You can know the will of God by being led by the Spirit. Then, the next question is this: "How can I know it is the Spirit and not myself?"

Here are ten things you need to know about being led:

1. You must seek God on purpose

• Hebrews 11:6 God is and He is a rewarder--we will find Him if we seek Him.
• Matt 7:8 All who seek find
• Luke 11:9-13 God will give the Holy Spirit, not a serpent or stone (evil spirit or human spirit).

2. You must not be double-minded mixing human reason with God's leading

• James 1:8, 4:8 A double minded person does not have the mind of God, though they are trying to mix revelation with human-generated reason.
• All that a double minded person really has is the natural mind alone. The natural mind is the human mind that is deceitful and wicked.
• Luke 11:34, 2 Chronicles 15:15 You must be whole hearted--not double minded. It is the office of the Holy Spirit to reveal.
• Without a Holy and consecrated walk before God, it is impossible to have an understanding of the Holy Scriptures.
• A little science on the human mind

3. You will have a leading

• This leading may be a word or a feeling or a vision. You may just know.
• You will have peace with the decision.
• If you can't get peace regarding any decision of problem, then you must continue in prayer and seeking the face of God.
• We have spiritual senses.
• One of the primary ways that God leads us is through other members of the Body of Christ. This is especially true of those whom God has placed into offices of leadership in the church. But there are so many different things said among the members of Christ's Body. How can we know? Jesus said, “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” John 7:17 The same is true today. When we don’t really want to do the will of God, we have trouble discerning the truth from error.

4. It will be Scriptural

• That which is in conflict with Scripture is not from God.
• God never leads you into sin.
• God does not lead you to hold anger, grudges, bitterness, or any other such thing.
• God never leads you into adultery.
• God never leads you into self-serving ways.
• God doesn't lead you to steal.
• God leads you to serve, take the way of humility, give, build others up, and every fruit of the Spirit.
• If you are walking in the Spirit, you will have relationships as described in Ephesians 5 & 6.You will have daily devotions in your home, be on time to service, minister, prophesy, testify, and sing in the service as you are led, and seek out and follow the advice of your elders, You will spend time in prayer with the understanding and in the Spirit, reading the Bible, meditating of the Word, and just spending time in the presence of the Lord.If these things are not happening, you are not walking in the Spirit.

5. What do the apostles teach?

• That which is in conflict with the apostle's doctrine is not from God.

6. Discernment develops as you walk with God.

• This is no place for pride. Often a young man or woman will be too proud to ask for advice.
• One of the functions of the office of the elder in the church is that of helping younger members to find the will of God.
• As we walk with God, we hear God's voice and we yield our members as instruments of God's righteousness. Righteousness is by grace through faith. Every time that we are able to flow in the Spirit in this way, we are changed a little bit. The Bible describes it as "from glory to glory." This brings a measure of holiness or maturity to our hearts.
• When we don't follow the leading of the Spirit of God, we actually become less mature and have less discernment. Holiness, when it is full grown, will yield life.
• It is a progressive walk.

7. The door will open.

• God never leads us where He doesn't open the door.
• If a prophet prophecies and his prophecy doesn't happen, don't follow that prophet.
• There are lots of authors, false prophets, who have predicted many things that didn't happen, and yet people keep buying their next lying book. Amazing!

8. The human mind is very deceptive. Be aware

• Be aware that the human mind is deceptive.
• If pride comes in, you will fall.
• If you think you are something, you will be deceived. The deception is coming from your own mind.
• Turn to Jesus in humility.

9. Listening to worldly counsel will keep you immature and unable to discern

• Worldly counselors are everywhere, giving their opinions and advice. Many Christians keep themselves immature by taking their lead from the news media in the form of TV News, magazines, and news papers. Others accomplish immaturity by watching movies that are Secular in nature. The word, Secular, means worldly. Secular education is another source of worldly counsel.
• Christian books are not all Christian. Many of them are very worldly. Many of them twist the Scripture.
• Other Christians do not always speak by the Spirit of God. Remember that Peter, in one conversation with Jesus, spoke both by the revelation that came for God and by the inspiration of Satan himself.

10. Walking in the Spirit brings forth the fruit of the Spirit.

• Matt 7:16-20 1 John 4:1-3, 1 Corinthians 12:3 If the spirit curses our brother and sister, it is not of God. The Holy Spirit never tells us to sin or to do things outside of the will of God.
• We are the body of Christ and members in particular
• Gal 5:16-18 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. [You don't need a law. The Spirit leads you into holiness.]
• If meditation, supplication, or prayer leads to the following, the flesh is leading:
  • Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
    • adultery,
    • fornication, [perversion of marriage]
    • uncleanness, [physical or moral]
    • lasciviousness, [lustfulness; wanton; lewd]
  • Gal 5:20
    • Idolatry, [worship of own self, own mind, possessions, power, etc.]
    • witchcraft, [seek any but God for power or leading]
    • hatred, [enmity, strong dislike]
    • variance, [contention, debate, strife]
    • emulations, [indignation, jealousy, envy, being offended,]
    • wrath, [anger--by the way, just try to find anything in the Bible about righteous anger other than from either the Father, the Son, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit. Then think about all the false teaching you may have heard on this subject.]
    • strife,
    • seditions, [division]
    • heresies, [disunion]
  • Gal 5:21
    • Envyings, [spite, wanting something bad to happen to someone--may be because they are blessed]
    • murders,
    • drunkenness,
    • revellings, [obsession with entertainment and wild parties]
    • and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things
    • shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
  • Eph 4:31 Let all
    • bitterness,
    • and wrath, [fierceness]
    • and anger, [indignation, vengeance, wrath]
    • and clamor, [outcry]
    • and evil speaking, [To express objections or criticisms in bitter, harsh, or abusive language.]
    • be put away from you, with all malice: [a desire that others would come to harm. For us, not praying for blessing on each other's life and ministry.]
• If meditation, supplication, or prayer leads to the following, the Spirit is leading:
  • Gal 5:22a But the fruit of the Spirit is
    • love,
    • If we are called of God: Heb 5:1-4 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. [we are] And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honor to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. [if we are called, this is what we do]
    • [if we come across one who is ignorant or out of the way (we all are sometimes), we must respond as priestly kings before God.]
      Acts 7:60, Luke 23:34
  • Gal 5:22b
    • joy,
    • peace,
    • longsuffering,
    • gentleness,
    • goodness,
    • faith,
    • Gal 5:23
    • Meekness,
    • temperance:
    • against such there is no law.
  • Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, [compassionate, sympathetic] forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
  • Gal 5:24-6:10 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate [literally: share or be partaker] to him that teacheth in all good things [that is the Holy Spirit]. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to them who are of the household of faith.