Book Review (Part I): How You Can Be Led by The Spirit of God
The Lord Jesus appeared to Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin in February of 1959 in a vision and told him…
“I did not put prophets in the church to guide the New Testament Church. My Word says, ‘As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God’ (Rom. 8:14).
Writing the foreword to How You Can be Led by The Spirit of God, Rev. Kenneth Hagin Jr. says “We need to remember that as Christians we have a tremendous weapon at our disposal. We have a friend and a Helper living in us—One who leads and guides us and shows us things to come.”
And right from the beginning of this book, it is obvious that the leading of the Spirit can be taught and understood.
That is why this reading challenge was put in place as an offshoot of the current Sunday School series.
The article reviews the first twelve sections of the book, “How to be Led by the Spirit of God by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin.
How Does the Spirit of God Lead in the New Testament?
We, as children of God, must learn how to be led by the Spirit.
“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Proverbs 20:27).
Believers must understand that:
- God will lead us through our regenerated, born-again spirits.
- He will not lead us through our minds.
From this verse, it is a Bible fact that God will lead us by our “spirits.”
Many Christians are seeking other means of leading to their detriment. This is a deception of the devil, stemming from ignorance of God’s Word.
Understanding the Nature of Man
If we don’t understand man’s formation, it will be somewhat difficult to understand how God leads us through our spirits.
Why? You were created in the image of God. Since God is a Spirit, then you are a spirit.
So, man is:
- A spirit.
- He has a soul.
- He lives in a physical body.
Let’s go on.
So, what is the human spirit?
According to Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin, your spirit is the part of you that is born again.
This shows that anyone who is not born again by confessing the Lordship of Jesus Christ cannot expect to be led by the Spirit.
Jesus will only lead His sheep.
Therefore, it is your spirit that is:
- Born again.
- Receives Christ’s life, we have been raised together with Christ.
- Made a new creature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).
Your spirit is the real you. It is called the inward man.
“God does something with the inward man. He makes the man on the inside a new man in Christ, a new creature—a new creation.”
You’ve Got to Be Spirit-Conscious!
If you’re a spirit like we’ve learned, then you need to be spirit-conscious.
Many people miss this.
You have to be spirit-conscious more than you’re soul-conscious or body-conscious.
Rev. Hagin wrote:
“Put spirit first. Become more spirit-conscious, more conscious of the inward man. Realize that you are a spirit being and that you became a new creation recreated by God in Christ Jesus. It will help you grow—spiritually.”
Is There Any Difference Between Soul and Spirit?
This is a great question answered in this book.
Biblically, spirit and soul are not the same.
You will see in Hebrews 4:12 that your soul and spirit can be divided by God’s Word. Thus, they are not the same.
You can’t separate what is the same, right?
Daddy Hagin says, “The reason we’ve not been able to distinguish between them is that we have not dug deeply enough into the Word.”
So:
- With your body, you contact the physical realm.
- With your spirit, you contact the spiritual realm.
- With your soul, you contact the intellectual realm.
Dad Hagin mentioned that he learned through the years to look to his spirit during times of crises and pray in other tongues.
Guidance then comes from within because at that time his soul and body were not active, while his spirit was.
So, both the soul and spirit have their functions, and we must learn to put them in their appropriate positions as stated in the scriptures.
The Saving of the Soul and Presenting Your Body
Even though the spirit was quickened at new birth, the soul is still intact.
Remember, it is your spirit that becomes a new creature in Christ.
But there’s a process called the saving of the soul, and that’s what the soul needs to undergo to be saved just like the spirit was. See James 1:21.
Here, Apostle James was addressing believers who had been born again and filled with the Holy Ghost.
The saving of the soul can also mean restoring the soul (according to Ps. 23:3).
Let’s go further…
If the soul is saved or restored, something also has to happen to the body.
In the sixth chapter, Dad Hagin taught about presenting the body.
What this simply means is that you need to do something about your body.
Apostle Paul mentioned that he brings his body under subjection… 1 Corinthians 9:27.
So instead of allowing the body to take charge, Paul, with the help of the Holy Ghost, put it under the control of the inward man.
The inner man—who is born again and filled with the Spirit—should dominate the outward man, and not vice versa.
The Inward Witness
Now back to something important that is the theme of this volume.
God wants to lead His children (you) by your regenerated spirit (if you’re born again).
This brings us to the inward witness.
Dad Hagin took time to share his encounter with the Lord in this part of the book in Chapter 7.
The emphasis here was that God doesn’t want to lead His children in the New Testament by prophets as it was in the Old Testament.
Jesus told him, “From now on, I am going to lead you just like I do every other Christian—by the inward witness.”
Looking back at the benefits of staying attentive to the inner witness, Dad Hagin said, “But as you learn to develop your spirit and follow the inward witness, He (the Holy Spirit) will guide you in every area of your life.” (Emphasis added in parenthesis).
And really, it is through the inward witness that you even have the assurance that you are a child of God.
The inward witness is the Spirit of God bearing witness to your spirit!
A major lesson from this chapter is that following the inward witness can be learned as we stay spirit-conscious, pray more in the Spirit, and feed more on the Word.
The Inward Voice
In Chapter 11, Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin taught about the inward voice.
This is the second way the Holy Spirit leads us in the New Testament.
He says, “The inward man, who is a spirit man, has a voice—just as the outward man has a voice. We call this voice of the inward man, conscience. We call this voice the still small voice.”
Dad Hagin shares from experience that “When the Holy Spirit speaks, it is more authoritative. The still small voice is the voice of our own spirit speaking. But our own spirit picks it up from the Holy Spirit who is in us.”
As We Draw the Curtain on This Review…
It’s important to note the 12th chapter titled Effects of the Spirit’s Indwelling.
Dad Hagin taught along the lines of trusting our spirits.
He asked, “Is your conscience a safe guide?”
He went on to admonish that you can trust your conscience (if you’re born again) because your spirit has become a new man in Christ.
He says, “Therefore if your spirit is a new man with the life and nature of God in it, it is a safe guide.”
He wrote, “A person who has not been born again could not follow the voice of his spirit. His spirit is unregenerate. His conscience would permit him to do anything.”
Is It a Must to Hear God Audibly? A Dear Sister’s Account
Our dear Sis Morenike Ojo shared her experience.
She said, “Joining the challenge and reading through each chapter of the book has been a wonderful experience. It has helped me to appreciate the power and workings of the Holy Spirit in me as a believer.
As a new convert, I remember how I longed to hear God speak to me audibly because I felt that was a validation of being a child of God.
Especially, when you hear folks around you talk about how they heard the Lord speak to them.
I’m thankful I didn’t tarry in that state for so long but found solace in Rom. 8:14.
Reading this book also helped confirm that you need not hear God audibly or be told by someone else that you are a child of God.
It’s solely the work of the Holy Spirit in us.
I also see how much we have undermined the work and power of the Holy Spirit in us as believers.
The fact that the Third Person in the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, has chosen to condescend and dwell in us is enough for us to know that what we carry as believers is not ordinary.
Also, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us is indeed an assurance that we can house God as we continue to grow and follow the leading of the Spirit.”
What was your experience reading the book, How to be led by the Spirit of God? Kindly share in the comments!
Stay led. God bless you!