Jeff Hagan of Pulpit & Pen has listed the ways the Holy Spirit does not lead the believer. For example, the Holy Spirit does not direct a person to sin. To “hear men in charismatic circles say that ‘God told’ them to divorce their wives and marry the woman they’ve been having an affair with” isn’t all that unusual for him. He admonishes: “That’s nothing but foolishness and selfishness. According to Scripture that is clearly sinful, it is wrong.”
So now to Hagan’s tips on how not to follow the Holy Spirit. He writes:
Do you ever wonder if maybe you made a mistake and missed out on a blessing because you resisted it thinking perhaps it was some kind of temptation from the enemy? At times, when we let our emotions get too involved in something, it makes it more difficult to discern the leading of the Holy Spirit — especially when we, in our flesh, don’t like the way He seems to be heading. Sometimes our flesh battles against God’s Spirit (Gal. 5:7). But when we surrender ourselves to God’s will, when we look to His Word and live accordingly, recognizing the Spirit’s lead becomes easier as we grow in Christ.
Now, with that being said, there are definitely some ways in which the Holy Spirit does not lead. False teaching, being ignorant of His ways, being spiritually lazy, and over-emphasizing the so-called “miraculous” have deceived many into being led to follow the world, or the flesh, or even the enemy while thinking it was the Holy Spirit. And, as one can imagine, this has brought about an incredible amount of pain and heartache into people’s lives. I have listed a few things to be cautious of, some ways the Holy Spirit does not lead us.
