And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him…. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:29, 31-32).

The Spirit of God is the voice of God to us. He proceeds directly from the Father. The way the Holy Spirit leads us most of the time is by the inward witness. We also call it a prompting, guidance, a leading, an unction. It is an instruction in our spirits.

It is important to know that the Holy Spirit is not going to push His way into your life. Yes, He wants to lead you, but He won’t force Himself into your affairs. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

Proverbs 20:27 says, “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord….” He wants to burn His light brightly in our hearts, to illuminate our path.

The Spirit of God is within you to control your life—not by forcing you, but by leading you. He wants control of you because He is the only One on earth who knows what to do to make your life work.

Now you might think, I don’t want anyone controlling me.

Let’s think about that. Suppose there was a human being who could answer every problem you have. You could phone this person at any time, tell him your problem and always receive the solution. You would take his direction gladly, and you would call him whenever a problem arose. That person would have control of your life with your permission. And you would be glad!

Of course, there is no natural person who knows the answer to every problem. But the Holy Spirit does! He knows all of the answers. He is in you to help you, to give you revelation and direction for your life. He wants you to call on Him. He is waiting for you to recognize Him as the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby). He is always available to come to your aid and make the difference between life and death, failure and defeat.

So too the (Holy) Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance (Romans 8:26, The Amplified Bible).

Many people have been filled with the Spirit for years, but never have really listened to Him. They never have learned to obey Him. They have not paid attention to the Word of God to learn how. The Holy Spirit is the Teacher, but to hear Him you will have to give Him your attention.

Kenneth and Gloria Copeland