I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.
Correct me, O Lord, but in justice; not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
Jeremiah 10:23-24

People will tell you that you should look inside, let your own heart be your guide. That’s almost right, but not quite.

If the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart, you can look inside and let Him lead you. He will correct you when you’re off course; He will show you the right way.

The difficulty we find is discerning between our own inner voice and the voice of God’s Spirit leading us. How can you tell which is which?

Since God will never contradict Himself, we start by listening to what we know for sure He has said. The Bible is God’s Word, written down for us. If we fill our hearts with it and grow accustomed to His voice, when we hear an “inner voice” leading us, we compare what we hear to His sure Word in the Bible.

Then when our own heart betrays us and misleads us, we will be able to say, “Nope. That’s not the voice of the Holy Spirit. He wouldn’t say that.”

Help me, Lord, to develop a real sensitivity to Your guidance. Tune my heart to Your voice as I read and meditate in Your Word. Help me to recognize and faithfully reject false voices. Make the way plain before me, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles