Kenneth W. Hagin
Our life in Christ is a journey. We all have a starting point that begins when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But there’s no “early retirement” in the Lord. And we don’t have any stopping point until we either leave this world or the rapture of the Church occurs.
As you walk with the Lord, you will find there are different levels of living, different levels of achieving, and different levels of moving into what God has for you.
In looking at the lives of Christians, you see that some people stay at a certain level for a long period of time. This might be because they don’t realize there are different levels in God.
On the other hand, when some people realize they can go to another level with the Lord, they don’t know there are guidelines to follow in moving form one level to the next. They think that any place, any achievement, or any lifestyle is all right. They think that using any means to get to where they want to go is okay. But it is not. There are guidelines to follow.
Many people start on the right path, but they get away from the Lord’s will for their lives because they never go to the next level in Christ. Others veer from God’s plan because they begin doing their own thing.
God wants you not only to start on His path but also to stay on His path your entire life. In this teaching, I will provide biblical guidelines to do just that. If you follow these guidelines, you will stay in the center of God’s will and go to new levels in Him.
Number One: Our Journey with God has to be According to the Word of God
When Jesus was tempted by the devil in wilderness, He responded to each temptation in exactly the same way. On each occasion He said, “It is written” (Matt. 4:4,7,10).
Matthew 4:4 (NKJV) “…It is written ‘Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
We see from this verse that physical food is not our only source of sustenance. We need the spiritual food provided in the Word of God. The Bible will keep us on course for fulfilling God’s plan for our life. In the same way that Jesus lived His life in line with the Word of God, so must we.
Number Two: On Our Journey with God, We Must Follow the Leadings of the Holy Spirit
We’re not alone on our journey. The Holy Spirit is with us every step of the way. I like to think of Him as my “tour guide” in life. He will show us things and take us places we would have never seen or reached on our own.
We all have routines, and the Holy Spirit wants to be a part of those routines. He wants to be involved in our daily lives. When you look to the Holy Spirit as your Guide, He will show you what to do in every situation you encounter.
John 16:3 (NKJV) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
You can be absolutely sure of one thing: whatever the Holy Spirit says to you will always line up with the Word of God. The Holy Spirit will never deviate from the written Word of God.
Number Three: Our Journey with God is Accomplished through Faith
Every day we are presented with the opportunity to either believe God or to not believe God. But we will never please Him if we do not live by family and believe His word (Heb. 11:6).
Hebrews 11:8 (NKJV) “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. ”
Abraham left all that he knew and followed God. He didn’t know where he was going, but He believed that God would lead him to the right place.
Faith is necessary in our everyday lives if we are to follow after God. Many times God only says, “Go.” It’s up to us to step out on His Word, trusting that He will show us each step of the Journey. When we do this, we can have the assurance that, like Abraham, we will each our destination.
Faith is of the heart. Often, when God speaks to you to do something, a battle rages between your head and your heart. Your head will look at your circumstances and give you every reason not to do what is in your heart. However, you cannot allow your natural reasoning to guide you or allow fear to hold you in bondage.
Faith will propel you on your journey to where God wants you to go. Fear will only paralyze you and keep you from advancing in the things of God.
Number Four: Our Journey with God should be According to the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
We all have ideas of what we want to do and where we want to go. But are these our ideas or God’s? Most of the time, we’ll see that when we’re doing what “we” want to do rather than what God desires for us, the fruit of the Spirit won’t be in evidence in our lives.
Some people feel that it is okay to step on other people to get to where they want to go or where they believe God is directing them. They don’t understand that God has enough resources to abundantly prosper all of His children and that they don’t need to step on people to reach their destination.
I can say with certainty that if you want to walk wit the Lord, stay in the center of His will, and go to new levels in Him, you must learn to walk in love.
God wants us to go to new levels in our walk with Him. But do this, we must follow His guidelines. Using these guidelines, we can walk in God’s will and reach any level we desire. He’s already prepared the way. All we have to do is walk in it.
The article “Guidelines to Walking in God’s Will” written by Kenneth W. Hagin was excerpted from The Word of Faith, 2007.
