Throughout all of human history, God has been revealing His plans to people. It began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, being given very specific instructions. It continued throughout the Old Testament with people like Abraham, Noah, Moses, and countless others. In the New Testament, we read about Peter, Paul, John, and others who heard clearly from God about His plans for their lives. 

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was made available to every person who would trust in Christ alone for their salvation. In John 16:13, Jesus told the disciples that, “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” Earlier, Jesus, in John 14:26, said, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit… will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” We know that much of this prophecy was fulfilled as the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of the New Testament to put on paper the gospels and other New Testament writings. 

It has also been the experience of Christians over the last 2000 years to be led by the Holy Spirit in their daily lives. God is a speaking God, and even though we should never think that God would say anything to us that contradicts or adds to Scripture, we can have confidence that the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us as believers, will guide us and help us know His actual plans for our lives. I was reminded of this recently as the church I attend was planning for its 20th anniversary celebration. I was privileged to plant this church out of the church I was pastoring back in 2006. 

Someone dug up a sermon I preached in 2003 in which I stated that I believed God was calling us to plant a church at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. I even stated that we would likely send 50-75 of our people to launch this church. We ended up sending 63. Only a few times over the last 34 years of ministry has God given me such clear direction for the future, but when He has spoken clearly, I have known it was Him, and those impressions from the Holy Spirit have given me the boldness and confidence to march forward in the face of great adversity. When God gave me the vision of RenewaNation, it was so strong that I could hardly think of doing anything else. In the early days, before we had experienced the blessings of God in a significant way, the only thing that kept me going was this overwhelming sense from the Holy Spirit that this was God’s plan. 

It should humble all of us to think that the God of the universe cares for us so much that He would choose to communicate His plan for our lives to us. The key is for us to learn to walk in full obedience in every moment of life. If we stay in an intimate relationship with Jesus and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit at all times, we will be given the opportunity to fulfill the plans God has for us. Perhaps God has directed you to be involved in a ministry, business, or other endeavor, but things have gotten tough. I encourage you today to go back to what you know the Lord has said to you in the past, concerning your current position in life. Did He clearly lead you to where you are today? If He did, stop thinking and dreaming about greener pastures. Do the work God has called you to, with all your heart, and if He ever wants you to do something else, He will let you know.