Prayer for Guidance

 

 

 

Prayer for Guidance
by Rev. Elbert Willis

Contents

 

Introduction

I. One Must Know The Word Teaches God Has A Plan
II. One Must Discover God’s Plan
III. One Must Enter Into God’s Plan
IV. One Must Continue In God’s Plan

 

 

 

Prayer for Guidance
Introduction

Guidance can be general or specific. There is general guidance for all of us. But there are times when we have to have specific guidance as to what the Lord would have us do personally.

Our key Scripture is Acts 9:6. This is about Paul on the road to Damascus. Let’s start in the fifth verse, “AND HE SAID, WHO ART THOU, LORD? AND THE LORD SAID, I AM JESUS WHOM THOU PERSECUTEST: IT IS HARD FOR THEE TO KICK AGAINST THE PRICKS. AND HE TREMBLED AND ASTONISHED, SAID, LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO?” This was Paul’s prayer. “LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO?”

I believe this is the most soul searching question that any Christian ever speaks, “LORD, WHAT WILT THOU HAVE ME TO DO?”

Matthew 6:10 is part of the Lord’s Prayers. “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.” Will the guidance in Heaven be perfect? The Lord’s Prayer says, “Our Father which art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.” We’ll have perfect directions up there and we can have the perfection of those directions down here as we begin to learn the Word of God and walk in victory.

The devil has made most people speak doubt about God guiding them. The Bible says God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. Fear about God not leading you is fear. And most Christians today are fearful about God leading them. Fear will block and hinder Him from leading you; trust will help Him to lead you.

God hasn’t given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. With power, love and the sound mind I trust in the Word of God and know that God is going to guide and direct me all the steps of my life. I have His Word to support it.

One of the key points in guidance that you must know is Jeremiah 10:23, “O LORD, I KNOW THE WAY OF MAN IS NOT IN HIMSELF, IT IS NOT IN MAN THAT WALKETH TO DIRECT HIS STEPS.” This is one of the keys to guidance. “O LORD, I KNOW,” not I think. You are going to have to meditate upon that Scripture until the Word of God gets in you to the place where you know that the way of man is not in himself, “IT IS NOT IN MAN THAT WALKETH TO DIRECT HIS STEPS.”

I cannot direct my own steps tomorrow, because I don’t know what tomorrow holds. A guide can only lead you where he has been. No human being can direct you tomorrow, because no human being has been in tomorrow. There is only one Guide for tomorrow, and that is Jesus Christ the Son of God. You don’t need to try to follow any other guide. None of you can do any directing for tomorrow. You may have plans of what you are going to do, but they can be turned upside down fast. You need to come to the place where you can say, “I know it’s not in me to direct my own steps.”

A guide can only lead you where he has been. No man has been in tomorrow. No man knows what the future holds, except what he knows about the Word of God. So why try to guide yourself somewhere you have never been.

Learn to trust in the Father. The Holy Spirit will guide you because He knows what tomorrow holds. You and I are only on the ground floor. We can only see a day at a time. The Father sees the whole picture. Front, middle, last.

I confess this all the time. “O Lord, Elbert Willis doesn’t know where he is going.” Now I know tomorrow is going to be good because Jesus is in tomorrow. He’s good today, and I know He will be good tomorrow. I know that if I trust Him today, today will be the stepping stone for tomorrow.

Many Christians are trying to trust Jesus every other step. There’s one, two, three, four, five steps. They try to trust Him step number one and step number five. Each step is a stepping stone to the next day. If you don’t trust Him today, you may miss some guidance today that you will need to properly direct you tomorrow. Learn to trust Him a day at a time. You can’t live but a day at a time.

Most people are living their lives dreaming and planning about tomorrow. There are times when you will have to make some plans for tomorrow, but don’t live in that. Learn to live it a day at a time, because you can only live it a day at a time.

The devil causes most people to keep looking at what could happen tomorrow until they never get any good out of today. The next thing you know 30 or 40 or 50 years have passed by and they say, “You know what, I don’t know what’s been going on.”

Brothers and sisters, when we know that we can’t direct ourselves, God will guide us to such an extent that He’ll make this day the day that the Lord hath made and we shall rejoice and be glad in it.

You have to have a revelation of this. You have to know that God is the only One that can guide you and that you can trust Him.

Most people trust in themselves too much. They still have too much self-confidence. They have too much confidence in their own intellectual ability and their ability to get themselves out of circumstances and situations.

I used to believe that nothing could get me down. And because I believed it in the natural, I could always go on. I’d get in some tough spots, but I’d always get out. But, praise God, I came to the end of that rope years ago and I got myself in a situation I couldn’t get out of. I faced 50 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. I couldn’t smart talk or politic or buy my way out of it. I couldn’t get myself out of it in any way. I came to my wits end.

That’s the best place any man or woman will ever get. When you lose confidence in self, then you are in a place where He can do something for you. Then you are in a place where God can open a door.

I got to the end of the road and could do nothing. I went and got a Bible at my mother-in-law’s house and slipped off in the woods and began to read it. I knew if I started talking to people or going to church, they’d say I was just trying to get help. I just got off and read the Bible and made my commitment to God. I said, “God, I’m going to serve You all the rest of my life.” I figured I was going to prison, so I said, “God, the day I get in prison, I’ll look up a chaplain. I’ll dedicate my life to You and serve You while I’m in prison. When I get out I’ll serve You.”

I said, “Lord, if some how or another I don’t go to prison, I’ll serve You.”

I never spent a day in prison. My mon, my wife and I were sitting in the court room, a row of pews over there and a row of pews here. A man stood up and said, “United States of America versus Elbert Willis.” He handed a folder to the judge. I will never forget it. He dropped his glasses down on his nose and looked down at me and said, “Are you Elbert Willis?”

And I said, “Yes, Sir.”

He said, “Do you know what you are here for?”

And I said, “Yes, Sir, I face as much as 60 years in prison and a $20,000 fine for operation of a counterfeit ring.”

He said, “How do you plead?”

I said, “Guilty.”

About that time everything just blanked out and I didn’t hear what else he said. I saw a vision. I saw judgment day and an arm pointing at me and saying, “Depart from me, I know you not.” Then the next thing I heard that judge say was “You can go.” The other three men all went to prison and I never spent a day in prison. I walked out of there. I was at the end of my rope. I knew I couldn’t do anything, so I just laid myself in God’s hands. I’ve learned to do that ever since then. I just lay myself in the hands of God and trust God.

Start looking at the world. When you look on the outside it seems that some have done a good job with their life. They may be prosperous physically, mentally, maybe financially. But on the inside they are shook up. They are disturbed, frustrated and worried. Because you can’t be any other way except with Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Therefore, we have to realize it is not in man himself to direct his own steps. We have to learn to trust in Jesus. The whole world is against this. We are taught self-dependance, independence. Stand on your own two feet, take care of yourself. The first thing we start doing to our children is trying to teach them how to take care of themselves. They have to take care of themselves, but we don’t need to teach it to them so young. We try to make a six year old boy act like he’s 16. We try to make him grow up too fast.

I wish I could do it over. I’d let mine stay babies. I realized this about five or six years ago when my son, Randy, wanted to get a job. I said, “No, you’re not going to get a job. I can take care of you. If you start working too long and getting out too much, you’ll grow up too quick. While you are young and can be young, be young. Because you’ll have enough years to be old.”

Now, don’t take me too far. When they get grown, cut the cord. When a baby comes forth, they cut the cord. When they start getting grown up it’s time to cut the cord.

Don’t teach them so much independence. Teach them to be totally dependent. The more you are in faith, the more dependent you are upon God. The more you learn how to believe God, the more dependent you are.

I’m totally independent from every circumstance and every situation, because I’m totally dependent upon God. I’m independent of the world’s financial system. I don’t owe man anything and haven’t in five years. My homes and my cars and everything are paid for. I’m totally independent of the world’s financial system, because I’m totally dependent on God’s financial system.

I’m totally independent of the world’s medical system. No medicine, no insurance, no nothing for five years. I’m totally independent of it because I’m totally dependent upon God. Now if I wasn’t totally dependent upon God, I’d have to depend upon something else. You have to be dependent upon something. Learn to be totally dependent upon God and you will be totally independent from everything else. That’s what Jesus came for. So you can have life and have it more abundantly.

 

Chapter I

 

One Must Know The Word Teaches God Has A Plan

 

Most people quickly say, “Oh, I know God has a plan. I know God’s going to provide for me.” That’s not enough. Because the proof of this is in that most Christians are not having all their needs met. They are not getting guidance. If they really knew the Word on guidance then the Holy Spirit could lead them and guide them.

It doesn’t make any difference what you look like on the outside, because on the inside you look like Jesus because you’ve been born of God. Sometimes when I see someone who looks rough on the outside and I know they know Jesus, I just start thinking about how Jesus sees them on the inside. He sees them bright and shiny. He sees them as light. You can love people that way. You can love all your Christian brothers and sisters. When you see them acting in a way that’s not Christ-like, don’t look at the outside. Think about the man on the inside.

Isaiah 40:8 says, “THE GRASS WITHERETH, THE FLOWER FADETH: BUT THE WORD OF GOD SHALL STAND FOREVER.” The Word teaches God will guide you. So you are going to have to know the Word if God is going to guide you because God always guides in line with His Word.

If you begin to travel from here to New York and you don’t know the highways you are to turn on, then you can’t go directly to New York. God can’t guide you if you don’t know the Word of God so God can use the Word to tell you, “Turn left, turn right. Stop, start. Wait a while.”

Because you know how to read the sign boards, because you know how to read the speed limit signs, because you know how to go through the red lights and the green lights, how to go through the freeways, you can leave here and go to New York. As you know God’s Word, then God can guide you through life. And the Word of God stands forever.

Let’s look at a few Bible examples of this. In Genesis 12:1 God spoke to Abraham and said, “I am going to take you UNTO A LAND THAT I WILL SHEW THEE. Not a land that you are going to choose, Abraham, but A LAND THAT I WILL SHEW THEE.”

If you want to buy something, start praying about it before you buy it. Several years ago I needed some white shirts and I am able to pay the price. But I said, “Lord, I need some white shirts and I know You want me to have some. These are getting worn out and getting a little bit ragged.” So I got my wife to go with me. She knows more about those things than I do. We went to the store and started looking and all the shirts were long-sleeved.

So I said, “Where are your short-sleeved shirts?”

And the saleslady said, “Oh, we have them on the sale rack over there.”

I wasn’t in there looking for a sale, but $9, $10, $11 shirts were there on sale for $2.50 each.

I’ve learned to let God guide me in all these things. “Aw, but, Brother Willis, I’ll take care of all the little things. God’s too busy.” Not really. He doesn’t have very many Christians praying in faith. He’s not busy.

The Holy Spirit spoke to me quite a while ago. I said, “Lord, I don’t want to bother You.”

He said, “I’m not busy, Son.”

I said, “Lord, what do You mean, You’re not busy, with all the millions of people praying in the world?”

He said, “Son, all they are doing is praying. Very few of them are praying the prayer of faith. Very few of them ever get up to Me. I’m sitting up here kind of twiddling My thumbs, wanting something to do. I want to do something for My people, but I don’t have people who can pray the prayer of faith. All they do is pray.”

I used to think He had to be busy with all the people in the world. But I’ve found out He’s not busy. He’s not too busy to hear you if you pray the prayer of faith about a suit, or a dress, or a pair of shoes. He’s not too busy, because there are not too many Christians in the world asking for things like that. I try to keep Him busy.

He wants to bless you spiritually, mentally, physically and financially if you learn how to pray the prayer of faith and spend the time on it. He wants to answer your prayers. He wants to bless you. He’s got the heavens filled with all His blessings and very few people to believe and get them from there down here. The blessings of the Lord in the spiritual treasure house are just crammed full. Very few people are getting many of them.

The healing power of God in the heavens is great and mighty. Very few people utilize it. They use man’s methods. They don’t use God’s. There is very little of God’s healing moved down from up there. Most of the healing that goes on goes on man’s way. God’s not busy healing people. Not very many people believe Him for healing. He’d like to heal a lot more if they’d learn to believe Him for it.

The treasure house of Heaven is filled with money. He’s got plenty of blessings up there, but there are not very many of God’s people getting them. They are all out there working to get it on their own. God wants you to work, but you work believing Him and He’ll double and triple it.

I found out years ago that His treasure house is full. He said, “Son, you can have all of it you want.” I started tapping a little bit. I’m still doing it.

We just tapped Him for $55,000 for the land to build our new building on, and He’s already manifested that and much more. It will take us a quarter of a million dollars to build that building and God’s got much more than a quarter of a million dollars in His treasure house. We are going to draw some of it. Let the other people go the world’s way, but we are not.

One of the cries of God is to have people that will believe Him. Most people are too busy to take the time to stay in the Word and get the teaching and get the cassettes and get the books and learn how to believe God. There is nothing that you have that is more important than learning how to believe God. Because when you learn how to believe God then you solve all your spiritual, physical, mental and financial problems. Shut everything down for a season and learn how to believe God and then God will be working for you.

Let me say that again. God’s not busy. Because He doesn’t have very many people that really believe Him. Just take a tour around the city to our hospitals. Make a tour around the drug stores to see where all the business is. You’ll see what they are believing in. I know there is a medical healing, but praise God there is Divine healing. There are two kinds of healing. There is man’s way, the natural way, medical healing. But glory hallelujah there is Divine healing. God wants to bless His people. But He’s got to have faith.

Let’s look at Moses. It says in Exodus 3:10 “I WILL SEND THEE UNTO PHARAOH, THAT THOU MAYEST BRING FORTH MY PEOPLE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT.” That’s a Bible example of guidance. He said, “I’m going to send you to Egypt and you’re going to lead My people out.”

I Chronicles 17:7-15 describes David’s life all the way unto death and what was going to happen to his seed after he died. The prophet of God came to him and said, “David, God took you from the sheep fold, and made you a king. He blessed you and is going to bless your seed. He’s going to be with you until you die and then He’s going to take your seed and bless them.” Folks, that’s guidance. That’s Divine guidance. This is what He did for David.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “BEFORE I FORMED THEE IN THE BELLY I KNEW THEE…AND I ORDAINED THEE A PROPHET UNTO THE NATIONS.” Do you think Jeremiah was the only man that God ever knew before he was conceived? He knew every one of us. He knew us before we ever came forth out of the womb. And He had a beautiful plan for all our lives. But the devil started to work immediately to bombard us through the world’s system, to teach and train us in the world’s ways, to keep us from learning the spiritual plan of God. But today God is unfolding His Word and is teaching His people His Word and they are getting free from the things of the world and they are beginning to find that beautiful plan that God has for their lives.

God has a plan. Hallelujah. It’s not the world’s plan. But you see you can’t walk the world’s plan and God’s plan at the same time. Moses had his own plan. There he was in Egypt. He was in line to be the ruler, the pharaoh. He had his plan. He was going along good. He was wealthy, educated, had everything the world had to offer. That was the world’s plan. That was Satan’s plan for him. Give him all of the world he wanted. But God had a plan. That old boy had to make a choice. God had a plan.

Brothers and sisters, God has a plan for you. Start confessing today, “God has a plan for me. Not the world’s plan. But God has a plan for me.”

Ephesians 2:10 says, “FOR WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD HATH BEFORE ORDAINED THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM.” He says, “WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS…THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM.” That means He has a work for us to do. He has ordained the work and a program for us and He wants us to walk in it. But you see the devil knows that, too. He has been training you and I ever since we were born to keep us from being able to comprehend the plan of God.

He’s bombarding your bodies and minds today. He’s pressuring you spiritually, mentally, physically and materially to keep you from ever finding and discovering God’s plan for your life. You are in part of it. You are saved. That’s His plan. Getting filled with the Holy Spirit, that’s part of it. There is so much more. Jesus said, “I COME THAT YE MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.” That’s part of His plan. The abundant life.

He said, “MY JOY I GIVE UNTO YOU.” That’s part of His plan. “MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU.” He wants us to know His love, joy and peace.

When I began to realize that, I said, “Oh, God, I want it, too. Give me that love. Love me, Lord. Joy, I’ll take it all, Lord.”

I started going around the country five years ago and the joy of the Lord would begin to move and the Lord would have me begin to laugh in the spirit and begin to talk about that joy and most people would just sit there. They wouldn’t receive it. And I walked out one night and the Lord said, “Son, you can have all they didn’t receive.”

I said, “I’ll take it.” And still today I teach the Word of God and I say, “God, any of it they don’t receive, I’ll take it.”

If you won’t take God’s joy, I’ll take mine and yours. If you won’t take His love, I’ll take mine and yours. If you won’t take His prosperity, I’ll take mine and yours.

We are His workmanship. We are not going to be His workmanship, we are His workmanship. We are created in Christ Jesus. We’ve been born of God. The Spirit of God lives and dwells in us that He might help us to be like Him down here.

Let’s look at some Bible promises. Isaiah 40:8 says, “THE GRASS WITHERETH, THE FLOWER FADETH, BUT THE WORD OF OUR GOD SHALL STAND FOREVER.”

He says in Psalms 25:9, “THE MEEK WILL HE GUIDE IN JUDGMENT.” What is meek? Teachable. Not the hardheaded, bullheaded. Not the ones who know it all. Not the ones who are so wrapped up in their religion. God could stand before them and speak to them and they’d say, “Well that wasn’t what the Baptists taught us,” or “I didn’t learn that in catechism.”

I’ve heard them say, “Well, my grandpa was a Baptist and I was born in a Baptist family, and I’m just going to die a Baptist.”

I’m going to die a Christian before I die a Baptist or a Methodist or a Presbyterian or a Catholic or a Lutheran. I could care less about that. I’m dying saved and filled with the Holy Ghost and on my way to glory. And I’m going to taste some of it down here.

“THE MEEK WILL HE GUIDE IN JUDGMENT.” The teachable are those who will yield to God. He’ll guide you men with your jobs. He’ll guide you ladies at your house, with your husband, with your kids, with your work, when you’re buying your clothes and your groceries.

“Oh, but Brother Willis, I’ve been taking care of that for ten years.”

That’s why it costs you as much as it does.

“Oh, but I know how to look for sales.”

God can lead you to one place and give you a better deal than you can find in five years.

When we get ready to go out and buy something, when I receive it by faith, I say, “Lord, you can do it in one of three ways. You can have somebody give it to us, or You can give it to us on sale, or You can just give me the money to pay top price. I’ll just take it any way You want to do it.”

I don’t go looking for a sale. If I find a sale I take it, and thank the Lord for it. If I believe Him for something and someone gives it to me, I say, “Thank You, Lord.” If they don’t, He gives me the money to buy it.

He says, “THE MEEK WILL HE GUIDE IN JUDGMENT.” Don’t you have to judge every day? How about your time? Do you wonder where your time goes? Do you wonder why you don’t have more time to study the Word and meditate on the Lord? Have you ever said, “Lord, would You guide me with my time?” Or do you just get up every day, “Well, I’m going to do this, this, this and this today.”? If you pray a little bit maybe you wouldn’t have to do so much, He may have taken care of it for you yesterday.

“THE MEEK WILL HE GUIDE IN JUDGMENT.” Every day I say, “Lord, this is the day You have made. Lord, You guide me today.” If the Lord didn’t guide me I wouldn’t get half as much done as I do.

Look at what it says in Psalms 73:24. “THOU SHALT GUIDE ME WITH THY COUNSEL.” What do you think is His counsel? Is it wrong or is it perfect? Why do you want to spin your wheels?

He says He’ll guide you with His counsel. If you’d spend more time believing Him and letting Him guide you, you wouldn’t have to spin your motor so much. You wouldn’t wear yourself out. God gave you a mind to use for Him more. How do you use it for God? By seeking His counsel in all your dealings.

He’ll tell you ladies how to line your things up to make a cake quicker. It may be taking you an hour to make it, and God can show you how to make it in 15 minutes. Some women need judgment in the way they take care of their house. It takes them all day to do it.

Some of you men on your jobs take so long to do a job that it is no wonder the boss won’t promote you. I wouldn’t, either. Get the counsel of God. Say, “Lord, I have a job to do today. Show me how to do it in about half the time. God, I’m Your son. You’re inside of me leading me and guiding me. Show me how to do this job today. I’m going to shine for You.”

The next thing you know they are going to be coming up and asking how you get your work done so quickly, or how you get so many sales. The world is always looking for a secret way to do it. They listen to records and study mind deals that teach quicker ways to do it. They’ll come up to you and want to know your secret.

Just pull them off to the side somewhere and say, “Now do you really want to know? Do you really want to know what my secret is? I’m going to tell you, but it will probably shock you and you may not be able to believe it. There are not very many people smart enough to believe my secret. It’s Jesus.”

They may laugh at you, but if He keeps on producing for you four or five or six months, two or three years, the next thing you know they’ll say, “I don’t know what that guy’s doing but it’s been working for a long time.”

People ask me, “Brother Willis, how does God bless you so much? How do you get all that stuff?”

I say, “I give away everything I can get my hands on.”

They want to know the secret, but when I tell it to them, because their computer can’t computerize it, they won’t take it.

Years ago they told us the Charismatic Teaching Center wouldn’t last three months. A lot of people said, “You preach that faith. I want to see you eat it. Eat on that faith.” Man, we’re strong and healthy. We’re living good. But the world won’t receive it.

The Word is the key to success. All you have to do is spend some time in it and learn it. If you want to know how to walk in victory every day, learn the Word.

Look at us talking about building a quarter of a million dollar building and owing no man anything. What does the world think about that kind of counsel? They think it’s stupid. But we’re going to get the counsel of God. And God’s going to demonstrate His power and glory in Lafayette, Louisiana, like He never has before because He’s getting more people to believe Him.

Psalms 27:11 says, “A PLAIN PATH BECAUSE OF MINE ENEMIES.” It better be on a plain path because the devil is after you every way he can. He’s trying to put every rope on you he can. He’s trying to put every fear, frustration, confusion, and every physical ailment on you he can. But, brothers and sisters, God will give you a plain path.

Will it be straight? No, it’ll be plain. You just walk around things. There will be traps and snares all over the place and you’ll just walk around them. The Holy Ghost says, “Don’t go there.” And you go here. It’s plain. It may be crooked, but it’s plain.

“A PLAIN PATH BECAUSE OF MINE ENEMIES.” He’ll lead us around them. They’ll be laying a snare or a trap for you over here. And God will have you back over here somewhere. He’ll pull you over to witness to somebody so you won’t get there at the right time. The devil will have some drunk guy there to run over you. God will have you stop.

Psalms 37:23 says, “THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED.” It’s progressive. You have to trust Him a step at a time, a day at a time. It’s the best way to live. You don’t have any worries, problems or troubles. You just trust in Jesus every day. And people think you are nuts. Oh, it’s a beautiful way to live. It’s not the world’s way. The world offers trouble, problems, heartaches, fears, loneliness, frustration, confusion, doubt, disappointment, resentment and bitterness. Jesus offers love, joy, peace. When we learn to walk His path that’s what we’ll have. “THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED.”

Isaiah 58:11 says, “THE LORD SHALL GUIDE THEE CONTINUALLY.” The Scripture says His Word endures forever. So it will last as long as you live.

Psalms 48:14 says, “OUR GUIDE EVEN UNTO DEATH.” It’s lasting, brothers and sisters.

I John 5:14-15 says, “AND THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.” His Word is His will. His Word says He’ll guide you. It’s so simple. If God’s Word is true, which we know it is, then it’s God’s will to guide us. So we have to believe that He will guide us. You’ve been trained and taught by the world and religion that He just doesn’t do that anymore. If He does, He just gives you a little guidance once a month. Maybe once a year. Oh no, brothers and sisters.

John 16:13 says, “THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH IS COME TO GUIDE US IN ALL TRUTH,…AND SHOW US THINGS TO COME.” He’s come saints. He’s here living in us to guide us in the truth. He says we will know the truth and the truth will make us free.

 

Chapter II

 

One Must Discover God’s Plan

 

Psalms 34:10 says, “THEY THAT SEEK THE LORD SHALL NOT WANT ANY GOOD THING.” You seek the Lord in His Word. Fix some Scripture cards and learn these Scriptures. That’s seeking the Lord.

“SEEK THE LORD AND THOU SHALL NOT WANT ANY GOOD THING.” Guidance and wisdom and health and wealth are all good, aren’t they? Now if you don’t want these things, go ahead and do it the way you’ve been doing it. Praise God, I’m going to seek the Lord.

I’m going to seek Him in His Word. And it’s not just the Bible. It’s using the cassettes and books that key in on certain topics. If you need to key in on healing, get Scriptures, cassettes and books and run the Scriptures down on healing. Whatever it is, key in on that area. Stay with it.

I have a stack of cards loaded with Scriptures and saying. Some are on faith. Some are on healing. Some are on deliverance. Some are on prosperity. Some are on the words of the mouth. Some are just on the Word of God. I have a whole section just on guidance, and one on protection. I have seven or eight sections.

These cards are in my brief case. Every night when I go to bed, I bring a stack of them in there and lay it beside the bed. I wake up the next morning and the wife brings me a cup of coffee and I just reach over there and flip through those cards. I keep them at hand all the time. You do keep food in your cabinets, don’t you? What do you keep it there for? So it’s handy, so you can get it when you want it. Keep the Word around handy so you can get it. Feed yourself much more than three times a day.

You must meditate upon the promises and examples. Psalms 1:1-3 says that a man that meditates upon the Word day and night, “WHATSOEVER HE DOETH SHALL PROSPER.” He says that if we’ll meditate upon His promises and learn His Word, whatsoever we do shall prosper. He says everything I put my hand to will prosper, if I move in line with the Word of God. He’ll prosper you in your family. He’ll prosper you with your children. He’ll prosper you in every way.

You must confess faith’s reception. You have to receive your Divine guidance by faith. Mark 11:24 says, “WHATSOEVER YE DESIRE, WHEN YE PRAY, BELIEVE YE RECEIVE, AND YE SHALL HAVE IT.” Get your Scriptures and study them. Say, “Father, I believe that the Holy Spirit is going to guide me every day.” Receive it by faith.

You must continually reject the natural facts. You may not seem like you are getting the manifestation of guidance but you hold to your confession. I confess every day that the Holy Spirit is teaching me and guiding me into all truth, and that He is showing me things to come.

I don’t get it manifested every day. But there are not many days that I don’t any more. Because I’ve been confessing daily now for a long time that He is guiding me and teaching me. I got tired of those weekly sessions. I got hungry. It’s just good to commune with Him daily. It depends upon what you are believing Him for. If you are satisfied with a once a week, well He’ll satisfy you where you are. He says, “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HUNGER AND THIRST AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS. THEY SHALL BE FILLED.”

You must meditate upon the promises. You must confess faith’s reception. Faith’s answer time is when you pray. Then you’ll get the fact. Whatsoever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive it. Do you desire to be guided by the Lord? He says, “THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.” It’s His will to guide you. Guidance is just as much yours as health, salvation or the baptism, but you are going to have to learn the Scriptures on guidance like you know them on salvation.

Every Christian knows, “WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.” You believe it. You know right now that if someone wants to be saved they can ask Jesus to be saved and they can get saved. You believe that because you know that Scripture. When you get to know these guidance Scriptures like you know, “WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED,” You’ll get guidance just like you get people saved.

You have faith and confidence in, “WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.” So you’ll tell anybody, “If you’ll just ask Jesus to come into your heart, He’ll save you.” You say that because you believe that Word. Well why don’t you learn this guidance Word like that Word? Then you’ll say, “Praise God. God’s going to guide me today. He’ll lead me and guide me into all truths.”

These Scriptures are just as true as Romans 10:13. They are just as true as, “FOR GOD SO LOVE THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.” Guidance is just as true. It’s all Bible. It’s all true. But it just depends on what of it you know. You can’t appropriate from God any area you don’t know about.

For years as a Baptist minister I was saved. I preached salvation and saw many people get saved. But I didn’t know about tongues. I didn’t know about baptism. But when I got the truth on it, I got it. The same with healing, deliverance and praise. What did I know about praising God the way we do? You don’t learn that at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. They don’t teach you that in seminary.

You must recognize it’s often different since it’s spiritual. Spiritual guidance and natural guidance will not line up. Most people are still trying to operate in their religious life with their natural ability and their natural wisdom. Do you know how that looks to God? Smelly. It will produce for a season, but it will run out of steam. You must realize and recognize that His ways are often different since they are spiritual. Spiritual and natural truths are two different things.

 

Chapter III

 

One Must Enter Into God’s Plan

 

We’ve talked about God having a plan. We’ve talked about how you must discover God’s plan. God has a plan, you must discover it, and now you must enter into God’s plan. The confession I hear so often is, “I missed God. I knew better.” Haven’t we all said that many times? If you say you missed Him that means you knew it, you had an idea about it. But you didn’t enter in.

Lost of people miss business deals and they say, “Oh man, that was a deal. I should have taken it.” One must enter into God’s plan. That means you must start doing what God says. You must stop doing what God says. You must go and do what God says. You must give up what God says. You must sell what God says to sell, and buy what God says to buy. Move when God says to move. Hold when God says to hold. He says in Matthew 34:37, “DON’T WORRY,” so you don’t worry. You enter into His plan of no worry by obeying the Scriptures.

Matthew 8:17 says Jesus bore your sicknesses and your infirmities. Enter into healing. John 10:10 says, “I CAME THAT YE MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY.” Enter in. All of you know of the abundant life. You’ve heard the Scriptures. You know it’s God’s plan for you to have the abundant life. The Word says it. But knowing it and having it are two different things. So you have to enter in to these things. Romans 8:37 says you are more than a conqueror. Now all of you know that Scripture, but how many of you have entered in and possessed it? Are you conquering? It’s God’s plan for you to conquer.

It’s God’s plan for you to be healthy. It’s God’s plan for you to conquer. It’s God’s plan for you to overcome. It’s God’s plan for these things, but you have to enter in to it if you are going to receive.

Romans 13:8 says, “OWE NO MAN ANYTHING, BUT TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.” You have heard that before. But how many have entered in to it? It’s one thing to know and another to enter in. If you only know it and you haven’t entered into it, it’s because you are a hearer. Somewhere along the road you have to move out of the hearing into the doing. When you find God’s Word you have to enter in to it and participate in it. II Timothy 1:7 says, “GOD HASN’T GIVE YOU A SPIRIT OF FEAR.” You must enter in to it.

 

Chapter IV

 

You Must Continue In God’s Plan

 

You know God has a plan. He has a plan for all. He’ll reveal it to all. He has given us His Word. You must enter in to it, but you must continue. This requires more than any other area. It’s easier to get started than it is to keep going. The devil is going to fight you and bombard you every way in the world. When you enter in to God’s plan and the devil knocks you down, this is the place where you affect more people. Here you come into this Holy Ghost flow and you are just walking in victory. Telling everybody, “I’ve found it. I’ve found it. This is it. I’m going all the way with God.”

About two or three months later they see you and the devil says, “They found it? It doesn’t look like they found it.” And they say, “If that’s all it’s worth, I don’t want any of that.”

The pressure mounts but the victories can be greater. Many turn back too quickly. Many give up too quickly. The darkest hour is just before the sun breaks through. He says He’ll guide you even unto death. He says He’ll guide you continually. He says His guidance is perfect. He says in Isaiah 43:1-3, “WHEN THOU PASSEST THROUGH THE WATERS… RIVERS… AND FIRES, I’LL BE WITH YOU.” He doesn’t say when you go into the fires and burn up, or when you go into the water and drown. He says, “WHEN THOU PASSEST THROUGH.” Sometimes you don’t know how you are going to get through, but He says you are going to go through. You have to believe the Word of God and not the circumstances.

John 8:31 says, “IF YE CONTINUE IN MY WORD, THEN ARE YE MY DISCIPLES INDEED.” If you don’t continue in it what are you? I didn’t say it. I just asked you a question. What are you if you start and stop, hot and cold up and down and around and around forever?

Hebrews 10:38 says, “BUT IF ANY MAN DRAW BACK, MY SOUL SHALL HAVE NO PLEASURE IN HIM.” He doesn’t say you’ll be lost, He just says He’ll have no pleasure in you. When your sons and daughters don’t do the right thing, you still love them, but you don’t have pleasure in them. When you and I refuse to draw back, when we continue to confess that God is guiding us and refuse to give in and continue on, then God has pleasure in us.

When the storm is the darkest, when the pressure is the worst and you just stand up and say, “I believe God,” God says, “That’s My boy.”

“That’s My daughter down there. Listen to My daughter. Her family situation looks impossible, but Jesus, what is she saying? What did her husband just do?”

Jesus says, “He just hit her up the side of the head and told her he was leaving her.”

“Well, Jesus, what’s she doing?”

“He walked out the door and she just threw her arms up and said, “Jesus, I believe he’s saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues, casting out devils, and running and praising the Lord.”

The Father says, “That’s My girl.”

But you see when he comes in and jumps on you and he walks out and you get mad, the Father looks over at Jesus and He just shakes His head. The Father says, “Jesus, what is it?” And Jesus says, “I’m not going to talk.” His soul has no pleasure in you then. His soul has pleasure in your always confessing the Word.

No it’s not always easy. But brothers and sisters, I John 4:4 says, “HE THAT IS IN YOU IS GREATER THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD.”

We can go on. God will guide us. His Word says He will, and if He’s lied about guidance, He could have lied about Heaven. This whole thing could be a farce. If He won’t guide us, then this whole thing could be a farce. I believe He will guide us.