Isaiah 35:8 – “And a highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it.”  NASB

Let’s consider the process of achieving God’s Divine Guidance.  Suppose you have accepted Jesus, received the Holy Spirit, and committed ourselves to read and study the Bible more and more and accept it as truth.  Congratulations, that is a great first step.  Does that mean you automatically have ‘tuned out’ the Wisdom from Below and ‘tuned in’ the Wisdom from Above?  Does that mean you will automatically begin to hear God and receive His divine guidance? 

Unfortunately, No!  One of the problems is we do not always realize or discern that we are being exposed to counterfeit wisdom.  We do have a clear promise in the Bible that we can know the mind and will of God in any matter.  However, there is also a warning that we must beware of false guidance.

Sadly, I am aware of well-meaning Christians who have turned to dangerous sources and methods seeking guidance.  They have been deceived into turning to what the Bible calls ‘familiar spirits’ in their pursuit of truth and guidance.  I refer you to Deuteronomy 18:10-13 for consideration. In that, we find the mention of people and places we are instructed to avoid. 

Let me list them for your benefit.  Divination is fortune-telling.  Observing the times is astrology.  Enchanters are real magicians.  Witches which includes sorcery.  Charmers which includes hypnotism.  Consulter of familiar spirits which is to receive a medium as a guide.  A wizard which includes the clairvoyant and psychics.  The necromancer or those who consult the dead.  I know that I may be stirring a hornet’s nest for some, but I challenge you to examine the text and the original language.  God’s prohibitions are for our benefit, not our hurt.

Those are supernatural sources but not the Holy Spirit.  The information they bring may sound good and detailed. The information may be things we wanted to hear and because it is clear they are from a supernatural source they are often accepted as being from God.  Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “…and no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” 

Another problem in receiving Divine Guidance is the trickery we encounter in our own mixed-up human emotions, the impurity of our motives, the flaw of our prejudices, and patterns of thought and action. 

There are been some glaring failures in the church causing some, even entire churches, to turn their back on Divine Guidance as a valid pursuit for today.  I have been told, “We have the Bible, that’s all we need.  God no longer speaks today.”  I have been told by the other side of the equation, “I hear God, so I don’t need the Bible.”  I believe both are wrong.  God does speak today and even if we hear Him, we need the Bible.

I see Four Basic Principles to be learned and followed by anyone who honestly desires to be guided by God in their daily lives. 

Divine Guidance does not come automatically.  You cannot push a button, flip a switch, open a Bible randomly, or listen for voices and automatically hear God. 

Receiving Divine Guidance is a skill to be learned.  I have learned to hear God by learning how I do not hear God or trial and error.  That requires a measure of spiritual adventurism and the exercise of faith. 

Receiving Divine Guidance is not a set of methods or a formula.  However, it is based on obedience to a specific set of biblical principles. 

Finally, Divine Guidance is intensely personal.  It involves and demands a relationship.

I want to take this another step but will wait until the next devotional.  I ask that you muse on those four basic principles and we will reopen this in the next devotional.

Have a Great Day in Jesus!