Pastor Nancy Mwangi
Pastor, Fedha Church, Kenya Assemblies of God
John 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
What is to be spirit-filled?
What is to be spirit-filled?
It is to be able to hear and follow the voice of God, and that means walking closely with God and spending quality time in the presence of God.
Psalm 25:14
The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
God reveals himself and his secrets to those who are led by His spirit.
- To be led by the spirit is to: surrender and yield ourselves to the desires of the Spirit.
- It is an Inner conviction: A strong feeling that you are doing the right thing, even if it goes against your initial instincts.
-Being Spirit-led is not an event or an action; rather, it is a lifestyle that must be fully embraced.
- This means that we invite the Holy Spirit to be an active participant in our lives and we allow Him to have authority over our lives. We have to surrender our lives each day to His will and not our own.
DEBORAH
It is so imperative to learn how to follow His leadership if we want to be successful in life.
A classic example of being led by the Spirit can be seen in the account of Deborah in Judges 4.
A classic example of being led by the Spirit can be seen in the account of Deborah in Judges 4.
Deborah was a prophetess, and was gifted with the ability to hear messages from God and also the desires that He has for His people. Deborah's close relationship with God gave her great influence among her people. She understood God's purpose, plans and desires. When you are led by the spirit you are fearless.
She is a good example of faith and courage. She was fearless and obeyed God.
Romans 8:6-7
[6]The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
[7]The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
It is when we are led by the spirit that we can do and carry out God’s will especially where it requires sacrifice or demands we go an extra mile or against the norm.
Deborah was led by the spirit and she did what was unthinkable, she led the Israelites as a judge which was men’s domain.
She led the Israelites to victory and out of bondage.
She confronted Barak and encouraged him to lead the army against the Canaanite general -Sisera.
She rallied an untrained army to face Sisera.
When you are led by the spirit you are not limited by the voices of men. You do what God says you can do or you need to do.
Deborah stood for courage in a time of fear. She stood for godly wisdom in a time of human reasoning, when “every man did what was right in his own eyes." (Judges 17:6; 21:25).
When you are led by the spirit; You are dedicated totally to God, hating half-hearted commitments and demanding complete faithfulness to God.
She was a Visionary.: Some people will not understand you as a person, and therefore, they'll see you as crazy. When you take a certain direction that the spirit is guiding you.
The spirit helps you face the fears and act despite feeling intimidated by circumstances or challenges. What is that situation that is pinning you down and really overwhelming you to an extent unaona umelemewa (you feel overwhelmed); step up and act boldly. Remember Zechariah 4:6 it is not by power nor by might but by the spirit of God.
Deborah served with wisdom and knowledge
God can use whoever He pleases, regardless of gender, so long as you align yourself to the will of God; He is willing to use you as long as you are ready to be led by His spirit.
-She stood out as an exceptional woman who boldly followed God's instruction, and He chose to place her as a leader and to honour her in His Word.
-As a woman of faith who did not waver in her devotion and service to God and the Israelites, the role of judge was one she fulfilled with courage and grace.
1 Samuel 25:14-38
-She stood out as an exceptional woman who boldly followed God's instruction, and He chose to place her as a leader and to honour her in His Word.
-As a woman of faith who did not waver in her devotion and service to God and the Israelites, the role of judge was one she fulfilled with courage and grace.
1 Samuel 25:14-38
ABIGAIL
Abigail was another good example of a woman led by the spirit. Verse 3 She was a beautiful and intelligent woman who discerned the danger, she risked her life due to her husband’s rude character and saved her family from David's wrath.
She had a deep insight to see the danger that her husband could not see.
-She was full of wisdom, courage and humility. She stepped out in faith and acted to protect and save her family even if that was not her responsibility if anything it was her husband’s mess. Many families are suffering because of men who have failed in their responsibilities and lack a woman who can act by the leading of the spirit to save the situation. Unasema ni shauri yake hiyo sio kazi yangu hata watoto wanaumia (Some say it is not their responsibility even children are suffering).
A woman led by the spirit is not proud or arrogant. She understands submission is not weakness but silent is strength. Nyumba inafungwa na umelalia pesa ya chama ati hutaki kumuzoeesha vibaya (The house is getting locked for lack of rent and you don't want to share money from your local investment group)
She was intelligent and had brains and beauty. It is important to have both beauty and brains. Let not beauty be just enough for you. She had the beauty of heart and soul- alikuwa wa kupendeka (she was likeable) and God granted her favour before David. She acted quickly and wisely to calm David’s anger.
Resourceful
verse 25
Abigail is known for her resourcefulness and for seeing opportunities when others might only see obstacles. It is only when you are led by the spirit, you are able to see these things that are hidden to the common eye.
1 Corinthians 2:10
These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
As believers we need to have a close relationship with God, allow God's love and wisdom to flow through us in our wanting moments.
Be a peacemaker: Abigail promoted a peaceful solution to keep King David from taking revenge against Nabal.
When you are led by the spirit you are a peace maker. Women we can stir troubles especially with our words za makelele (noise), nagging, mucene (rumour mongering), complaining, maswali mingi (endless questions), masengenyo (gossip), fitina (intrigue) na uongo (lies). Hii yote ni ya kuvuruga amani (All this is disturbing the peace). Only a woman led by the spirit can rise above such.
1 Samuel 26
David found Saul sleeping and Abishai told him to give him (Abishai) the sword nimmalize (finish him off).
David had an opportunity to kill Saul who wanted to kill him and become the king right away. There was pressure from his friends but David led by the spirit chose to do God’s will. David waited for God's time. When we are led by the spirit, our greatest goal and desire in life is to do God's will and not our will. We will sacrifice our desires for God’s desires. We will obey even if it is not convenient and we will be willing to pay the cost even if it means sacrificing our lives, ambitions and dreams in order to please God.
To be led by the spirit means giving ourselves totally or surrendering our lives to God
It means we no longer live for ourselves or our dreams but we live for GOD,
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live….
It is Christ through His spirit that rules my life.
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