13th of November, 2022.
THEME: HOW TO BE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD
LESSON: TEN
TEXT: Deuteronomy 8:1-5; Psalm 23:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:12-16
MEMORY TRACK:
By God’s grace, in our last study, we looked at what subjective leading is and what it is not. We also looked at various types and shadows of subjective leading of the Spirit of God in the scriptures and how God used such leading to raise men of old. We also learnt that we should never see subjective leading as a vindictive means by which God imposes punishment upon our soul for sins committed, rather, as a means of God imparting His life and nature in our souls.
Phases of Subjective Leading of the Spirit of God
- First phase of Subjective Leading of the Spirit of God (Gen 11:26-30, Exo 3:7):
This is the phase where God alters a natural cycle which a man is familiar with, to achieve His own purpose. For Abraham, God closed Sarah’s womb; For the twelve sons of Israel, God allowed famine to drive them down to Egypt in search of survival; For the Israelites, God allowed the Egyptians to oppress them, etc. Here, God does not seek our cooperation to do what He wants with and in our lives. In His sovereignty, He alters things, conditions and/or people within our environment, knowing that we will most likely not yield to Him if things were allowed to run their natural course. This first phase of subjective leading may be performed through direct activities of God or by God allowing Satan to be used for His own purpose.
- Second phase of Subjective Leading of the Spirit of God (Gen 12:1-3, Exodus 3:8,17):
This is the phase where God makes His intention known by many infallible proofs. This is because God cannot achieve much without the involvement of our will in the process. Promises and hopes are painted to woo the soul so that it finds strength to allow the process or embark on the journey that will cause flesh to suffer, thereby altering wrong soul natures.
The Cost of Subjectively Following Jesus (Luke 14:26-31)
Subjective leading (if allowed to run its full course) has a huge impact on the soul, both in its first and the second phase (highlighted above). In the second phase of subjective leading, God becomes more specific concerning instructions for life, and the following often occurs typically:
- Your life becomes strange for good because God wants to make you a stranger and pilgrim upon the earth (Heb 11:31; 1 Peter 2:11). The course of your life defies the understanding, hope and expectations of the natural man (Heb 12:3; 1Cor 2:14-15).
- You come under a highly regimented life and may begin to experience one or all the following:
- Being subjectively led in your career, occupation, and finances (Gen 47:3)
- Being subjectively led in your choice of dwelling place (i.e., geographical location, Gen 26:2)
- Being subjectively led in your marriage, home, childbearing, and child raising (Eph 5:15)
- Being subjectively led in all your natural relationships (relationship with your parents, spiritual authorities, spouse, children, fellow sojourner, and those who are without).
Generally, God wants to have the final say in every area where sin and death has subjectively reign over us. He wants to reign over us so that we can live. God is a jealous God and will not share you with anyone or anything. He does this out of love – sincere and unconditional love. IT IS ALL OR NOTHING FOR GOD!
Relationship between Doctrine and Subjective Leading (Jhn 16:13; Deut 6:1-9, 12-15; 2Tim 3:10)
The objective of subjective leading of the Spirit of God is to produce a manner of life that is well pleasing unto the Lord. This life cannot be formed in our souls without doctrine. Doctrine conveys light and commandments which are meant to affect every aspect of our life and re-culture our souls. We should know that every aspect of a believer’s life ought to be regulated by commandments. This is how we are subjectively led unto salvation. This is how we allow our lives to be governed by the word.
For instance, the objective behind the subjective leading of the Israelites out of Egypt was to make out of them a holy nation and peculiar people (Exo 19:5-6) To achieve this, God taught them doctrine, through which He gave them commandments which were carefully tailored/fashioned by God’s divine wisdom for to alter their nature (Deut 32:1-2).
Therefore, it is good to note that without commandments (which comes from doctrine), subjective leading cannot yield God’s desired result.