The Leading

Deut.8:3 “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” [with emphasis]

When God makes you lie down in green pastures, He is about to give you food that your fathers, your ancestors have never known. So that you can learn that man lives by every Word that comes out of the mouth of God. When you stay down, eat your green grass, and you get this lesson then you are ready for the next step. Man lives by every Word and that is the leading. For there to be spiritual vitality, there is a “making” and there is a “leading”. When we finally get it, when we look up and He is all we see, then we can follow His leading, follow His words, and follow His promptings. But we have to first give Him control before we can follow His leading.

You cannot follow God’s leading if you have not been put down. You cannot follow the leading if you have not been broken. In fact, the fruit of brokenness is obedience. The reason a lot of people do not obey the leading of the Holy Spirit is because their limbs have not been broken. God has not put them down. When you have been put down, it is easy to follow the leading and that is when you begin to experience the still waters. That is when real freedom comes. It is when you have been put down that you learn that man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from God’s mouth. Then the Word of God becomes precious to you, only then can God lead you to still waters, lead you to abundance, and to depths in Him.

God does not force you beside still waters. God leads you besides still waters. He may force you down, but He leads you forth. This is a spiritual combination that you need to get as a child of God. When God forces you down, it is so that you can learn how to follow His leading. If you read all the literal translations of the Bible, the distinction is clear. God does not force you beside still waters, He leads you. For instance, in seasons of spiritual exercise, God will not force you to plug in. If you are meant to fast for example and you place of bowl of food in front of you then you say to God, if it is not Your will ,Lord force me not to eat this food. You will notice that God will not stop you.

There are experiences that God wants to take you into that can only happen by the leading. He will prompt you to do certain things. When you obey and follow His leading, you enter into unbelievable experiences in God. God will not force you. But until you have been broken, prompt obedience without questions does not happen. For the shepherd of your soul to restore your soul, He first forces you down and then leads you forth; there is a “making” and there is a “leading”.

Prayer: Father, make me lie down in green pastures, lead me beside still waters, and restore my soul, in Jesus Name. Amen!