesandtongueswithinterpretationneedtobejudged.

Paul said, "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let theotherjudge"(1Cor.14:29).TheyaretobejudgedaccordingtotheBible.Theyaren'ttobeacceptedwithoutfirstjudgingthem.

"Ifanythingberevealedtoanotherthatsittethby,letthefirstholdhispeace."(1Cor.14:30).Prophetshaverevelations.

Othersmight occasionally, but prophets have aministry alongthis line. God can give any Spirit-filled person a word ofknowledgeorawordofwisdomwheneverHewantstoforthatperson'sownbenefit,ortohelpsomebodyelse.

The vocal gifts—tongues, interpretation of tongues, andprophecy—operate under the unction of the Spirit, but weinitiatetheoperationofthem.Wecanspeak,orwecanchoosenottospeak.Weoperatethegift.Somewillsay,"ButGodmademespeak."However, theBibleplainlysays,"Thespiritsof theGuidanceandtheprophetsaresubjecttotheprophets"(1Cor.14:32).

These gifts come through your spirit and are subject to yourspirit. They shouldn't be operated without the unction of theSpirit.Sometimestheyare,andwehaveseenthattheyhavenotbeenahelptous.(Thisdoesnotdoawaywiththefactthattheyare real, however, just because they were in imperfectoperation.)

Finally, letmesaythatwhenachildofGodseekstoknowHiswillforhislife,GodwillmakeHisperfectwillcompletelyclear

tohimbysomemeans.Whetheritbethroughastill,smallvoicespeaking to the heart of man, or through a supernaturalmanifestationofsomekind,GodwillguidethosewhoseheartsareopentoHiminthepathwayofpeace.

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