We live in a natural world. We have natural things to manage, schedules to keep, and require certain things to naturally survive in this world. Because everything around us is natural, it pushes us to overlook the spiritual. That’s a risk that many Christians must face and deal with. The natural world can easily overshadow the spiritual realm that God desires us to be aware of and participate in. It is possible for people, even Christians, to live and die without the spiritual realm becoming truly real to us.
However, God desires us to have an awareness of the spiritual realm. In fact, the Lord, who is a spirit, wants to be involved in the everyday affairs of your life. He wants the spiritual world to collide with your natural world.
The Lord is calling His people, and He’s been calling them for years, to be led by the Spirit. Our overall direction in life should not be guided by need, desires, or outward circumstances. It should come about because we are led by the Spirit of God.
“For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” – Romans 8:14
Once we are born again, the Holy Spirit resides in our spirit. However, we need to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit so that He becomes real to us and can lead and guide us. There may be those that hear an audible voice or receive a “Word from the Lord,” but we can be assured from scripture that all believers should be led by the inward witness of the Spirit. You don’t need a special title or be in the ministry, or anything like that to have this witness. It’s available to every believer.
The inward witness is the primary way, next to the Word of God, that the Spirit of God leads believers. It is an inner signal or sensation. The inward witness can lead us by giving us a “stop sign” or a “go ahead” leading. If the Spirit of God is telling you to stop, then the believer who has conditioned themself to listen and sense His leading will get a sense, or a “check,” that signals you should not do something or go somewhere. If you have a foreboding or a “check,” do not proceed. It doesn’t mean God never wants you to do it, but that the timing is not right. Dismissing the inward witness, even if it seems weak or inconvenient, can be detrimental.
On the other side, if the Lord is leading you into something or telling you it’s okay, there will be a sensation in your spirit that confirms a decision. This witness may feel euphoric or even be described as having a “velvety-like feeling of being light and fluffy inside.” This means it is okay to go ahead. God isn’t going to yell at you. On the contrary, He communicates through this inward witness dwelling in your spirit.
One way the inward witness leads is by peace. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts.” That word “rule” means “to act as umpire.” When you’re faced with a decision, check your spirit. Is there peace? Or is there a check—a scratchy feeling or unrest? That’s the Holy Ghost helping you.
If we will learn to cultivate our “hearing” of the inward witness, will we do much better in life. In fact, the Lord told Dad Hagin that if His people would learn to be led by the Spirit of God, He would make them rich. Don’t get caught up on that word. It simply means an abundant supply. It means having enough so that you do not live on “barely get along street.” It means having enough so that you can help others. Biblical prosperity involves a discipline to manage what God has given you. It’s not about having a car and a house for every day of the week. We must be good stewards of what we already have, or God will not trust us with much else.
So how do we cultivate this listening for the inward witness? You need to spend time meditating in the Word of God. This isn’t just about reading the Bible. It’s feeding your spirit. The Word of God is food. If you’re not reading and studying, then you’re starving your spirit.
Understand that the inward witness isn’t a voice. It’s a “knowing” in your spirit. Many believers miss the leading of the Lord because they’re looking for something spectacular instead of the supernatural inward witness.
Then you spend time in prayer. Pray with your understanding, but also pray in other tongues (in the spirit), especially if you are filled with the Holy Ghost. Praying in other tongues is not just a Pentecostal badge—it’s the gateway into the supernatural. It sensitizes your spirit and helps you become more aware of the inner man. The more you pray in the Spirit, the more tuned-in you’ll be to the witness of the Spirit.
Then you need to practice listening to the inward witness. Develop a constant awareness of the Holy Ghost. Do not let natural concerns overpower what the Spirit of God is saying to your spirit. This practice will lead you into a depth of knowing God that you cannot reach any other way.
You grow in this by doing it. When you sense a leading—even in small things—obey it. That’s how you train your spirit. Obedience sharpens your spiritual hearing. The more you obey that inward witness, the stronger it becomes. But if you keep ignoring it, it’ll get fainter and fainter until you hardly hear it at all.
Finally, as a precaution—don’t override the witness by leaning on logic alone. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Your head may say one thing, but your heart—your spirit—knows better if you’re listening.
God is with us!
