"As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul
for the work whereunto I have called them" (Acts 13:2). I wish you to notice in this passage the
sovereign direction of the Spirit. They were all waiting upon God in the exercise of their various
gifts, making faithful use of the opportunities at hand, when the Spirit shows them an open door.
Twice is fasting mentioned, and it must be specially significant. I do not speak of the mere
abstinence from food, but of that spirit of earnest longing, of self-denial, of absorption, which lies
back of the actual neglect of food. Fasting is not an end, scarcely a means to an end, but an
indication of the purpose of a soul that has lost its natural inclinations in the one mastering desire.
It is to such souls, emptied of self, that the Spirit makes known His will.

How little there is of that among God’s saints. How little conviction of the direction of the Spirit
of God. New work is undertaken, special meetings are held, various activities started, but has it
been "the Holy Ghost said"? If there were, among us today, more the attitude shown by these
servants in Acts 13, would not the Spirit still definitely make known His will? They go forth,
guided, helped, sustained by that blessed One.

In line with this work of direction is the other side of the Spirit’s work in guidance. We read that
they "were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia" _the small province of that
name on the west coast of Asia Minor in which were situated Ephesus and other large cities. Then
they attempted to pass into Bithynia, ""but the Spirit suffered them not" (Acts 16:6,7). Here we
have the Spirit hindering. It is not providential hindrance, but a distinct prohibition clearly made
known. The reason for this hindering is soon apparent:a fresh start was to be made; that is, the
gospel was to be carried into Europe; and the next chapters give us the wonderful history of that
journey from Troas to Philippi and the cities of Greece. Later on, Paul did a great work in
Ephesus; note that the Spirit hinders and forbids in order that they may go further.

This I think will explain how they were "forbidden." They had Asia on their mind, but were
conscious of no freedom to go. There was no joy, no sense of the Spirit’s guidance. So they must
wait until clear, nor do they have to wait long, and the larger purpose of God is soon revealed.

Here again we must confess little experience. We are so full of impulse, of our own thoughts and
plans, that there is not the quiet waiting upon God for His mind, and so we lose the sense of His
approval, and the power of His Spirit. Need we wonder that little fruit attends our labors? And
yet, do we not all know something of this hindering? There is a sense of constraint and uncertainty
that surely should call us to further waiting on God. This is for the individual servant and for
companies of saints as well. Often, doubtless, the Spirit would hinder us from a special line of
service to turn us to another; or in order to exercise the hearts of others that the fellowship of all
might be fuller and the blessing correspondingly larger. "Wait on the Lord." The subject is full
of interest and profit, and needs our constant and prayerful attention.

I quote a familiar passage to show that this guidance is not for the few merely, but the common
privilege of every child of God:"As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God" (Rom. 8:14). Here the badge of sonship is the leading of the Spirit. Primarily, of course,

it refers to leading in paths of holiness. But can we exclude the widest use of the term? "He
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness" does not exclude the service to which the Lord calls us,
nor anything where we need His guidance.

What a comfort then to have the leading of the Spirit in all that we do; we are not to be left to
sight, "for we walk by faith, not by sight." We are not to be left even to the example of godly
saints, helpful as that is, but to be led by the blessed Spirit, in each detail of Me, in the use of
time, as to our fellowship with others, as to duties, as to expenditure of money, as to service_in
all things. What a comfort to be led of the Spirit of God! Are you thus led?

In one led of the Spirit, intelligence in divine things will be prominent. He will discern,
understand what the will of the Lord is. Here we are at the mercy of no vague impressions which
we are blindly to follow. Our patience and faith may be tested by the lack of guidance, as we have
seen; but we will not be left to uncertainty, or to unintelligent impressions. Paul’s vision of the
man of Macedonia formed the basis of a clear discernment of what the mind of the Spirit was.

But to be intelligent in the things of God means to have a knowledge of His mind as given in His
Word. To discern, we must have those principles of truth found only in the Scriptures, and the
spiritual man is ever a lover of the Word of God. With that Word dwelling in him, not in a coldly
intellectual way, but as controlling his thoughts, enlightening his conscience, and guiding his
affections, he has placed at the disposal of the Holy Spirit the instrument by which he will be made
of quick understanding. He will know the mind of the Spirit and thus be guided. How immensely
important is this!

I add a word which seems in place here. Nothing is more repulsive to a truly spiritual mind, and
grieving to the Spirit of God than a lofty assumption of spiritual guidance. A sanctified walk is
ever a walk of retirement. The man who is most subject to the guidance is the one who will lay
the least claims to being guided. He will be very slow to say, "The Lord led me here or there."
Guidance is largely for the closet and as we look into the eye of God. There are things to be
enjoyed rather than talked about. How sad to hear these sacred themes chatted about in a familiar
way as though one had a remarkable experience, which had now become a sort of second nature
to which he was quite accustomed. Such practices degrade these high and holy themes to us, and
they lose their power over our souls. Is it not true, dear brethren, that for most of us guidance is
the result of painful exercise, in which we have been compelled to see and confess much of pride
and .self-will, and other faults which we would not like to speak of publicly?

Our God is holy. Oh to realize that more deeply! How subdued and chastened we would be. We
would not talk very much about our guidance; but better than that, we would be guided. "The
secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him."

(From The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.)