Every believer ought to be led by the Spirit. As a matter of fact, what distinguishes a child of God from non children of God is the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14 says "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God." This is the distinguishing factor - the leading of the Holy Spirit. Unlike in the Old Covenant where the children of God were led by Prophets and Kings, the New Testament is not like that. A New Testament believer is led by the Spirit of God. At salvation, the Spirit of God comes to indwell you, and from thence; became your guiding compass.

John 4:24 made it clear that we are that generation that worship God in "spirit and in truth." There was a generation who worshipped God outside of the Spirit of God. Many of them struggled with offering God acceptable worship, because the Spirit of God had not yet been given. But 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 says we have received the Spirit of God to know those things that have been freely given us by God. So, we are not struggling to please God, because what we needed to please God now lives inside of us; the Holy Spirit.

The foundational truth one must first note is that the Holy Spirit will never lead you against the word of God. The Holy Spirit does not speak contrary to the word of God. When you see people walking in errors, and they claim they are being led by the Holy Spirit; it is your responsibility to guide such a people properly into the right path. The word of God is always true. John 17:17 says "Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth." The word of God is always true, it does not change, it is constant K. The Bible says "Let God be true and every man a liar" (Romans 3:4). So, take note now, that the Spirit of God will never lead you or speak; contrary to the will or the word of God.

 How then does the Holy Spirit Leads and Speaks?

The Holy Spirit leads us and speak to us through the word of God. One of His fundamental responsibility that Jesus talked about is that He will bring everything to our remembrance. John 14:26 says "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." This Scripture establishes the fact why the Holy Spirit can never speak contrary to the word. The word here is a person, which is the person of Jesus (John 1:1-3, 14.) The word is beyond the written letters.

So, for you to be led by the Spirit through the word, you must be given to reading, studying and meditating on the word of God. What will the Holy Spirit bring to your remembrance for instance, if you don't read and study the Bible? You will just be like that unserious student who didn't prepare for examination, but get to the examination hall trying to remember what he or she has not read. This is exactly how it is. The Holy Spirit comforts you through the word of God as documented in the Scriptures. Therefore, take your study life very seriously, and never joke with meditation as well. When you do these, you are simply giving the Holy Spirit the platform to operate in your life.

The second way the Holy Spirit leads and speak to us is through our inner witness! Inner witness is a knowing - and not that you will hear some kind of voice behind you. The best way to know inner witness is by experiencing and exercising it. Romans 8:16 says "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." Did you notice the fundamentals in the verse; they are: The Holy Spirit and our own recreated human spirit. The inner witness therefore is your recreated human spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through it as well.

Now, it is important you get this really. What I am talking about here is not the leading that comes from your soul or human senses. As a matter of fact, one of the unpleasant things that could happen to a man or a believer, is for him or her to be led by his or her soul and his or her senses. But when you cannot separate the spirit from the soul, how then can you discern which is what? This is where the problem lies. The only way out of this dilemma is constantly endeavoring that your spirit, (your recreated human spirit) is constantly tuned to the frequency of the Holy Spirit (Proverbs 4:20).

The third way is through the audible voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, and so, He speaks. In Acts 13:2, the Bible says "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Also, in Acts 8:29, the Bible says "Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot." Notice from the two accounts above, that the Holy Spirit actually spoke audibly to the point that people heard Him. Now, someone may be wondering; does the Holy Spirit speak audibly? The answer is Yes; and I am a witness. I have experienced it a couple of times.

The voice of the Holy Spirit is more authoritative than our usual spirit/inner voice, although not forceful. Sometimes it comes in a flash, just like that. You really need to be quick in receiving whatever it is He is telling you at that moment, lest it slips from you. There are times the Holy Spirit also will speak through other people to you. But you must do your due diligence to verify from God if that speaking or leading emanates from Him. Why is this important? Because the Scripture says in the latter days, false prophets shall abound, and shall lead many people astray.

1 John 4:1-3 says:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

I believe you have been blessed.

Source: [Centre for New Dimension Leadership]