Primary Means of Guidance
The Holy Spirit lives with each believer and guides each believer. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the other means that are available. Not all means are available in every place. Prayer is a means by which each believer can be guided. God speaks through the advice of those in the church, and in most places, a believer can find other believers to help in finding guidance. The Bible is available in many areas of the world, but not in all places. Hopefully, at least the missionary (if not others in a local church) will have a copy of the Bible. God can work through circumstances in any place, revealing his will.
- Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit aids us as we study the Bible, as we pray, as we seek advice from those in the church, and as we are confronted with circumstances in life. The Holy Spirit is our Counselor who teaches us all things. See John 14:26.
Often the Holy Spirit speaks to us in a quiet voice like the whisper heard by Elijah the prophet. See 1 Kings 19:12. Generally, the Holy Spirit does not speak audibly to us, but he may place thoughts in our minds, or give us a desire to take one action and avoid another action.
2. Bible
The thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament are the infallible and authoritative word of God. The Bible is the best place to look for guidance in Christian living. By studying and meditating on the Scriptures, we are changed—taking on the mind of Christ. And the Holy Spirit brings to mind Scriptures when we need guidance.
See John 14:26. So it is very important to have a plan for regular study of the Bible. If you don’t have a copy of the Bible, but you have free access to the internet, you can access the Bible and print free copies of the “Net Bible” from the following website. Click on the following link:
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12
- Prayer
Prayer is two-way communication with God. We speak and we listen. We ask God for guidance, and then wait for his answer. Throughout each day, we can ask God questions like, “What do you want me to do in this situation?” Prayer should be sincere heart-felt communication with God.
Jesus taught us how to pray. See Matthew 6:5-15. In this passage in Matthew, Jesus said to pray in a humble manner, not trying to impress others by our speech. He taught us to pray to God the Father, giving him praise and honor. He said to pray that God’s will be done on earth. So we agree that God’s way is best, and we seek to obey his commandments. Every day, we ask that God provide for our needs that day. We ask forgiveness for our sins. Sometimes we may quote the model prayer offered here in Matthew 6, but as a rule, we pray in our own words. We privately confess our specific sins to God, and ask forgiveness. We also must forgive others for their sins against us. If we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us. We ask God to protect us from the traps set by Satan.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
Ephesians 4:11-12
4. The Church
The organized church includes all those who claim to be Christians, and who meet together to worship with other Christians. Within the organized church there are both believers and non-believers. The true church includes those who truly believe in Christ, and have received the Holy Spirit. God speaks through those in the true church.
Some in the church have the spiritual gift of prophecy—they proclaim the word of God. See Ephesians 4:11. God gives them a message relevant to their hearers. So we listen to pastors, to Bible teachers, to Christian counselors, and to gifted elders in order to hear a word from the Lord. We should test prophecy to see if it agrees with Scripture. See Acts 17:11. We know Scripture is inspired, but there are many false prophets in the world. So Scripture takes precedence over current prophecy. One way to identify false prophets is to observe their lifestyle and works—if their fruit is bad, they are false prophets. See Matthew 7:15-20.
It is good to seek the advice of mature Christians in the church. It is helpful to have such Christians as mentors. Such advisors can walk along beside us as we follow Christ, providing an example and encouraging us. We also should mentor others less spiritually mature than ourselves.
We seek the advice of mature Christians, but we shouldn’t ignore the words of anyone that God may send to us. God may speak through little children. Indeed, the kingdom of heaven belongs to such innocent children. See Matthew 19:14. Sometimes parents are amazed by the spiritual insight of their children.
The advice of Christians is valuable, but ultimately each of us must listen to God for guidance. The Holy Spirit may lead us to mission work that is not advised by our friends in the church. Typically missionaries seek the blessing of the church as they prepare for missions. See Acts 13:2. But God may call a missionary to service before others in the church know about such guidance. Later, the church may confirm this calling. It is incumbent upon a missionary to examine the Scriptures and listen to the Holy Spirit.
Each Christian is unique and each Christian has a unique calling. The work of various missionaries may be similar, but not exactly the same. Each Christian servant has a different set of gifts, talents, resources, life situation, culture, and mission field. So God uses people in different ways to expand his kingdom. Therefore it is important to avoid merely copying other ministers and ministries. Certainly we can learn from other Christians, and we should apply some of their successful techniques in our work. But we seek God’s guidance, not just the guidance of people.
God is against those preachers who steal the words of other prophets. See Jeremiah 23:30. We can learn from other preachers. We can use some of their ideas. But God does not want us to merely copy the sermons of others. God wants us to listen to him and proclaim his word.
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:2
5. Circumstances
Christians sometimes refer to “divine providence” as being synonymous with “divine guidance.” By the providence of God, means are provided to accomplish a mission for God. God may provide such things as training, spiritual gifts, or opportunities and then call a missionary to use such means to expand the kingdom of God.
Some Christians do not believe in “coincidence” (the accidental occurrence of events suggesting a causal relationship). They believe that God is in control of events, so they don’t think that coincidental events are accidental. So I coined the term “divine coincidence” meaning that God sometimes works in miraculous ways that may appear to be coincidental. For example, a missionary may need a specific amount of money to be able to serve in a mission field, and exactly when the money is needed, the money is miraculously provided.
Many Christians refer to some circumstances as “open or closed doors.” The Apostle Paul referred to an open door for his ministry in Ephesus. See 1 Corinthians 16:8,9. Certainly we should be aware of open and closed doors, but there is a danger in relying solely on circumstances in determining the guidance of God. God wants us to follow the Holy Spirit, and not look merely to circumstances around us. Paul wrote that while we are in the body, “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV).
We don’t see the spiritual world unless God reveals it. The prophet Elisha’s servant saw that the King of Aram had sent an army to surround their city. The servant asked what they could do. Elisha explained that those who were with them were more than those who were against them. Elisha asked the Lord to give the servant spiritual sight, and then the servant saw that God had sent his angels in chariots of fire to overcome the enemy (2 Kings 6:8-23).
God may call you to be a missionary, and you may feel that circumstances are preventing you from responding to that call. You may not currently have the resources or abilities to serve. But if God is calling, he will provide the means for you to go.